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The character 镂 (traditional form 鏤) is a phono-semantic compound meaning to engrave, carve, or etch intricate designs in hard materials. The left radical, 钅 (金 in traditional script), is the metal radical, signifying the character's association with metalworking, bronze casting, and the precise tooling of metallic surfaces. On the right, the phonetic component 娄 (婁) provides the sound. While it began as a technical term for openwork designs in bronze or silver, its sense expanded metaphorically to refer to engraving something deeply in memory and to crafting elaborate literary works.
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