擦

A phono-semantic compound:

手 (hand) — semantic indicator (manual action)

察 (to inspect, examine) — phonetic element giving the sound "cā / 찰"

Historical development:

擦 does not appear in Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) or Guangyun (廣韻).

The character emerged in the late Tang dynasty, making it a comparatively late Han character.

Before 擦 became common, the meaning “to wipe / rub” was primarily expressed with 拭 — to wipe, to clean.

From the late Tang onward, 擦 gradually replaced 拭 in colloquial and later standard usage, especially in vernacular Chinese.

Core meanings:

- to rub; to scrub; to wipe

- to polish by friction

- to graze; to brush against lightly

- (extended) to narrowly miss; to pass close by

마찰 (摩擦) — friction

찰거 (擦去) — to wipe away

찰상 (擦傷) — abrasion, scrape wound

찰신 (擦身) — to brush past someone

찰탁 (擦濯) — washing and rubbing (literary)

擦 expresses frictional contact caused by deliberate hand movement.

Related characters:

察 — inspect (phonetic source)

拭 — wipe (earlier equivalent)

摩 — rub, grind (abstract extension)

揩 — wipe clean (often with cloth)

磨 — grind, polish

Because 擦 is a late Tang innovation, it does not appear in:

- Analects (論語)

- Pre-Qin classics

- Early Han literature

Classical texts instead used:

拭 (wipe)

摩 (rub, grind)

揩 (wipe clean)

This makes 擦 a good example of how later Chinese developed new characters to replace older classical ones for everyday actions.