2indexing radical for characters built inside an upward-opening container
Tips
usage
凵 is the upward-opening box — the bowl-shaped frame of 凶, 凼, 出, 函. Distinguish from 冂 (#13), which opens downward, and 囗 (#31), which is fully closed.
history
One scholarly view ties it to the proto-form of 坎 (pit). It is never used as a free word in modern Chinese.
Radical
ContainerKangxi #17
The upward-opening container radical. A structural slot for characters whose body sits inside a bowl-shaped frame open at the top: 凶, 凼, 出, 函. Not standalone; useful only as a Kangxi indexing category and as a visual hook for distinguishing the three frame radicals (冂, 凵, 囗).
