About
The character 螯 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 虫 at the bottom, which indicates its association with insects and similar creatures, and the phonetic component 敖 on top. Its meaning is highly specific, referring only to the large pincers of crustaceans like crabs and lobsters, or the stinging tail of a scorpion. As a specialized biological term, 螯 has maintained this precise anatomical definition throughout its history, without developing broader or abstract senses.