臝

Semantic–phonetic compound:

衣 (clothing) — semantic component, relates to garments, or lack thereof

果 (fruit) — phonetic component indicating pronunciation

However, historically the original form was 𧝹, a more complex graph under the 衣 radical.

臝 (also read 라/나) is an early variant, showing the component 果 (“fruit”) clearly.

From this ancient 臝 form, the modern phonetic 果 was standardized.

Over time, 倮, 躶, and 裸 coexisted as variants meaning “naked,” but 裸 became dominant and treated as the modern standard form.

Important contrast:

If 衣 encloses 果 from both sides → 裹 (“to wrap, to cover”), the opposite meaning of 裸.

나체 (裸體) — naked body

나신 (裸身) — naked person; bare body

나출 (裸出) — exposure; showing the body

나반 (裸半) — half-naked

벌거숭이 (裸人) — naked person (lit. “bare person”)

In many East Asian cultures, 裸 appears in ritual contexts to describe purity, sincerity, or the removal of worldly attachments (e.g., “bare the body to show honesty”).

The connection to 果 (fruit) is phonetic, but some ancient commentators believed it symbolized “the exposed fruit,” tying metaphorically to exposed skin.

In Chinese literature, the phrase “赤裸裸” (“completely naked; utterly exposed”) is both literal and metaphorical.

Classical citations:

《史記·刺客列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「其妻方浴，裸而出。」

“His wife was just bathing and came out naked.”

《後漢書·張衡傳》 (Book of the Later Han Dynasty)

「裸身以示質。」

“He bared his body to show his sincerity.”

臝, 倮, 躶 are historical or dialectal variants; only 裸 remains in regular use.