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撄 (traditional 攖) is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side component 扌 (a form of 手 'hand') marks it as a manual action, while the right-side element 婴 (嬰) cues the pronunciation. Its earliest meaning was concrete , to touch, grasp, or make direct contact with the hands. Over time, this physical sense extended into abstract uses, conveying opposition, running counter to, disturbance, or interference. Thus, a character that once described a simple hand action now broadly denotes confrontation and disruption.
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