<p><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">商</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ojvuM.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ojvuM.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>6.12.5<br>殷虛書契前</kbd><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/26OFX.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/26OFX.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>2342<br>殷虛卜辭</kbd></p>

<p>「敢」 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_%282014%29" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baxter-Sagart OC</a>: <strong>/*[k]ˤamʔ/</strong>, <em>to hunt and pursue > to eagerly advance and push forward > brave</em>) was originally a picture of <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=60" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>two hands</em> 「廾」</a> fighting a <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=699" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>wild pig</em> 「豕」</a> with a <em>hunting weapon</em> that looked like <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=59" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「干」</a> (<strong>/*[k]ˁar/</strong>) or <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=2488" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「單」</a> (<strong>/*Cə.tˤar/</strong>), which may have simultaneously hinted at the sound. One of the hands was sometimes removed to leave behind a single <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=20" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>hand</em> 「又」</a>.</p>

<p><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西周</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9fHpO.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9fHpO.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Yu_ding" rel="nofollow noreferrer">大盂鼎</a><br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2837&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成2837</a></kbd></p>

<p>Later on, the weapon was corrupted into a sound hint <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=264" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「甘」</a> (<strong>/*[k]ˤ[a]m/</strong>).</p>

<p><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period" rel="nofollow noreferrer">戰國</a>・<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_(Chinese_state)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">晉</a><br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qp9cc.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qp9cc.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhongshan_(state)#Tombs" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中山王</a>圓壺<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=9734&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成9734</a></kbd><kbd>戰國・<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楚</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips" rel="nofollow noreferrer">簡</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OapEp.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OapEp.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>56.43<br>江陵九店</kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han" rel="nofollow noreferrer">東漢</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">隸</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CI8Ul.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CI8Ul.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%8F%B2%E6%99%A8%E7%A2%91" rel="nofollow noreferrer">史晨奏銘</a><br>　</kbd><kbd>今<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fUO52.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fUO52.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>

<p>Another <a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=31257" rel="nofollow noreferrer">weapon was added back to the hand to form 「攴・攵」</a>, then the pig 「豕」 and the sound hint 「甘」 were corrupted and merged together, forming the left hand side of 「敢」.</p>

<hr>

<p><strong>References:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>季旭昇《說文新證》</li>
<li><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">小學堂</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">國學大師</a>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">郭沫若《甲骨文合集》</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="http://chinese-linguipedia.org/index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中華語文知識庫</a>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://chinese-linguipedia.org/search_source.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">漢字源流</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-18T17:13:42.783Z
2020-01-18T17:25:38.263Z
2020-01-18T17:25:38.263Z
dROOOze
<p>会意。本义:勇敢,有胆量. 同本义〖bold;courageous〗 </p>

<p>(Logical aggregate. Original meaning: brave, having courage. [English] for the original meaning:〖bold; courageous〗</p>

<p>造字本义：徒手持械迎击野兽。</p>

<p>Original meaning of the aggregate: face beasts bare-handed armed.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-05T07:28:53.303Z
2017-10-06T13:50:26.493Z
2017-10-06T13:50:26.493Z
user18082
<p>"敢" is basically never changed from Hans dynasty.</p>

<p>The left part is more like a man and a wild boar who is trapped. As @Tang Ho mentioned.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-04T17:45:26.290Z
2017-10-04T17:45:26.290Z
Kevman
<p>What is the meaning and etymology of the LEFT component of this character: 敢 ?</p>

<p>I have already checked Wiltionary and Chinese Text Project. </p>

<p>Thank you for the help. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-04T05:52:51.263Z
http://www.vividict.com/WordInfo.aspx?id=3733  The character 敢 looks like a hand holding a hunting fork against a wild boar in Oracle writing
Tang Ho
<etymology><glyph-origin>
Glyph origins and meaning of 敢
# Glyph origins and meaning of 敢

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-04)

What is the meaning and etymology of the LEFT component of this character: 敢 ?

I have already checked Wiltionary and Chinese Text Project.

Thank you for the help.

**Tags:** etymology, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: http://www.vividict.com/WordInfo.aspx?id=3733  The character 敢 looks like a hand holding a hunting fork against a wild boar in Oracle writing  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-01-18. Score: 2

`商  
甲  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ojvuM.png)  
6.12.5  
殷虛書契前``商  
甲  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/26OFX.png)  
2342  
殷虛卜辭`

「敢」 ([Baxter-Sagart OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_%282014%29): **/\*[k]ˤamʔ/**, *to hunt and pursue > to eagerly advance and push forward > brave*) was originally a picture of [*two hands* 「廾」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=60) fighting a [*wild pig* 「豕」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=699) with a *hunting weapon* that looked like [「干」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=59) (**/\*[k]ˁar/**) or [「單」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=2488) (**/\*Cə.tˤar/**), which may have simultaneously hinted at the sound. One of the hands was sometimes removed to leave behind a single [*hand* 「又」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=20).

`西周  
金  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/9fHpO.png)  
大盂鼎  
集成2837`

Later on, the weapon was corrupted into a sound hint [「甘」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=264) (**/\*[k]ˤ[a]m/**).

`戰國・晉  
金  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/qp9cc.png)  
中山王圓壺  
集成9734``戰國・楚  
簡  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/OapEp.png)  
56.43  
江陵九店``東漢  
隸  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/CI8Ul.png)  
史晨奏銘``今  
楷  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/fUO52.png)`

Another [weapon was added back to the hand to form 「攴・攵」](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=31257), then the pig 「豕」 and the sound hint 「甘」 were corrupted and merged together, forming the left hand side of 「敢」.

---

**References:**

* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
* [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
  + [郭沫若《甲骨文合集》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/)
  + [中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/)
* [中華語文知識庫](http://chinese-linguipedia.org/index.html)
  + [漢字源流](http://chinese-linguipedia.org/search_source.html)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-10-05. Score: 1

会意。本义:勇敢,有胆量. 同本义〖bold;courageous〗

(Logical aggregate. Original meaning: brave, having courage. [English] for the original meaning:〖bold; courageous〗

造字本义：徒手持械迎击野兽。

Original meaning of the aggregate: face beasts bare-handed armed.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-10-04. Score: 0

"敢" is basically never changed from Hans dynasty.

The left part is more like a man and a wild boar who is trapped. As @username_1 mentioned.


---

