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铠 is the simplified form of 鎧, a phono-semantic compound that refers to the heavy protective armor historically used by soldiers and military horses in battle. In the simplified character, the left side is the metal radical 钅; the traditional form uses 金, indicating that such armor was forged from iron, steel, or bronze plates and rings. The right side in both forms is the phonetic component 岂 (traditional 豈), which supplies the pronunciation kǎi and has no semantic relation to warfare. As such, the character 铠 not only records the technological move from leather to metal defenses but also serves as the standard term for both historical armor and metaphorical protective plating in modern contexts.
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