Definitions
(literary) bridle (of a horse)
Etymology
About
The character "鞚" is structured with the semantic component "革", referring to leather, and the phonetic component "空", which historically indicated its sound, forming a phono-semantic compound that originally represented a leather bridle for controlling horses. Its etymology points to a specific equestrian function, and over time the character's meaning has remained centered on this piece of tack, denoting the reins or bridle without significant semantic expansion or shift. The elements "革" and "空" continue to define its composition in the traditional form.