隶
contributes the sense of reaching out and grabbing hold of something from behind · Kangxi radical 171
contributes the sense of reaching out and grabbing hold of something from behind, hence catching or overtaking
The old graph shows a hand closing on the tail of an animal that is running away — you catch up, you seize it. In the modern form the short strokes across the top are the hand, and the spread of strokes below is the tail with its hair. This is why 逮 (with the movement element added) means to chase down and catch, and the later sense 'servant, one who is held' comes from the same idea of being seized. In 康 the resemblance is only skin-deep: that character grew out of a picture of grain falling from a winnowing tool, and only came to look like 隶 after the strokes were regularized.
隶 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of reaching out and grabbing hold of something from behind
- Strokes
- 8
- Characters
- 5
- Role
- Contributes sound
- Kangxi radical
- 171
Characters with 隶 (4 of 5)
HSK 3 · 1
HSK 6 · 1
Beyond HSK · 2
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 隶 mean?
隶 means "contributes the sense of reaching out and grabbing hold of something from behind". In the characters that contain it, it contributes sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 隶?
5 characters in this dictionary contain 隶, including ones at HSK 3, HSK 6.
Is 隶 a radical?
Yes — 隶 is Kangxi radical 171, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 隶 have?
隶 is written in 8 strokes.