庬
abundant, mixed
Readings
On'yomi
- ボウ
- モ
- モウ
Kun'yomi
- はっきり.しない
Meaning
庬 centers on a state of being abundant yet mixed or unclear. It suggests a large, overflowing quantity that lacks clear separation, making things vague or indistinct.
Study
Etymology
庬 combines 广 (building) with 尨, which likely contributes both sound and the idea of shagginess or mixture. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the character may have originally described a storehouse filled with a mixed, abundant collection.
Meaning mnemonic
Under a broad roof 广, a shaggy, mixed creature 尨 represents a jumbled abundance. Picture a messy storeroom overflowing with all sorts of things, so full that nothing is clearly separated.
Reading mnemonic
For ボウ, imagine a bow (as in bow and arrow) tangled in the messy, abundant pile under the roof. The bow is hard to see clearly among the mix: bow -> ボウ.