About
The character 谮 (zèn; traditional form: 譖) is a phono-semantic compound indicating a form of malicious speech. Its semantic component is the speech radical 讠 (yán; 言 in traditional form), linking it to verbal communication. The phonetic component is 朁 (cǎn). Historically, it denotes the act of slander, specifically, making false accusations or spreading malicious rumors to harm someone's reputation, often within political or courtly contexts. This meaning of deceitful verbal behavior remains its primary sense in formal written Chinese.
Etymology Hide
