罾

It names a square lift-net raised by its corners. Bamboo or rods held the four corners so fishers could lower and raise it.

In the character, 网 points to the meaning “net,” while 曾 supplies its Mandarin sound, written in Pinyin as zēng. The Eastern Han character dictionary 《说文》 defines 罾 as a fish net.

Why can 罾 mean both a net and an action?

Its position shows whether it names gear or an act. Before 鱼 or in a verb position, 罾 means catching fish with a net. 《史记》, an early Chinese history, tells of a fish caught in a 罾 carrying a hidden political message. 《楚辞》, a classical poetry collection, places a 罾 in a tree to picture something out of place. A Taiwan cultural record uses 罾仔 for a baited trap set underwater.