Definitions

liào to give a backward kick (e.g. of a horse)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

is a phono-semantic compound where the radical ('crooked leg' or 'lame') anchors the meaning in the legs and lower-body movement, and supplies the pronunciation. Its meaning is narrow: it describes the sudden, aggressive backward kick of a large draft animal's hind legs, horse, donkey, or mule. The character appears almost exclusively in the fixed colloquial expression 尥蹶子, though it can metaphorically refer to a person throwing a temper tantrum or abruptly quitting a task.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern