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The character "膂" originally denoted the spine or the muscles of the back, with its structure comprising the phonetic component "旅" and the semantic component "肉" to indicate flesh. Over time, its meaning extended from this specific anatomical sense to represent physical strength in a more general capacity. The traditional form "膂" retains the "肉" radical, which in practice is often rendered as "月" in composition, consistent with characters pertaining to bodily aspects.
Etymology Hide
