嶼

Phono-semantic compound:

山 (메 산) — semantic component, indicating mountain or elevation, representing land rising above water.

與 (줄 여 / 더불 여) — phonetic component, providing the sound yǔ / seo and implying connection or companionship.

Thus 山 + 與 → 嶼 — “mountain-like land amid water,” i.e., an island or elevated islet.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) — later additions:

「嶼，小島也。从山，與聲。」

“嶼 means a small island; composed of 山 with phonetic 與.”

This composition mirrors other geographical characters using 山 as the semantic base (e.g., 島 “island,” 岳 “peak,” 嶽 “sacred mountain”), signifying prominence or elevation.

島嶼 (도서) — islands; general term for archipelagos

孤嶼 (고서) — solitary island; isolated place

洲嶼 (주서) — islets and sandbanks

嶼國 (서국) — island nation; insular country

海嶼 (해서) — sea islets; coastal islands

From early geography to Tang poetry, it symbolized natural isolation, tranquility, and elegance — a fragment of land embraced by sea and sky.

Book of Songs (詩經 · 小雅):

「江有汜，之子歸不。」

Though not containing 嶼 itself, this section uses river islets (洲, 汜), among which 嶼 later appears as the classical counterpart for rocky sea islands.

Li Bai (李白 · 登金陵鳳凰臺):

「江水流春去欲盡，江潭落月復西斜。斜月照洲嶼，孤舟泊煙霞。」

“The river carries away the spring; the moon declines over the islets, where a lone boat rests amid the mist” — 嶼 evokes the image of isolated beauty amid nature.

Su Shi (蘇軾 · 赤壁賦):

「江流有聲，斷岸千尺；山高月小，水落石出，清風徐來，水波不興；舉酒屬客，誦明月之詩，歌窈窕之章。少焉，月出於東山之上，徘徊於斗牛之間。白露橫江，水光接天，一碧萬頃，浩浩湯湯，縈青嶼而下。」

“The moonlight wound around the green islets and descended — 嶼 describing the small isles that adorn the flowing Yangtze.”

These literary instances show 嶼 as a poetic image — tranquil, isolated, and immersed in nature’s expanse.

Semantic field & cultural usage:

In classical Chinese geography and poetry, 嶼 is used for rocky or forested islets rising in rivers or seas — smaller and more rugged than 島.

In modern compounds like 島嶼 (도서, “islands”), 嶼 preserves the poetic image of small isles scattered across the vast ocean — places of solitude and timeless beauty.

Thus, the compound 島嶼 (도서) collectively refers to all islands, while each element highlights a nuance:

島 — general island (inhabitable or large).

嶼 — small or solitary islet (poetic and descriptive).

The character often carries symbolic meaning of solitude, retreat, or natural beauty, frequent in Tang and Song poetry.

㠘 (⿱山與) — vertical composition used interchangeably in archaic inscriptions.