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The character 砧, a simplified form of 碪, is a phono-semantic compound: the stone radical 石 indicates a hard, durable material, and the phonetic 占 gives the pronunciation zhēn. It refers to a heavy block, originally a stone used for beating laundry, later extended to anvils and cutting boards, that provides a solid, unyielding surface to bear the impact of striking, cutting, or pounding meat, wood, or metal.
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