Han character 腛

It names thick fat, especially fat used to soften leather.

Dictionaries gloss 腛 as 厚脂 (“thick fat”). Here, it refers to grease worked into hide to make the leather softer and smoother: a specialized term for a material and its use.

A Mandarin Pinyin input method with rare-character lookup may offer 腛 under wò. Cangjie, a method based on character parts, uses BSMG. The input method selects the character; the font determines how it looks.

Where does 腛 come from?

Its clearest historical setting is leatherwork in the Zhou Rites.

The received Zhou Rites, an old Chinese work on ritual and crafts, includes 腛 in its Winter Offices section. There, a 鮑人 (a specialist leather worker) judges hides by sight and touch, then applies fat to soften them.

Dictionary entries also record two linked senses: dense fat as a noun, and “thick” or “abundant” as a description.

How should I use 腛 today?

Use it in a quotation or note about its leatherworking sense.

For readers unfamiliar with the term, gloss it as thick fat used on leather. Outside that context, a source or explanation will help them understand why it appears.