an ancient vessel
簠 refers to a specific type of ancient ritual vessel, typically made of bamboo or used for grain offerings. Its meaning is narrow and concrete, with no extended abstract senses.
簠 is a phono-semantic compound: 竹 (bamboo) suggests the material, and 甫 likely provides the sound フ. The bottom 皿 (dish/vessel) reinforces the vessel meaning. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the component structure fits the ancient vessel sense.
Bamboo 竹 on top, a vessel 皿 on the bottom, and 甫 in the middle: picture an ancient bamboo vessel used for offerings, with the middle part as its decorated body.
For フ, imagine the sound of blowing air (ふー) into the ancient vessel to clean it before a ritual: ふー -> フ.
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