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The character 觫 is formed with the semantic radical 角 (horn, often relating to horned animals or bone-like structures) on the left and the phonetic component 束 on the right. It appears almost exclusively in the compound 觳觫, meaning to tremble or shiver uncontrollably from intense fear. The presence of the horn radical suggests the original context was the terrified physical reaction of horned livestock being led to slaughter, a powerful portrayal of an animal's fear.
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