Definitions
weak, lame
Etymology
Pictograph of a person with deformed legs.
About
尢 is a pictograph of a person with deformed legs, originally signifying lameness or physical disability. As a semantic radical, it appears in characters associated with physical weakness, infirmity, or awkward bodily conditions. Although no longer common as an independent character, it underpins 尴 and 尬, both of which describe social awkwardness or embarrassment, a metaphorical shift from physical impairment to psychological and social discomfort.
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