Han character 㨂

Its standalone dictionary sense is “to strike” or “beat.”

The 玉篇, a Chinese dictionary compiled around 543, records 㨂. A character-variant entry also cites a Six Dynasties tomb inscription where 㨂 appears as a handwritten form of 棟. The left component 扌 is the hand radical, used in characters for hand actions; 東 is the sound-bearing component. Together, the dictionary sense and variant record place 㨂 in a long written tradition.

What does 㨂 mean in a message?

The language and sentence decide which reading fits.

In Mandarin, dǒng (pinyin, roughly “dong” with a tone that falls then rises) means “to strike” or “beat.” The variant record also gives dòng (“dong” with a falling tone) for the link with 棟, “ridgepole,” and jiǎn (roughly “jyen,” with a dipping tone) for 揀, “choose.” These recorded links do not make the characters interchangeable in every sentence.

As of 2026, a Taiwan Ministry Hokkien dictionary records 㨂 as tàng, a verb for pinching something with the fingernails. Its example 㨂死虼蚤 means “pinch a flea to death.” In a Taiwanese Hokkien sentence, that is a supported reading; elsewhere, ask for the surrounding sentence.