rattan, cane
籐 centers on the rattan plant and its stems used as material: the cane itself or objects made from it.
籐 combines 竹 (bamboo) with 滕, which likely contributes the sound トウ. The bamboo radical suggests a plant material similar to bamboo, fitting rattan or cane.
The bamboo top 竹 over 滕 hints at a bamboo-like plant. Picture rattan stems growing straight like bamboo, ready to be cut into canes.
For トウ, imagine a tall rattan cane tapping the ground with a toe-like sound: toe -> トウ, and the cane bends like rattan.
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