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The character 戢 is a phono-semantic compound, combining the weapon radical 戈 (gē) 'halberd, spear' on the right, which points to warfare or weaponry, with the phonetic component 咠 (qì) on the left. Its original meaning was storing away weapons or putting arms back into the armory, stemming from the weapon radical. From this literal sense of disarmament, it extended to broader notions. It came to mean ceasing hostilities, restraining oneself, putting an end to an action, and even birds folding their wings.
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