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The character 鬻 (yù) has a complex structure and a notable etymological shift. Its components are 粥 (zhōu, “rice porridge”) at the top and the radical 鬲 (lì, “ancient three-legged cooking vessel”) at the bottom. It originally depicted the act of boiling grains to make porridge. Through phonetic loaning, it came to represent the homophonous word meaning “to sell” or “to vend.” The culinary sense is now obsolete in standard usage, and the character exclusively denotes the commercial transaction of selling, often appearing in formal or classical literary contexts.
Etymology Hide
