About
鞲 (gōu) is a phono-semantic compound originally denoting a leather armguard or bracer worn by archers and falconers to protect the forearm from bowstrings or talons. Its left radical 革 (gé, "leather") indicates the material, while the right component 冓 (gōu) provides the pronunciation. Over time, the character's meaning broadened to include mechanical parts that share the same tight, sleeve-like quality, such as pistons or leather packing rings in pumps and engines, reflecting a consistent underlying idea of a snug, encircling device.
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