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The character "馘", in its traditional form, is composed of the semantic component 首, meaning "head", combined with the phonetic component 或. Its original and specific meaning referred to the left ear of a slain enemy, which was cut off and presented as a tally of battle achievements in ancient Chinese warfare. Over time, the term broadened to function as a verb meaning "to cut off the ears of the slain" and, by extension, came to signify the count of enemies killed in battle or the act of slaying itself. This character is now largely archaic and confined to classical texts and historical contexts, its usage having faded alongside the military practice it once described.
Etymology Hide
