Ideograph 𡟋

It is a rare written form of 嫠, meaning “widow.”

The Shuowen Jiezi, an early Chinese character dictionary, defines 嫠 as “without a husband” in a supplementary entry. It explains 嫠 as 女 (“woman”) plus 𠩺, a component that supplies the sound.

The Zuo Zhuan, a classical chronicle, uses 嫠 in 嫠不恤其纬，而忧宗周之陨: the widow worries about the Zhou state’s fall, not her loom. The saying became a literary expression for concern about the country. Su Shi’s later poem Red Cliff Rhapsody uses 嫠妇 for a widow moved to tears by flute music.