About
The character "捱", with its hand radical (扌) combined with the phonetic and semantic component "厓" which implies a precipice or limit, originally conveyed a sense of pressing against or resisting something, akin to withstanding a physical force. Its meaning extended from this notion of resistance to signify enduring hardship or suffering, often with a connotation of passive, reluctant tolerance. Over time, the character also developed the additional sense of delaying or stalling, as in dragging out time unwillingly. The simplified form "挨" shares the same hand radical but replaces the original component with "矣", which serves primarily as a phonetic indicator while the core meanings related to enduring and postponing were retained.