About
驷 is a phono-semantic compound that borders on an ideogram: 马 (horse) on the left indicates the semantic field, and 四 (four) on the right serves as both phonetic and numerical descriptor. The traditional form 駟 retains the unsimplified 馬 radical. The character denotes a team of four horses harnessed to a single chariot, a display of status and speed in ancient China, and frequently appears in classical idioms to suggest swift or irreversible action.
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