Origin

This character pairs the thread radical 糸 on the left, which signals the meaning is about textiles or thread-related concepts, with the component 圣 on the right that serves as a sound hint for pronunciation. Threads running lengthwise through a loom are called the warp, which naturally connects to the "warp" meaning. Over time, the concrete image of threads running in one direction extended to mean "longitude" (lines running north-south on a map) and eventually "to pass through" or "flow through." The related sense of "sutra" — Buddhist scriptures that thread together teachings — fits this pattern of something that runs continuously or connects ideas in sequence.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).