Han character 𢬾

It links to 抪 in Chinese and to he in Vietnamese Nôm.

The Shuowen Jiezi, a Chinese character dictionary completed around 100 CE, defines 抪 as “press and hold by hand.” It explains the character as 扌, the hand component, plus 布 for sound.

Han-period citations in later dictionaries show 抪 also meaning “spread” or “cover”: one says dust is spread over things; another says a poem reaches across the nine provinces. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education lists 𢬾 as a variant of 抪 and cites Four Sounds Sea and Zhengzitong. The Kangxi Dictionary, a Chinese reference compiled during the Qing dynasty, instead calls 𢬾 a mistaken form.

What does 𢬾 mean in Vietnamese Nôm?

Chữ Nôm uses this form to write the Vietnamese syllable he.

Chữ Nôm is a historical Vietnamese writing system that adapted Chinese characters and their parts to write Vietnamese. A repeated spelling, 𢬾𢬾 (he hé), means “slightly ajar,” as when a door is open just a little.