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The character 蝮, denoting a viper, is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic component 虫, signaling its association with reptiles or creeping animals, and the phonetic component 复, which guides its pronunciation. Etymologically, this construction has consistently linked the character to venomous snakes, with early textual references defining it as a short, triangular-headed poisonous serpent. The meaning has carried forward without substantive change, and the character's structural composition has remained unaltered in standard writing systems.
Etymology Hide
