<p>Is there a story to this mutation of meaning? Or is this shift of semantics connected to phonetic considerations only?</p>

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2016-04-09T13:53:24.380Z
The original meaning of 批, as you can see on the radical ("hand") is a physical action. That is, this words basically denotes something that you do by hand, and in the most abstract sense it means to separate something into pieces, e.g. by slicing or tearing. What the exact meaning will be depends on the compound word in total. When you criticize something, you penetrate something (e.g. a writing) and dissect it into pieces. A batch on the other hand is also based on the idea that you separate things into smaller groups or portions.
imrek
<etymology><glyph-origin>
Why 批 means "criticize" and "a batch" at the same time?
# Why 批 means "criticize" and "a batch" at the same time?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-04-09)

Is there a story to this mutation of meaning? Or is this shift of semantics connected to phonetic considerations only?

**Tags:** etymology, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The original meaning of 批, as you can see on the radical ("hand") is a physical action. That is, this words basically denotes something that you do by hand, and in the most abstract sense it means to separate something into pieces, e.g. by slicing or tearing. What the exact meaning will be depends on the compound word in total. When you criticize something, you penetrate something (e.g. a writing) and dissect it into pieces. A batch on the other hand is also based on the idea that you separate things into smaller groups or portions.  

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