裔

裔 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of:

衣 (옷 의) — semantic element, indicating relation to clothing or covering.

冏 (빛날 경) — phonetic component, providing the sound yì and connoting brightness or expansion.

衣 + 冏 → 裔

“The extended edge of a garment,” hence extension, continuation, descendant.

Thus, the form unites the idea of outward extension (衣) with the sense of projection or illumination (冏), together conveying “the extended part” — of a robe, of a lineage, or of civilization itself.

後裔 (후예) — descendants, later generations

遺裔 (유예) — surviving descendant, remnant line

華裔 (화예) — ethnic Chinese abroad (lit. “descendants of the Hua people”)

裔孫 (예손) — descendant or offspring

邊裔 (변예) — borderland, frontier region

苗裔 (묘예) — posterity of a tribe or clan

In Confucian thought, 裔 embodies the continuity of moral and cultural heritage across generations.

思祖念裔，以德繼世。

“Remember the ancestors and care for the descendants — virtue continues the generations.”

Thus, 裔 symbolizes the moral thread (德之衣) that connects ancestors and descendants, much like a garment’s hem binds its fabric.

Daoist interpretations see 裔 as representing the flowing edge of existence, where the form (衣) and the light (冏) meet — the visible manifestation of the invisible origin.

道裔於無名，而化於有形。

“The Dao extends beyond namelessness, transforming into visible form.”

Here 裔 transcends genealogical meaning to signify emanation and manifestation — the unfolding of the Dao into the world.

In modern times, compounds such as 華裔 (Huáyì) have acquired sociocultural importance, referring to ethnic Chinese descendants abroad — symbolizing the extension of civilization across boundaries.

裔者，流而不絕也。

“The descendants are the flow that does not cease.”

A rare variant, 𧜟, places 冏 within the folds of 衣 — a more graphic depiction of “the inner light or continuation within the garment.”