The Hundred Days Reform (Wuxu Reform) took place in 1898.
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The ten Heavenly Stems (天干) are used in the traditional Chinese calendar system cyclically to mark years, months, and days. 戊 (wù) pairs with years such as 1898 (戊戌) and 1958 (戊戌).
The 戈 (halberd) is the indexing Kangxi radical and forms the main frame of 戊. 戊 was originally a variant pictograph of a long-handled battle-axe, later borrowed for the fifth heavenly stem; the weapon imagery survives in the 戈 skeleton.
The inner left-falling 丿 stroke represents the blade-edge of the halberd cutting inward. It functions as a visual marker inside the 戈 frame and helps distinguish 戊 from its near-twins 戌, 戍, 戎 — each adds a different inner stroke to a 戈 base.
