Chinese character 禼

It names an insect or serves as an older form of 契.

The 說文解字, an early Chinese character dictionary, gives 禼 as an insect name and describes it as pictographic: a sign whose shape depicts what it names. Other classical lexicographic records use 禼 as an older written form of 契, the traditional name of a Shang ancestor. This name-specific link does not give 禼 every later meaning of 契.

Character-history records include a bronze inscription from the late Spring-and-Autumn period, manuscripts from Chu (an ancient Chinese state), Qin writing slips, and small-seal script, an older formal script style. These records show 禼 as an evolved written form across several historical Chinese traditions, rather than a one-off invention.

What does 禼 mean when someone sends it?

Treat it as a historical character or name, not a mood cue.

If it appears beside an old dictionary entry, a note on character history, or a personal name, use those nearby words to choose between the insect sense and the ancestor-name. If 禼 arrives by itself, ask the sender what they intended rather than guessing a reaction.