旨 icon

delicacy, purport

is composed of (dagger, ladle) and the variant of (mouth). is a pictograph of a spoon or ladle, so depicts the image of a spoon putting food into the mouth, with its original meaning being delicious. How the food tastes in the mouth is something only oneself knows in their heart, so later also came to mean "purport".

Vocabulary of 旨

  • 宗旨 (aim)
  • 主旨 (gist)
  • 聖旨 (imperial decree)

Related Characters: