Top 4 strokes — historically a contracted
垂 'hanging down' element in the original
素 picture: raw silk threads draped over a frame to dry. The component has no productive standalone meaning today; it is graphic residue of the older 'fresh, undyed silk hanging out' image. Reads visually like the top of
主/
青 but is not analyzable further. Carries the 'plain, unfinished, raw' core of
素.
