膳

It is a phono-semantic compound, formed from:

肉 (⺼, “meat, flesh”) as the semantic element;

善 (seon, “good, virtuous”) as the phonetic element.

The presence of the meat radical reflects the fact that high-class meals in antiquity typically involved meat.

Semantic development:

Classical sense: an elegant, carefully prepared meal, often for rulers or nobles.

Later sense: any meal, food in general, not restricted to the elite.

Extended senses: to prepare or serve food, especially as an offering.

膳 reflects the cultural history of food in East Asia:

In classical usage, it evoked royal or ritual meals.

In Korean usage, its meaning shifted toward formal giving or presenting (as in gifts), extending beyond food to other items.

In Chinese and Japanese usage, it retains the strong sense of meals and prepared food, especially in formal or polite contexts.

In modern Korean, 선 (膳) has diverged from its original food-related meaning:

선물 (膳物) – originally “food offering,” now simply “present, gift.”

선사 (膳賜) – originally “to bestow food,” now “to bestow (something) as a gift, often out of respect or affection.”

반선 (飯膳) – meal table, prepared meal (classical usage).

한식 선(膳) – in Korean cuisine, sometimes refers to a specific prepared table of food (e.g., 궁중 음식에서의 진연).

膳 is also included in Han Seok-bong’s Thousand Character Classic (천자문) list.

A notable variant is 饍 (U+994D), where the semantic element 食 (food) replaces 肉.