About
The traditional character "僂" is composed of the person radical 亻 and the component 婁, which historically functioned as a phonetic element. Initially denoting a bent or hunched physical condition, particularly of the back, its meaning extended over time to encompass the act of bending or bowing in respect, while also acquiring a secondary sense of promptness or haste in literary usage. The simplified form "偻" maintains the person radical but substitutes 婁 with the simplified 娄, reflecting a structural alteration that does not fundamentally shift the character's core etymological connections or its evolved semantic range.
Etymology Hide
