About
The character "桡", with its traditional form "橈", is structurally based on the radical "木" indicating wood and the phonetic component "尧", which is a simplified form of "堯". Its primary historical meaning was a wooden oar or paddle, but over time the character's usage broadened to encompass verbal senses such as to bend or to weaken, deriving from associations with the flexing motion of rowing or the properties of wooden tools.
Etymology Hide
