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The character 腐 (fǔ) originally depicted meat 肉 (月 as a radical) placed under a building 府, representing meat rotting or fermenting in storage. Its core meaning evolved to encompass decay, spoilage, and corruption. In ancient China, it conceptually connected physical decomposition with moral decay, giving rise to terms like 腐败 (corruption). The character's structure visually captures the process of organic matter breaking down over time. Arrived in Japan: The character 腐 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing systems (kanji) through Buddhist texts and Chinese classics. It appears in early Japanese dictionaries like the 10th-century Wamyō Ruijushō, indicating it was established in Japanese usage by the Heian period.