Chinese character 茇

It names a grass root and can mean lodging outdoors.

The Shijing, a collection of classical poems, and the Zhouli, a text on ritual and government, preserve 茇. The Han-era Shuowen Jiezi, an early dictionary, records its grass-root sense. In the Zhouli’s military setting, 茇舍 describes lodging in grassland.

What else can 茇 mean?

Its older dictionary senses reach beyond roots and camping.

Classical and later dictionaries also record clearing weeds, a white-flowered plant called lingxiao, the plant name 蓽茇, and a coarse cord made from bamboo or reeds. In 茇涉, 茇 stands in for 跋 in a classical phrase for difficult travel over mountains and water.

Why are 茇, 拔 and 跋 connected?

They share 犮, the part that hints at sound.

茇 pairs 犮 with the grass component 艹; 拔 adds the hand component 扌, and 跋 adds the foot component 足. That shared sound-bearing part connects their character structures, but their meanings differ.