About
The character "鬣" originated from the depiction of animal bristles, constructed with the semantic component "髟" indicating hair and the phonetic component "巤". Its early meaning specifically referred to the mane of horses or stiff hair on animals like boars, but over time it expanded to describe any similar rigid filaments, such as feathers or plumes, and later metaphorical extensions like the crest of a wave. The traditional form of "鬣" maintains this structure without graphical simplification.
Etymology Hide
