咽 yān –pharynx |
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Main meanings: ①yān – pharynx.. ② yàn – swallow ③ yè – sob, whimper. |
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Etymology: Elements ---- Mouth 口 + bed 因. Phonetic series 因. The pharynx is the part of the mouth 口 exposed when a person lies on a bed 因. To swallow was a simple variant of 嚥, (a swallow’s 燕 mouth 口), later simplified as pharynx because the swallowed things pass through the pharynx. Sob, because originally it depicted also movements that blocked the pharynx, as in the act of sobbing. |
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Main Words: 咽喉 yānhóu – pharynx and larynx; throat (pharynx + larynx) 吞咽 tūnyàn – swallow; gulp (swalow + swallow) 呜咽 wūyè – sob, whimper (sob sound + sob) 哽咽 gěngyè – choke with sobs (choke with food + sob) |
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Discussion and sources Most of the books consider that 因 is only phonetic in this character. I propose that it can be related to the prominence of the pharynx when a man lies on the bed. Swallow and sob can be easily related to pharynx. The idea of the person lying on the bed, common to all characters of this family, could refer to a sick man, and the smoke be related to the sacrifices burnt to the spirits for his healing. |
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| Some of my books about Chinese characters | |||
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