膏

• Concrete: Animal fat, grease, tallow, or lard; refers to the biological substance as an anatomical feature or food source.
• Processed/Medicinal: A thick paste, ointment, salve, or poultice; denotes concentrated preparations characterized by high viscosity (e.g., reduced decoctions).
• Metaphorical: Luxury, opulence, abundance, or nourishment; can describe a state of being pampered or well-fed.

• Category: Predominantly a noun.
• Attributive Use: In later texts, may function as an attribute meaning "rich" or "fattening."
• Verbal Use: Rarely functions as a verb (e.g., "to apply ointment"). The action of applying is typically signaled by a supporting verb such as 塗 (tú).

• vs. 脂 (zhī): While both refer to fat, 脂 typically denotes rendered lard or specific subcutaneous white fat. 膏 tends to imply a heavier, richer substance and is the preferred term when fat is processed into another form, such as medicine.
• vs. 腴 (yú): 腴 is primarily an adjective describing the quality of being succulent, fertile, or plump. 膏 remains primarily the noun for the substance that produces such richness.

The glyph is value-neutral regarding the nature of the fat. Depending on the surrounding imagery, it can range from something precious (a healing salve or luxury) to something repulsive (waste or slime). Context must determine whether "richness" is a virtue or a vice.