About
The character "猁", as seen in the modern word "猞猁" (shēlì, meaning lynx), is a semantic-phonetic compound. Its traditional form is identical, structured with the "犬" (quǎn) radical on the left, indicating its category as a canine or beast, and "利" (lì) on the right, which primarily provides phonetic indication. Historically, the character was not used independently but appeared in the compound "猞猁", a term borrowed from a non-Chinese language to name the animal. The "犬" component broadly classifies it as a mammal, while the character itself has carried no other significant meaning beyond denoting this specific wild cat.