The Layers of 被

The character 被 is built from two distinct parts that work together to create its form. At its core is the semantic component 衣, meaning clothing or garment. This is paired with the phonetic component 皮, which refers to skin, peel, shell, or rind.

As a phono-semantic compound, the character combines these elements to establish its sound and meaning. According to the Shuowen Jiezi, the character is described as 𡪢衣, characterized as being long enough to cover a body with an extra half. The text notes it follows the meaning of 衣 and uses the sound of 皮.

Historical records show the character appearing in bronze, chu, qin, seal, and regular scripts. In some contexts, such as the Guoyu Dictionary, the character is noted to be connected to 披. This connection suggests the action of draping clothing onto the body.

In terms of its linguistic relationships, 被 is considered a cognate with 披. The use of the character as a passive marker is an extension of the concept of being covered by something or wearing something. In its noun form, it refers to bedding, such as a quilt or a blanket.

Explore the full etymology graph of 被 on etymfun.com.

Based on Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and the sources listed on etymfun.com; written by a local model and fact-checked statement by statement against them. Illustration generated locally.

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