捨

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

手 (hand) — semantic component, suggests an action of releasing or letting go, which leads to the meaning “to discard;”

舍 — phonetic component supplying the sound (사 / shě).

Semantic development:

- to release from the hand.

- to throw away or discard.

- to abandon something.

- to sacrifice or give up voluntarily;

The concept centers on letting go or relinquishing.

The character often appears in philosophical or religious contexts.

사리 (捨利) — relics (Buddhist relics of the Buddha)

사생 (捨生) — giving up one’s life

취사선택 (取捨選擇) — selection by accepting and rejecting

捨 emphasizes deliberately letting something go.

A key concept in Buddhist terminology, where it often means renunciation or detachment.

The compound 取捨 (choosing what to keep or discard) is widely used in East Asian languages.

Related characters:

棄 — to abandon

放 — to release; let go

取 — to take

捐 — to give up or donate