About
The character 狯, corresponding to the traditional form 獪, is a phono-semantic compound denoting craftiness or cunning. It combines the animal radical 犭 on the left with the phonetic component 会 (會 in traditional script, pronounced huì or kuài) on the right. The animal radical suggests the character originated in folklore, where deceitful behavior was often attributed to creatures like foxes or wolves. This sense of trickery later extended to describe humans with similar shrewd or treacherous qualities, and the character is most commonly encountered in established two-character literary compounds rather than used independently.
Etymology Hide
