About
The phono-semantic compound 剽 carries connotations of aggression and action. Its right component, the knife radical 刂, links it semantically to cutting, weapons, violence, or blade-related actions. The left component, 票, provides the pronunciation "piao". Originally, the character described using a weapon to rob or plunder. This violent sense later broadened to imply swiftness and agility, often in physical or martial contexts. In modern usage, it also denotes intellectual theft, as seen in the word 剽窃 (piaoqie), meaning plagiarism.
Etymology Hide
