Definitions

fán paw

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound: the foot radical (meaning) on the left, and the phonetic on the right. The foot radical places the character in the semantic domain of feet, paws, or lower extremities. Its primary meaning is the paw or sole of a wild animal's foot. In historical literature and culinary texts, it is almost exclusively used to form the compound word for bear's paw, a rare and luxurious delicacy highly prized in ancient China and reserved for nobility and extravagant banquets.