童

• Youth/Childhood: Specifically denotes prepubescence.
• Social Role: An attendant or page; a functional role of service rather than a purely biological description.
• State of Being: Virginity or purity. In reference to females, specifically virginity (e.g., 童女); in reference to males, an unmarried youth or a state of ritual purity.
• Ontological State: In Daoist literature, the term 童子 may refer to "immortal youths," where the glyph describes spiritual attainment and permanence rather than biological age.

• Noun: Boy, page, virgin.
• Adjective: Youthful, virgin. When used as a modifier, it may specify either the biological age of the subject or their status as an attendant.

• 子 (zǐ): A general term for offspring or a child; typically emphasizes familial relationships or generic humanity.
• 兒 (ér): Often denotes the transition from infancy to childhood, or serves as a suffix for persons and occupations.
• 童 (tóng): Specifically highlights prepubescence, the role of a servant, or the quality of purity/virginity.

• Fanqie reading: 徒紅
• Tang-period reading: *dhung

When encountering this glyph in narrative or courtly contexts, determine whether the text is emphasizing the subject's biological age or their functional position of service.