About
The character 貘 is formed from the semantic radical "豸", which denotes beasts or legendary creatures, and the phonetic component "莫", meaning 'none' or 'do not'. Originally, it referred to a mythical beast in folklore said to consume nightmares and protect sleepers. With the advent of modern zoology, its meaning shifted to designate the tapir, a large, herbivorous mammal with a short, prehensile snout native to South America and Southeast Asia. This transition from myth to biological taxonomy retains the character's structural connection to the category of quadrupedal animals.
Etymology Hide
