About
Constructed as a phono-semantic compound, 拄 combines the semantic radical 扌 (shǒu), indicating a hand action, with the phonetic component 主 (zhǔ) that provides the pronunciation. Its primary meaning is to lean on, prop up, or support oneself with a physical object like a walking stick or crutch. The hand radical highlights the manual act of holding a support to steady the body. The character has historically and modernly kept this literal sense of physical reliance on an external prop, usually a staff or cane, without drifting into unrelated meanings.
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