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痿 is a medical term for weakness, muscular atrophy, or partial paralysis of the limbs. It is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 疒 (sickness) places it in the category of diseases, while 委 provides the sound wěi and also suggests sagging or yielding, reinforcing the idea of lost strength. Throughout history, the character has been used in traditional Chinese medical texts to describe a class of syndromes involving withered muscles and tendons and loss of function, often grouped as 痿证. In modern medical language, it continues to appear in compounds like 萎缩 (atrophy) for conditions such as physical deterioration, erectile dysfunction, and muscular degeneration.
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