Chinese character 擿

It can mean scratch, pick out, expose wrongdoing, or throw.

Depending on the phrase, 擿 means “scratch,” “pick out,” “expose hidden wrongdoing,” or “throw.”

The Han dynasty 《說文解字》, an early Chinese character dictionary, records the scratch and throw senses. Transmitted Liezi, Zhuangzi, and Shiji texts preserve these physical uses.

Which sense does the phrase select?

The surrounding phrase tells you which branch to read.

In 擿伏, it means bringing hidden wrongdoing to light; in 擿巢探卵, it means picking through a nest for eggs. Other old examples use it for scratching or throwing.

Han court dress records use 擿 for a tortoiseshell hairpin; dictionary commentary links the pin to scratching or arranging hair. Traditional character analysis identifies 扌 as the hand element and 適 as the sound element.

Japanese references list 擿 outside Japan’s common-use kanji list, a guide to ordinary public writing, and give it a choosing or picking sense. Chinese classical examples preserve other branches.