About
The character "诃" originates from its traditional form "訶", a phono-semantic compound constructed from the semantic radical "言", denoting speech or language, and the phonetic component "可", which historically indicated its pronunciation. This structure originally conveyed meanings associated with verbal acts, specifically to scold, rebuke, or shout, a sense that has persisted as its core lexical function. Over centuries, while maintaining this primary meaning, the character also adapted to serve in transliteration contexts, particularly within Buddhist canons where it was used to render Sanskrit sounds, as seen in the compound "摩诃" derived from "mahā" meaning great. The simplified form "诃" retains the phonetic element "可" but substitutes the traditional radical with "讠", a modern shorthand for speech-related characters, yet this graphical adjustment did not alter the fundamental semantic range or historical associations of the character.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这是一种诃子植物。
诃子可以用来制药。
他不应该诃责孩子。
在中药里，诃子有止咳作用。
摩诃般若是一种智慧。
摩诃衍那指的是大乘佛教。
唐代有位诗人名叫王诃。
研究者正在分析诃子提取物的化学成分。