Definitions

eight (banker's anti-fraud numeral); split

Etymology

To separate  by hand  also provides the pronunciation

About

is the formal anti-fraud numeral for eight in accounting, banking, and legal documents. It combines the hand radical with , which supplies the pronunciation and the original sense "to separate by hand". The character also once referred to a type of agricultural rake or hand tool for leveling soil and gathering crops. Today its complex strokes prevent alteration of the simple character for eight, restricting its use almost entirely to financial instruments like checks, contracts, and official invoices.

Etymology Hide

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