About
掬 (jū) is a phono-semantic compound composed of the hand radical 扌 and 匊 (jū). 匊 itself is a depiction of rice (米) being gathered or wrapped (勹), signifying a handful of grain; here it acts as a semantic component indicating the object "a handful" and as the phonetic component giving the pronunciation. The addition of 扌 explicitly turns this noun into a verb: to take a handful by scooping up water, grain, or other loose materials with cupped hands. Over time, the meaning extended figuratively to gathering or holding intangible things, for instance, capturing a beautiful reflection, while maintaining the vivid image of cupped hands.
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