脆

A phono-semantic compound:

肉 (flesh) — semantic component, relates to flesh, texture, physical condition

危 (위) — phonetic component, conveys sound and the idea of instability / fragility

Central idea is “soft enough to break suddenly.”

취약 (脆弱) — brittle and weak; vulnerable

취성 (脆性) — brittleness (material science)

취절 (脆折) — to break easily

취절 (脆折) — to break easily

Related characters:

脆 — brittle, tender (fragile softness, breaks suddenly)

堅 — hard, firm (resistance to breaking)

剛 — rigid, tough (strength and stiffness)

軟 — soft (flexible, not brittle, bends or yields)

弱 — weak (lack of strength, not texture)

韌 — tough, resilient (bends but does not break, resists breaking)

The original form is 脃 (U+8103).

In early forms, the right component included 色, which historically derives from 刀 (knife) + 卩 (seal), connected to the idea of cutting / breaking, reinforcing the meaning “easily broken.”