欲 (yù)
desire; appetite; passion; lust; greed
Etymology
Phonosemantic compound. 欠, depicting a person with an open mouth, represents the meaning, while 谷 represents the sound.
Shuowen Jiezi
《說文》:“欲,貪欲也。从欠,谷聲。”
Components
- 欠 (meaning) — Depicts a person with an open mouth.
- 谷 (sound)