攘
chase away, steal
Readings
On'yomi
- ジョウ
Kun'yomi
- ぬす.む
- はら.う
Meaning
攘 centers on forceful removal: chasing away or driving out something unwanted. The 'steal' sense is a less common extension where the removal is illicit, like taking something away.
Most common words using 攘
- 攘夷じょうい
expulsion of foreigners
- 勤王攘夷きんのうじょうい
loyalty to the emperor and expulsion of the foreigners
- 尊攘そんじょう
revere the Emperor, expel the (Western) barbarians
- 尊皇攘夷そんのうじょうい
revere the Emperor, expel the (Western) barbarians
- 撃攘げきじょう
repulse (e.g. enemy); repelling; driving off
- 攘夷論じょういろん
principle of excluding foreigners (late Edo period)
- 竜攘虎搏りゅうじょうこはく
fierce fighting
Study
Etymology
攘 combines 扌 (hand) with 襄, which likely contributes the sound and carries a sense of removing or pushing away. The exact historical development of 襄 is uncertain, but the phono-semantic structure is clear.
Meaning mnemonic
The hand radical 扌 beside 襄 suggests using your hands to push something away. Imagine shooing away a pest or sweeping out clutter.
Reading mnemonic
For ジョウ, picture a security guard named Joe chasing away a thief: Joe -> ジョウ, and his hands are pushing the intruder out.