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剐 (guǎ), the simplified version of the traditional character 剮, is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-hand element, 呙 (a simplification of 咼), provides the phonetic clue, while the right-hand element 刂, the standing form of the knife radical, points to a meaning related to cutting or slicing. The character primarily denotes the physical act of cutting flesh away from bone, or using a sharp blade to scrape something clean. Historically, 剐 gained notoriety through its connection to the term língchí (or qiāndāowànguǎ), the grievous capital punishment of death by a thousand cuts. In contemporary usage, it typically describes a minor incident where a vehicle scrapes against another object.
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