劉

A phono-semantic compound:

金 (metal) — semantic element, associated with weapons

刀 (knife) — semantic element, indicating cutting or killing

卯 (fourth Earthly Branch; mǎo) — phonetic element

Together, these elements convey the idea of cutting or killing with metal, which explains the original verbal meanings of the character.

劉 (Liu) is one of the most common Chinese surnames.

Famously borne by the imperial family of the Han dynasty (漢朝).

Because of this, 劉 is strongly associated with:

- imperial legitimacy

- Han Chinese identity

- classical historical lineage

류씨 (劉氏) is an established Korean clan name.

Multiple bon-gwan (본관) exist.

Registered as an approved personal-name hanja in Korea.

Folk parsing and pseudo-meanings:

In Korean usage, people bearing the surname 劉 often avoid stating the literal gloss “to kill” when explaining their name.

Instead, a folk decomposition is sometimes given:

卯 (묘) + 金 (금) + 刀 (도) → 劉

→ “묘금도”

This expression:

- is not an actual meaning

- has no basis in historical lexicography

- functions purely as a socially polite or humorous explanation

There is no legitimate dictionary sense of 劉 meaning “묘금도.”

劉 is best classified as a “surname-only character” in modern usage.

Related surname characters^

李 — surname; originally “plum tree”

張 — surname; “to stretch”

王 — surname; “king”

宋 — surname / state name

魏 — surname / state name

Like these, 劉 transitioned from a lexical verb to a purely onomastic character.