Chinese character 澼

It names the washing step in a silk-processing term. The oldest known literary example of 澼 in 洴澼絖 appears in the Zhuangzi, a classical Chinese text from the Warring States period, when rival Chinese states fought for power. A family makes a living by soaking and beating silk floss—loose silk fibers prepared for use. The work cleans and softens the fibers; it is textile processing, not ordinary laundry.

澼 is best understood inside its compound: 洴澼 names the washing process, with 洴 as 澼’s companion character. Technical explanations connect the washing sense with 漂, an older Chinese verb for washing or treating material in water. For 澼 in 腸澼, later medical dictionaries preserve a separate sense: intestinal fluid or a bowel ailment.