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蹁 is a phono-semantic compound: the 足 radical on the left places it in the semantic field of lower-body movement, such as walking or stances, while the right-side 扁 gives its pronunciation. In early usage, it referred to dragging one's feet, walking unevenly, or limping. Over time, the character became most prominent in the compound 蹁跹, where its sense shifted from an impaired gait to the graceful, swirling, or fluttering motions of a dancer, a usage common in literary and poetic contexts.
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