Definitions
stupid; idiotic
Etymology
About
The character 騃 combines the semantic radical 馬 (horse) with the phonetic element 矣, which indicates its pronunciation. The horse radical points to an original sense related to animal behavior, perhaps a stubborn or slow-to-respond horse. Over time, the meaning expanded beyond animals to describe human traits, specifically foolishness or ignorance. This shift led to 騃 being used mainly for human dullness, and it is often interchangeable with the more common character 呆 in literary contexts.
Etymology Hide
