Definitions
both feet crippled; lame
Etymology
About
The character 躄 is a phono-semantic compound. Its lower radical 足 (zú), meaning "foot" or "leg", provides the semantic category related to the lower limbs, while the upper component 辟 (bì) supplies the pronunciation. Historically, the character has primarily denoted lameness or an inability to walk properly, describing a physical impairment of the feet or legs. In classical texts, it functioned both as an adjective for someone with this condition and occasionally as a verb meaning "to limp". This component structure places it firmly within the medical and physiological vocabulary of historical Chinese writing.