only, just

啻 is composed of 帝 (emperor) and 口 (mouth). 帝 means monarch, while 口 represents speech. The words of a ruler carry absolute authority, which gave 啻 the connotations of centrality, orthodoxy, and concentration, eventually extending to mean singular or exclusive. Today, 啻 means "only" or "merely," and is most commonly used in combination with 不.