麝 (shè): musk deer (Moschus, especially…

Meanings

1 musk deer (Moschus, especially Moschus moschiferus)
2 musk (the secretion of the musk deer)

Characters

麝

shè

musk deer

Examples

麝生活在高山林中，雄性从脐旁腺体分泌麝香。

Shè shēnghuó zài gāoshān lín zhōng, xióngxìng cóng qí páng xiàntǐ fēnmì shèxiāng.

Musk deer live in alpine forests; the males secrete musk from a gland near the navel.

麝香是中药和高级香水中的珍贵原料。

Shèxiāng shì zhōngyào hé gāojí xiāngshuǐ zhōng de zhēnguì yuánliào.

Musk is a precious ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine and high-end perfume.

林麝是中国国家一级保护野生动物。

Línshè shì Zhōngguó guójiā yījí bǎohù yěshēng dòngwù.

The forest musk deer is a state-protected first-class wild animal in China.

Tips

usage

Two related senses, distinguished by compound. Animal: 麝 is the musk deer (Moschus). Subspecies names follow the pattern X + 麝: 林麝 (forest musk deer), 原麝 (Siberian musk deer), 马麝 (alpine musk deer). Substance: 麝香 is the famous musk — historically harvested for medicine and perfume, today mostly produced from farmed deer or synthesised. Compounds: 麝香酒 (musk-infused liquor), 人工麝香 (synthetic musk).

culture

Musk deer were heavily hunted in old China for their scent gland and are now endangered — all wild musk deer species in China are first-class protected animals. The famous Tang-poetry line 麝煤为墨 (musk-soot used as ink) records the elite use of musk-perfumed inksticks. Famous medicinal formulas like 苏合香丸 include musk; modern synthetic substitutes are now standard.

Components

radical

鹿 lù

deer

Top deer radical (Kangxi #198). The semantic anchor: 麝 is a kind of small hornless deer. Same radical groups 鹿 (deer), 麋 (elk), 麒 / 麟 (qilin) — the whole cervid lexicon.

phonetic

射 shè

to shoot; supplying the sound

Bottom phonetic 射 — exact sound match. Carries a faint semantic flavour too: musk deer were primarily known to humans as a hunting target. The same phonetic anchors 谢 (thank), 榭 (pavilion), 麝.