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The character 胼 (pián) refers to calluses or thickened, hardened skin that develops from repetitive physical labor. A phono-semantic compound, it combines the flesh radical 月 (ròu) on the left, indicating a bodily condition, with the phonetic component 并 (bìng) on the right, once written as 幷. It is most often encountered in the idiom 胼手胝足 (piánshǒuzhīzú), literally 'callused hands and feet,' used metaphorically for extreme physical toil and the arduous exertion of prolonged hard work.
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