鹾 (cuó): salt (archaic)

Meanings

1 salt (archaic)
2 salty; brackish

Characters

鹾

cuó

salt (archaic)

Examples

古代礼书中称盐为鹾，盐政由鹾使总管。

Gǔdài lǐ shū zhōng chēng yán wéi cuó, yánzhèng yóu cuó shǐ zǒngguǎn.

In ancient ritual texts salt was called cuó; the salt monopoly was administered by the salt commissioner.

Tips

register

cuó is essentially archaic. It survives in two niches. (1) Ritual usage: the Book of Rites prescribes 盐曰碱鹾 'salt is called cuó' in formal sacrificial offerings — so 鹾 was the elevated synonym used in court ceremony. (2) Salt administration: Ming and Qing-era documents refer to 鹾政 (the salt administration), 鹾务 (salt affairs), 鹾商 (salt merchant). Outside these technical historical contexts the character is not used.

Components

radical

卤 lǔ

brine; salt-pan

Left 卤 — the indexing radical (Kangxi #197). Originally a pictograph of a salt-pan with crystals inside, 卤 names brine, salt-marshes, and the salt-making process. The radical anchors the meaning: 鹾 is the formal court synonym for salt. Same radical heads 盐 (salt — in its traditional 鹽).

phonetic

差 chā

to differ; supplying the sound

Right phonetic 差 — supplies the sound (chā → cuó, a regular shift in this phonetic series). The same phonetic appears in 搓 (rub), 蹉 (stumble), 磋 (polish — as in 切磋 'discuss and refine').