red cloud

霞 is composed of 雨 (rain) and 叚 (borrow, false). 雨 refers to meteorological phenomena, while 叚 is a pictograph of two hands grasping a cliff wall, meaning untrue or illusory. Thus, 霞 refers to the red glow reflected when sunlight shines on clouds, as this phenomenon is fleeting and the red colors are not inherent to the clouds themselves, creating a sense of illusion or unreality.