杵

chǔ

午 + 木

Definitions

chǔ pestle; to poke

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 午 represents the sound. Originally written as 午, a pictograph of a pestle used for pounding rice.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 午

About

Originally written as the pictograph 午, which depicted a pestle used for pounding rice, the character 杵 (chǔ) later gained the wood radical 木 to form a phono-semantic compound. In this structure, 木 indicates the wooden material while 午 supplies the sound. The character primarily denotes a heavy wooden pestle for pounding grain, medicine, or other substances in a mortar. By extension, it also refers to the action of pounding or poking with a blunt object.