蹂

Phono-semantic compound:

足 (발 족) — semantic element, foot, stepping, treading

柔 (부드러울 유) — phonetic element, provides the sound 유

The semantic structure indicates:

- “an action of the foot (足) with the sound of 柔.”

- meaning: to trample, crush, press with the feet.

柔 does not contribute “softness” in meaning here; it is purely phonetic.

In Korean, 蹂(유) rarely appears alone; it is almost always part of the compound 蹂躪 (유린).

Common compounds:

蹂躪 (유린) — 짓밟고 헤치다; to ravage, violate, trample, oppress (the most common modern usage, both literal & metaphorical)

踐蹂 (천유) — 밟아 짓이기다 (rare)

Figurative modern usages (with 躪):

人權蹂躪 (인권유린) — violation of human rights

國土蹂躪 (국토유린) — devastation of land or territory

文化蹂躪 (문화유린) — cultural destruction

民衆蹂躪 (민중유린) — oppression of the masses

Rare stand-alone use in Korean dictionaries:

蹂 (유) — 밟을 유; 짓밟다 (listed but seldom used independently)

蹂躪 is a classical binome in which:

蹂 — primary “to trample” (physical core meaning )

躪 — “to crush, oppress” (adds severity and humiliation)

Thus 蹂躪 conveys both physical and moral destruction. Together they intensify one another, giving a strong sense of brutal violation.

This pairing occurs widely in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

Classical citations:

蹂 is relatively rare alone in classical literature, but appears frequently in the set phrase 蹂躪.

《後漢書·馮衍傳》 (Book of the Later Han)

「兵士蹂躪，民不聊生。」

“The soldiers trampled the people, and they could no longer survive.”

《晉書·石勒載記》 (History of Jin)

「所過蹂躪，無遺孑遺。」

“Wherever he passed, all was trampled and utterly destroyed.”

《宋史·寧國公主傳》 (History of Song Dynasty)

「盜賊蹂躪，室家俱盡。」

“Bandits ravaged the area, and families were wiped out.”

《文選·潘岳〈籍田賦〉》 (Wenxuan, Anthology of Literature)

「獸之蹂地。」

“Beasts trample the ground” — This example shows literal usage.