Han character 矏

Fine, dense, or closely packed.

The classical Chinese dictionary Erya, in its Shiyan section (《尔雅·释言》), glosses 矏 with 密, the character for “dense,” and describes it as 致密 (“closely packed”). Shuowen (《说文》), an early dictionary explaining characters and words, connects the sense to a fine, dense appearance of the eye, then extends it beyond the eye.

These records treat 矏 as a written word, not a picture of an object. Later dictionary entries keep the dense/fine gloss and preserve a reading linked with 免.

Which old forms are linked to 矏?

Several old spellings are linked to it, but that does not make them interchangeable.

Chinese dictionary records preserve 矈, 𥌗, 𥌂, and 臱 alongside 矏 through older spelling and transmission traditions. The specific links differ, and none makes every form a free substitute in a modern passage.

What if someone sends 矏 alone?

A lone 矏 does not tell you which recorded sense is intended.

With a classical gloss, read toward “dense” or “fine”; in a character discussion, it may simply be a headword. A dictionary note linking it to 免 does not settle the intended reading by itself, so ask for the surrounding sentence or source.