髥

Especially long or hanging beard.

A phono-semantic compound:

髟 (long hair) — semantic component

冄 (염) — phonetic component

They depict hair hanging down from the sides of the face, especially the cheek and jaw area, distinguishing them from 鬚 (whiskers/moustache).

수염 (鬚髥) — beard; whiskers (literary / classical)

Related characters:

鬚 — whiskers; moustache

髭 — moustache / beard (common in Japanese)

毛 — hair; fur

須 — must; need (phonetic relative)

Long 髯 is a traditional symbol of:

- dignity

- masculinity

- wisdom

- authority

Famous historical figures (e.g. Guan Yu) are often identified visually by their distinctive long beard (長髯).

In East Asian portraiture, beard length and shape conveyed rank, virtue, and temperament.

髯 emphasizes length and hanging form of facial hair.

鬚 focuses more on whiskers or fine beard hair, especially around the mouth.

The compound 鬚髯 is a set literary expression meaning “beard and whiskers as a whole.”

Classical citations:

《三國志》 (Epithet of Guan Yu)

「美髥公。」

“The lord with the beautiful beard.”

《後漢書》 (Book of the Later Han Dynasty)

「長髯垂胸。」

“His long beard hung down to his chest.”

《史記》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「鬚髯如戟。」

“His beard and whiskers bristled like halberds.”

Traditional Chinese:

髯 (U+9AEF) — standard traditional form;

髥 (U+9AE5) — older or variant form.