葱

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

艸 (풀 초) — semantic component, indicating plant or vegetation.

囪 (창문 총) — phonetic component, representing the sound 'chong' and implying brightness or ventilation.

Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「蔥，菜也。从艸，囪聲。」

“蔥 means a vegetable; composed of 艸 (grass) and 囪 (phonetic).”

Thus, the composition represents a green herb whose leaves grow straight and hollow like a chimney (囪) — the onion plant.

Semantic development:

Literal: a kind of green vegetable, the scallion or leek.

Descriptive: green, luxuriant, or fresh in appearance.

Figurative: lively, youthful, or vigorous (as in 蔥鬱, “flourishing life force”).

Dialectal (archaic): a wagon or cart (reading 창, chhang), used regionally in old Korean and Taiwanese contexts.

蔥綠 (총록) — green, verdant

蔥鬱 (총울) — lush, luxuriant

蔥蘢 (총롱) — luxuriant, thriving vegetation

蔥白 (총백) — white part of a scallion; also an herbal term

洋蔥 (양총) — onion (Allium cepa)

蔥花 (총화) — chopped scallion (used as garnish)

In Chinese and Korean cultures, 蔥 often symbolizes intelligence, vitality, and freshness, since its pronunciation resembles 聰 (총, clever, intelligent).

Thus, in folk sayings and wordplay, 蔥 can imply bright and quick-witted youth (蔥翠之年 — youthful age).

In traditional medicine, 蔥白 (총백), the white stem of the scallion, is valued for stimulating perspiration and relieving colds, appearing in formulas such as 蔥白湯.

In literature, reduplicated forms like 蔥蔥, 蔥翠, and 蔥鬱 evoke the vivid greenness of mountains and valleys, symbolizing natural vigor.

Symbolic interpretation:

蔥 embodies freshness, vitality, and clear energy (淸氣) — the green sprout of life emerging from the soil.

Because of its phonetic link with 聰 (intelligence), it also came to symbolize sharpness of mind.

「蔥翠之姿，映於山川；聰慧之德，發於心田。」

“The verdant grace of the mountains mirrors the green of the scallion; the brightness of wisdom springs from the field of the heart.”

《詩經·小雅》(The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes):

「彼采蕨兮，不盈頃筐。蔥蔥其野，萋萋其蒿。」

“They gather ferns that fill not a basket; the fields are green and luxuriant.”

Here, 蔥蔥 (총총) is an onomatopoetic reduplication meaning lush, verdant, and lively, derived from the same word root.

Hence, 蔥 unites nature’s vitality with the mind’s clarity, symbolizing renewal and intelligence.

Across East Asia, 蔥 continues to symbolize life, youth, and clarity — the fragrance of spring’s first green.

蔥 (U+8525) — Traditional form (used in Taiwan, Japan, Korea).

葱 (U+8471) — Simplified form (used in Mainland China, Hong Kong).

In Taiwan’s standard traditional orthography, a variant form uses 囪 instead of 匆 as the inner component — considered the orthodox (正字) form.

Hong Kong: prefers 葱 as standard form.