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窬 (yú) is a classical phono-semantic compound that describes a small opening, typically a door cut into a wall or a hole for passage and ventilation. The semantic radical 穴 (xué, 'cave, hole') indicates a physical aperture, while the phonetic component 俞 (yú) supplies the pronunciation. Historically, the character was used for passing through such openings, often furtively, as seen in the idiom 穿窬之盗 (chuān yú zhī dào, 'a thief who bores through walls'), forever linking it to petty burglary. Because it refers to archaic architectural features and related criminal methods, 窬 is now rare, encountered almost only in classical literature and replaced in modern Chinese by common words for doors, holes, and climbing.
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