而 (ér)

and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relat

Etymology

Originally a pictograph of a beard, now written as 耏. The current use as a conjunction is a phonetic loan.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“而,頰毛也。象毛之形。《周禮》曰:‘作其鱗之而。’”

Original meaning

beard