抑
yì
#1,746 most
frequent character
to restrain, to restrict, to keep down
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
抑 first showed a hand pushing down on someone seated, and 扌 hand was added later to stress that. It first meant to press someone down, then grew to restrain or restrict. The sense 'or' was borrowed by sound.
Drawn as: hand pressing someone
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