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As a phono-semantic compound, 跎 conveys meanings of stumbling or wasting time. Its left side features the compressed foot radical ⻊, derived from 足 (zú), linking the character to leg movements or physical missteps. The right side contains the phonetic component 它 (tā), which guides its pronunciation. 跎 is best known from the compound 蹉跎 (cuōtuó), meaning to dawdle or let time slip away fruitlessly. This illustrates how the concrete idea of a physical stumble extends metaphorically to the abstract notion of lost time.
Etymology Hide
