Definitions

yuè to amputate one or both feet (punishment in imperial China) (one of the five mutilating punishments 五刑[wǔ xíng])

Etymology

Originally a pictograph of a saw cutting off a person's foot. Later the character was changed to a phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern