聝

guó

或 + 耳

Definitions

guó cut off the left ear of the slain

Etymology

About

The character 聝 is a phono-semantic compound: the ear radical 耳 (ěr) on the left provides the meaning, while 或 (huò) on the right indicates the pronunciation and historically carried connotations of territory. It was coined to describe the gruesome ancient military practice of cutting off the left ears of slain enemies to tally casualties and claim battle merits. Due to this grim, specific usage, it rarely appears outside classical historical and military records.