Origin

This character pictures being trapped in a confined space. The component for "hole" or "cave" at the top represents an enclosed, limiting area—a physical corner with no way out. The bottom component serves as a sound hint for the character's pronunciation. Together, the visual idea of being stuck in a narrow space came to express the broader sense of being cornered, trapped in hardship, or driven to an extreme point where resources and options run out.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).