In old glyphs, this element clearly resembles both an adult SCORPION TAIL WITH TELSON BARB, and, a human male's PENIS with scrotum and a long stream emitted down from the tip, both being APPENDAGES SPEWING VENOM potentially, but the modern form has been greatly simplified. External Chinese sources link this element to both「pubic hair」and「twisted, bent, curled」毫 and 乙, respectively. Element is also used in this database for the variant ㇂, likely a dog's penis that is a bit straighter due to the function of a baculum, a bone within the penis enabling action at any opportunity, and may be the source of the English term "boner."
BENT and CURLED as is a scorpion's tail. HIDDEN, SECRET, MYSTERIOUS as are scorpions, normally emerging only at night, and with a fluorescent carapace visible in ultraviolet light. Coincidentally perhaps, but human semen also fluoresces under ultraviolet light, and all these same traits may easily be applied to a male human's PENIS.
　How did the Chinese know about fluorescence? Apparently, mixing mercury with molten glass and then using the product as a filter with ordinary lamplight in an otherwise dark environment will provide sufficient ultraviolet rays without the amount of visible light that would normally cause the fluorescence of an object to be obscured…the ancient Chinese had all three of the needed items.
　Element is used to represent a bent or curled HUMAN PENIS in many glyphs, often one not in a healthy condition. Scarring from sexually transmitted diseases can cause both a shortened penis and a bent, curled penis as is depicted by this element, especially when attempting to become erect. Gonorrhea and other such diseases cause scar tissue to form within the urethra:「Peyronie's Disease,…also known as 'Induratio penis plastica,' or more recently 'Chronic Inflammation of the Tunica Albuginea (CITA),' is a connective tissue disorder involving the growth of fibrous plaques in the soft tissue of the penis affecting up to 10% of men. Specifically, scar tissue forms in the tunica albuginea, the thick sheath of tissue surrounding the corpora cavernosa causing pain, abnormal curvature, erectile dysfunction, indentation, loss of girth and shortening. …The disease may cause pain. Hardened, big, cord-like lesions (scar tissue known as 'plaques'). Or abnormal curvature of the penis when erect due to chronic inflammation of the tunica albuginea (CITA). Although the popular conception of Peyronie's Disease is that it always involves curvature of the penis, the scar tissue sometimes causes divots or indentations rather than curvature. The condition may also make sexual intercourse painful and/or difficult…」
　　[　https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyronie%27s_disease 2012-08-15　]　
　 A「bougie」is a long, thin blade that is inserted into the urethra via the penile meatus that is used to thinly shave slices of scarred meat from within the passageway in order to remove scar tissue blockage formed due to gonorrhea and thereby restore the flow of fluids, be they urine, semen, gleet, blood, or all of the above.　
　　[　https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jun/30/sexually-transmitted-infections-europe-world-drug-resistant-bacteria-amr 2026-06-30　]：「...particularly worrying because Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to the antibiotics used to treat it, with only one last remaining recommended antibiotic, ceftriaxone, available. With a growing number of cases that are resistant even to this, gonorrhoea is in danger of becoming one of the first diseases to be no longer treatable.」

Modern definitions (that generally disregard history) …excluding politically incorrect concepts and other meanings deemed offensive today; may list only pigeonholed definitions, euphemisms, or meaningless mnemonics)
Chinese: component in Chinese characters; archaic variant of 毫; archaic variant of 乙
Unihan extended: hidden, mysterious, secret; to conceal; small; minute
EDRDG: hidden; mysterious; secret; to conceal; small; minute; fishhook radical variant (no. 5)