刺

Formed as a compound ideograph:

刀 (knife, blade) provides the semantic component, indicating cutting or stabbing.

朿 (thorn, bramble) contributes both meaning (“thorn, prickle”) and sound.

Together the graph depicts “piercing with a blade or thorn.”

Semantic range:

- to stab, pierce, prick (찌르다, 찌르기);

- to wound, harm by stabbing;

- by extension: to criticize, to impeach, to denounce (비난하다, 탄핵하다);

- figurative: a thorn, something that irritates or provokes.

자객 (刺客) — assassin (“one who stabs”)

자극 (刺戟) — stimulus, provocation

풍자 (諷刺) — satire, irony (lit. “indirect stabbing”)

탄핵 (彈劾·刺) — censure, impeachment

In early Chinese administration, 刺 was connected with the official post 刺史 (“regional inspector”), whose role was to “pierce through falsehood” by investigating and censuring misconduct.

In literature, 刺 is also central in the notion of 諷刺 (satirical criticism), where sharp words are likened to a blade or thorn piercing corruption or folly.