虽suī
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Shuowen
The character 虽 combines 虫 (insect) with 隹 (a short-tailed bird), forming a phonosemantic compound where the insect radical suggests the original referent while the bird component provides the phonetic value; together they depict a small creature such as a locust or cricket. In its earliest attested forms on oracle bones and bronze inscriptions, 虽 referred to a type of destructive insect or pest, a meaning now entirely obsolete. The character came to be used as a concessive conjunction meaning "although" or "even though" by metaphorical extension—perhaps because the insect's persistent nature suggested an underlying contrast—and this abstract grammatical function completely displaced its original concrete sense in modern usage.
Pinyin
suī· HSK 2