U+834F "荏" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+834F "荏" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a Chinese character primarily known as a type of plant, specifically referring to the perilla or sesbania, but it also carries significant metaphorical weight in classical and modern Chinese. In its botanical sense, it denotes the perilla herb, often used in traditional medicine and cuisine, particularly in East Asian contexts. However, the character is most famous for its appearance in the Chinese idiom "色厉内荏" (sè lì nèi rěn), which describes someone who appears tough and fierce on the outside but is actually weak and timid on the inside, with "荏" here meaning soft, weak, or yielding. This dual role as both a plant name and a symbol of inner softness or frailty gives the character a nuanced place in the written language, reflecting how Chinese characters often blend concrete and abstract meanings.