Definitions

used in 轆轤|辘轳[lù lu]

Etymology phono-semantic

wheel

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(traditional: ) is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical (denoting vehicles, wheels, or mechanical carts) and the phonetic element . It is used almost exclusively as a bound morpheme in the compound 辘轳, which refers to a windlass, a traditional winch or pulley system for drawing water from wells or hoisting heavy materials. Because its use is restricted to this device, lacks independent meanings or metaphorical extensions in standard Chinese. The radical reveals its conceptual link to rotating mechanisms and wheeled devices employed in traditional labor and daily engineering.