秕
empty grain or rice husk, chaff
Strokes9
Readings
On'yomi
- ヒ
Kun'yomi
- しいな
Meaning
秕 centers on the worthless leftover material from grain processing: empty husks and chaff that are discarded after threshing.
Study
Etymology
秕 combines 禾 (grain) with 比, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest the idea of separating or comparing good grain from worthless husks. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The grain radical 禾 beside 比 (compare) suggests sorting grain: the good kernels are kept, and the empty husks and chaff are thrown away.
Reading mnemonic
For ヒ, imagine a heap of chaff being blown away by the wind with a soft 'hee' sound: hee -> ヒ, as the worthless husks scatter.