嘔

Phono-semantic compound:

口 (입 구) — semantic, representing the mouth or speech.

區 (구분할 구) — phonetic, providing the sound gu and suggesting separation or expulsion.

Together, they depict the mouth producing a forceful outward motion — expelling something from within, whether physical (vomit) or verbal (speech).

In bronze and seal script, the multiple 口 (mouth) radicals symbolized repeated or forceful vocal or oral action.

By the clerical script stage, the form was standardized into 口 + 區, yielding the modern composition 嘔.

구토(嘔吐) — vomiting

오심(嘔心) — nausea, queasiness

토혈(嘔血) — vomiting blood

속이 메스껍다 — to feel nauseated (colloquial equivalent)

The character 嘔 is primarily used in medical, literary, or poetic contexts, while the native Korean equivalent “토하다 / 게우다” appears in daily speech.

In classical Chinese medicine (中醫), 嘔 refers to reverse flow of the stomach’s qi (胃氣上逆) — a symptom of imbalance in the digestive and respiratory systems.

Texts such as Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經) describe 嘔 alongside 逆 (reversal) and 噦 (hiccup) as types of upper-body expulsion.

In literary usage, 嘔 also appeared figuratively:

“嘔心瀝血” (오심력혈) — “to vomit one’s heart and shed blood,” i.e., to pour out one’s utmost effort or emotion in creation or service.

This idiom later became a metaphor for artistic devotion or exhausting labor of love.

Cultural & symbolic notes:

Beyond the medical sense, 嘔 has long been used metaphorically in literature:

To signify expressing inner emotion (“토로하다,” “pour out one’s heart”).

To depict suffering or sincerity in artistic or moral effort, as in “嘔心瀝血之作” — a “work written with heart’s blood.”

In Buddhist writings, 嘔 sometimes symbolizes spiritual purgation — purging ignorance and attachment much like the body expels impurity.

Symbolic interpretation:

嘔 embodies the boundary between interior and exterior — what is held within and what is expelled.

It represents purging, release, and honesty, whether physical or emotional.

Just as vomiting clears the body of poison, the metaphorical 嘔心 (“to vomit the heart”) expresses the cleansing or exposure of one’s truest feelings.

「嘔心以出其誠。」

“He vomited forth his heart — that his sincerity might be seen.”