Origin

This character combines a cover or roof symbol at the top with a small or fine thread symbol at the bottom. Together, they suggest something hidden beneath a covering or obscured from view, which ties to the meaning of "mysterious" or "occultness." The sense of depth and darkness comes from the idea of things concealed or difficult to perceive—much like how black is the color you cannot see through. Over time, these visual and conceptual layers merged to give the character its meanings of mysterious, profound, and black.