beginning, mess

緒 is composed of the radical 糸 (silk, thread) and 者 (this, person). 糸 represents silk threads, while 者 depicts a pile of firewood being used to start a fire for cooking, and from the pile of firewood it extends to the meaning of gathering or accumulation. When many silk threads gather together, they create a tangled mess. Therefore, 緒 is used to represent this sense of disorder or complexity. Additionally, to resolve the tangle caused by silk threads, one must first pull out the end of the thread. Therefore, 緒 also carries the meaning of a beginning or starting point.