掿

It means grip, knead, or challenge, depending on the phrase.

The earliest known written record of 掿 is in 龍龕手鑑, a dictionary from the Liao period; it describes the character as a nonstandard written form related to 搦. Drama from the Yuan period uses 掿 for kneading, while the Ming period novel Water Margin (水滸傳) uses it for gripping sleeves and weapons.

Regional speech preserves different defaults. A 2024 Hangzhou dialect account describes 掿 as an ordinary spoken verb for gripping. Songjiang dialect records and Nantong dialect listings use it for kneading or pressing flour, dough, pickles, and clothes. A local speaker may find it familiar, while a reader outside those speech communities may meet it mainly in literary writing.

What does 掿 mean in a message?

Use the object or phrase around it to choose a reading.

A sleeve, tool, or weapon points to grip; dough, flour, pickles, or cloth points to kneading. In a phrase with 戰 or a duel, it can mean challenge or provoke a fight. Sent alone, 掿 gives too little context for a confident one-word reading.