翁

Phono-semantic compound:

翁 = 羽 (“feathers; bird plumage,” semantic) + 公 (“public; gentleman,” phonetic)

羽 originally indicated feathers / down, specifically neck feathers of a bird.

公 provides the sound (ʔuwng / 옹).

In early script forms (bronze / seal) the character depicted feathery neck-plumage of birds.

By metaphorical extension, this came to denote someone with white/soft hair, i.e., an elderly person.

In modern Korean, 翁 mostly appears in:

• literary contexts

• set phrases

• historical or poetic language

老翁 (노옹) — old man, elder

漁翁 (어옹) — fisherman (lit. “old fisherman,” poetic nuance)

翁父 (옹부) — an elderly father

翁仲 (옹중) — stone guardian statues (esp. at tombs in East Asia)

Because 翁 originally depicted soft neck feathers, it metaphorically refers to:

- whitened hair,

- softness of age,

- dignified maturity.

In Chinese idioms and literature, 翁 often appears in rustic or humble depictions:

漁翁 (old fisherman)

樵翁 (old woodcutter)

These represent natural, simple, virtuous lifestyles.

Classical citations:

《詩經·大雅·皇矣》 (Classic of Poetry – “Huang Yi”)

「維此老翁，百福具臻。」

“This old elder—may all blessings come upon him.”

翁 = old elder / venerable man

《史記·滑稽列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「東郭先生，楚之老翁也。」

“Master Dongguo was an old man of Chu.”

翁 = elderly gentleman

《莊子·天地》 (Zhuangzi)

「漁翁得魚。」

“The fisherman caught a fish.”

翁 used as a respectful or descriptive title: “old fisherman”