蒼

Phono-semantic compound:

艸 (풀 초, “grass, plants”) — semantic, indicating vegetation and natural color.

倉 (곳집 창, “granary, storehouse”) — phonetic, giving the sound 창.

Originally indicated the color of plants and sky, later broadened to encompass both blue and green hues (like the Korean word 푸르다, covering both).

창천 (蒼天) — the blue sky, heaven

창해 (蒼海) — the vast blue sea

창록 (蒼綠) — bluish-green

창로 (蒼老) — aged, hoary (with gray-white hair)

In Classical Chinese, 蒼 referred both to verdant nature and to the azure heavens, often symbolizing vastness or eternity.

The sense “grayish-white” led to its association with old age (e.g., 蒼老 = appearing aged).

In modern Chinese (普通话): cāng - “blue-green, grayish, aged.”