巢

Originally depicted a tree with a bird’s nest upon it.

Its structure combines the semantic and pictorial elements:

木 (“tree”) — representing the natural support;

甾 — originally a pictograph of twigs or interwoven structures, signifying a nest or woven dwelling.

Thus, 巢 is a pictorial representation of a bird’s nest built in a tree, symbolizing a secure and elevated place of rest or origin.

In early oracle-bone and bronze inscriptions, the form vividly shows a tree trunk with a rounded nest among its branches.

Over time, the meaning expanded from literal “bird’s nest” to “human dwelling,” “refuge,” or even metaphorical uses for abodes of peace or conspiracy (e.g., 賊巢 “bandit’s den”).

In Korean Sino-compounds, 巢 conveys meanings related to “dwelling,” “nest,” or “settlement.”

소굴 (巢窟) — den, lair (often figuratively, a den of criminals)

소식 (巢息) — to live or rest in a nest (literary)

소거 (巢居) — to dwell in seclusion; hermit life

Although less common in modern Korean vocabulary, it remains a poetic or literary element signifying home, refuge, or simplicity.

In classical Chinese literature, 巢 often carries symbolic resonance—

a place of safety, intimacy, or natural simplicity.

The most famous early appearance of 巢 is in the Book of Odes (詩經),

one of the Confucian classics compiled around the 6th century BCE.

In 《召南·鵲巢》 (The Magpie’s Nest), it symbolizes marital harmony and domestic virtue:

鵲巢於茲，維鳩居之。

之子于歸，百兩御之。

“The magpie has built its nest; the dove now dwells therein.

This daughter goes to her new home, with a hundred chariots escorting her.”

Here, the magpie’s nest (鵲巢) becomes a metaphor for the home prepared for the bride, and the dove’s settling within represents the new wife’s gentle entry into her husband’s household.

Thus 巢 conveys not only dwelling but the union of lives and the continuity of lineage — a central ideal in early Confucian family ethics.

Later Confucian and Neo-Confucian commentators interpreted 巢 as the symbol of ordered domesticity, while Daoist writers saw it as the natural dwelling of simplicity, an emblem of harmony between humans and nature (巢居以自適 “dwelling in a nest and finding contentment”).

In Book of Odes (詩經): birds building their nests are used as images of domestic virtue and harmonious home life.

In Daoist writings, 巢居 (“living in a nest”) evokes the ideal recluse’s dwelling, light and natural, free from worldly excess.

In East Asian cultural imagination, the 巢 became not only the home of birds but also a metaphor for human harmony and domestic rootedness.