弋

yì

丶 + 𫠠

Definitions

yì to shoot

Etymology

Originally a pictograph of a sharp wooden stick with a pointed bottom, similar to 才. The meaning later expanded to "arrow" and "shoot".

About

弋 originally depicted a sharp wooden stick with a pointed bottom, similar to 才, a form reflected in its structure of a single continuous stroke intersected by another. Over time, it came to designate a hunting tool: an arrow with a retrieving line used to shoot birds and recover both arrow and prey. This led to the verb meaning "to shoot with a tethered arrow", and by extension "to arrest" or "capture".