Origin

The character 逮 combines a movement or action radical (the left component meaning pursuit or going after) with 隶 on the right, which serves as a sound hint for the character's pronunciation. The semantic side suggests the idea of chasing or pursuing someone, while 隶 doesn't contribute to the meaning but tells you roughly how to say the character. Together, these parts created a character that means to chase down and apprehend someone, capturing the sense of pursuing a fleeing person.

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