襲

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

衣 (옷 의) — semantic component, meaning “clothing,” representing covering or wrapping.

龍 (용 룡) — phonetic component (originally the more complex 龖), suggesting sound seup (습) and evoking movement, coiling, and enveloping.

In ancient scripts such as oracle bone (甲骨文) and bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen), the character appeared in fuller forms like 𧟛 or 𧟟, containing the complete dragon radical 龖, symbolizing something that descends or wraps around — much like a dragon enfolding the heavens.

Originally, it referred to ritual wrapping of a corpse (염습) — dressing the dead in ceremonial garments.

From this imagery, the notion of “covering,” “following,” or “descending upon” naturally developed, giving rise to its modern meanings of attack, inheritance, and enveloping.

掩襲 (엄습) — to attack by surprise; raid

襲擊 (습격) — assault; sudden attack

襲來 (습래) — to come over suddenly; to strike (emotion, storm, etc.)

因襲 (인습) — to follow custom; to inherit outdated tradition

染襲 (염습) — to be influenced by; to absorb or imitate

承襲 (승습) — to inherit; to take over (a title, position, or tradition)

襲名 (습명) — to inherit a name or title

襲用 (습용) — to reuse or adopt again

襲裝 (습장) — to dress a body for burial

襲衣 (습의) — burial clothes; garment for a corpse

In ancient Chinese funerary culture, 襲 described the solemn act of dressing the deceased — an act of respect ensuring spiritual dignity.

The body was “covered” in multiple layers of garments (七襲 or 九襲), symbolizing protection and honor in the transition from life to death.

「死者襲衣以歸土。」

“The dead are wrapped in garments to return to the earth.”

From this ritual context, 襲 gained symbolic associations with continuity and transmission — to “inherit” or “carry on” something from the past.

Thus, phrases like 因襲 (inherited custom) and 承襲 (to succeed) reflect the passage of tradition across generations.

In military usage, the verb evolved to mean “to strike swiftly, to descend upon,” drawing from the imagery of something falling and enveloping suddenly, like a dragon descending from the clouds.

「夜襲敵營。」

“To attack the enemy camp by night.”

This sense of suddenness and overwhelming presence also appears in poetic expressions where emotions or natural forces 襲人 (envelop a person) — as in fragrance, wind, or melancholy overtaking the heart.

「花香襲人來。」

“The scent of blossoms comes, enveloping the passerby.”

Symbolism:

襲 unites two profound ideas: inheritance and impact.

It describes both the gentle continuity of tradition and the sudden force of an event that overtakes.

It mirrors life’s rhythm — the passing down of what is old, and the unexpected arrival of what is new.

「襲者，承也；又奪也。」

“To ‘襲’ is to inherit — and also to seize.”

襲 reveals the dual nature of transmission — how one act of covering can either preserve or overwhelm.

From the quiet rite of wrapping the dead, to the sudden storm that overtakes the living, it teaches that what we inherit and what we face are both forms of what descends upon us.

「襲如風過林，無形而動眾。」

“The assault comes like wind through the forest — unseen, yet it moves all things.”

Thus, 襲 stands for the unseen continuity and force that move through generations, events, and hearts — the power that both protects and surprises, preserves and transforms.