Phonosemantic compound. 衣 represents the meaning and 㕯 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "the edges of clothing". The meaning later shifted to "remote", "descendants of a distant era" and "descendants" in general.

Evolution

Bronze script

Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical script

Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Regular script

Modern

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