About
裎 is a phono-semantic compound character centered on clothing and undress. It combines the clothing radical 衤 on the left, which places it within the semantic category of garments, with the phonetic component 呈 (chéng) on the right, which indicates its pronunciation. Its core meaning refers to removing one's upper garments or being in a state of nakedness, often with a sense of inappropriate exposure. The character is chiefly known from a classical idiom describing someone behaving with utter disregard for decorum by baring themselves, and its use remains largely confined to literary or formal contexts describing such indecorous conduct.
Etymology Hide
