About
The character 髟 (biāo) is an ideographic radical representing long, flowing hair, serving as a foundational component for characters related to hair, beards, and grooming. Structurally, it combines the top of 長 (cháng, "long") with 彡 (shān, "strands") to visually depict cascading locks. Historically, it functioned primarily as a semantic classifier at the top of characters denoting hairstyles, hair conditions, and facial hair, rather than as an independent word. Its role is structural, marking concepts involving the physical attributes of human hair and linking specialized grooming vocabulary.
Etymology Hide
