Definitions
both feet crippled; lame
Etymology
About
躄 is a phono-semantic compound where the radical 足 (zú, 'foot') functions as the semantic indicator, pointing to a condition of the lower limbs, and the component 辟 (bì) supplies the sound. Throughout its history, the character has primarily signified lameness, the inability to walk properly caused by a physical impairment of the feet or legs. In classical literature, it served as a descriptive adjective for a person afflicted with this disability and, on occasion, as a verb meaning 'to limp'. These combined elements place 躄 firmly within the medical and physiological vocabulary of traditional historical Chinese texts.
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