The forms and in Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn bronze inscriptions, formerly transcribed as feng(妦)or mei(每), should be identified as du(毒). The du(毒)in the phrase bai ma du huang(白馬毒黃), can be read as du(督), meaning “horse’s back”, and when the same character appears in the phrase du yang(毒揚), it is used to denote the word du(篤), meaning “deeply, heavily”. The original meaning of the character du(毒)may have something to do with dao(纛), “a banner, a steamer.”

金文;毒;毐;纛

bronze inscriptions; du(毒), ai(毐);dao(纛)