Chinese character 仵

In older Chinese, 仵 means “match” or “oppose.” Standalone use in Standard Chinese is obsolete as of 2026. Dictionaries cite 《庄子·天下》, a chapter in the philosophy book Zhuangzi; 午 gives 仵 its sound.

仵作行人, the earliest recorded name, dates to the Five Dynasties, between the Tang and Song. Song sources link 仵作 to burial and court-ordered body exams; by the Qing dynasty it was an official post in a yamen, a local government office, whose examinations supplied court evidence. Japanese dictionaries retain “match/oppose”; Korean Hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean) links it to autopsy.