拮

pressed, antagonistic

拮 is composed of the radical 手 (hand) and 吉 (lucky). 吉 depicts a weapon confined inside its scabbard, carrying the sense of restriction or tightness. Pressing it further with a hand reduces the space inside the scabbard even more; thus, 拮 was formed to represent being pressed, constrained, or resisting under pressure.

Vocabulary of 拮

  • 拮据 (short of money)

Related Characters: