宕

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

宀 — meaning “house, building; inside; covered space”

石 — phonetic component (dàng)

Originally, 宕 expressed the sense of letting oneself go, not being bound by rules.

《說文解字》 (Shuowen Jiezi):

「宕，舍也。」

“宕 means a dwelling / resting place.”

In classical Chinese it also had meanings such as:

- to delay, to waste time

- to wander, ramble, or “go astray”

- to be at ease, unrestrained

탕자 (宕子) — prodigal, unrestrained youth (rare / classical)

방탕 (放蕩) — to live dissolutely

호탕 (豪宕) — bold and generous (rare but historically attested)

宕 and 蕩 are historically related in meaning; 蕩 became the more common form.

Some lexicons interpret 宕 as “to be spacious, broad,” metaphorically leading to “generous / bold.”