钳
鉗qián
#3,338 most
frequent character
pincers, pliers, tongs, claw (of animal)
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
钳 has 钅 metal as meaning part and 甘 gān as sound part. It first named a punishment that held a person's neck in iron. From that it grew to pincers and tongs, then to grabbing or clamping, and to restricting.
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