餘

A phono-semantic compound:

食 (“food, to eat”) — semantic element, suggesting provision, sustenance, surplus.

余 (yeo / yú, “I, surplus”) — phonetic element.

Original meaning: “to have food left over,” extended to the general sense of “to remain, surplus, remainder.”

餘地 (여지) — room, margin, leeway

餘力 (여력) — remaining strength, surplus energy

餘生 (여생) — the rest of one’s life

餘暇 (여가) — spare time, leisure

餘分 (여분) — extra, excess, surplus

剩餘 (잉여) — remainder, surplus (modern form, esp. in economics)

Symbolizes that which remains after use, often appearing in philosophical and literary contexts to suggest “what is left” or “abundance beyond necessity.”

In Confucian and Daoist texts, 餘 may carry the sense of residual virtue, remaining years, or surplus blessings.

In modern simplified Chinese, 餘 was merged with 余.

Occasionally, 馀 is used (simplified 食 component + 余) to distinguish it from 余 when necessary, e.g., in surnames.

In Japanese, 餘 was also replaced by 余, though 餘 may appear in historical texts or names.