剌

剌 is a compound ideograph combining:

刀 (칼 도) — “knife, blade,” representing cutting or separation.

束 (묶을 속) — “to bind, bundle,” symbolizing restriction or control.

Together they express the act of cutting through something bound, implying “to sever, to violate, to go against constraint.”

From this physical image arose figurative meanings such as contradiction or rebellion, and by further semantic extension, the vibrant force captured in “brisk, lively.”

潑剌 (활랄) — lively, vigorous, spirited

乖剌 (괘랄) — disobedient, unruly

剌激 (자극) — to stimulate, to provoke (刺激 is the more common form)

譏剌 (기랄) — to satirize, to criticize sharply

The character embodies a paradoxical energy — both cutting apart and bursting forth.

In idioms like 潑剌, it suggests vivid vitality breaking free from constraint; yet in contexts like 乖剌, it denotes rebellious deviation or impetuosity.

In classical literature, 剌 could describe both literal acts (剌之以刀 — “to stab with a knife”) and moral transgressions (剌逆 — “to defy authority”).

The underlying concept is penetration and disruption — of matter, of order, or of decorum.

The sense of “briskness” or “spirited liveliness” likely arose from the imagery of cutting through stillness — a metaphor for energetic movement or speech.

Thus 潑剌 became a favored literary term for vivid, dynamic action, especially in poetry describing nature or personality.

In contemporary Chinese, 剌 alone is less common but survives in compounds and idiomatic forms.

In Korean, it retains both senses — “to offend / contradict” and “to be lively” — through words like 활랄하다 and 괘랄하다.