脚

A phono-semantic compound:

肉 (flesh) — semantic component, indicating a body part

却 (to retreat; each) — phonetic component, providing pronunciation

The original and etymologically proper form is 腳, which uses 卻 (the original form of 却) as its phonetic element.

각부 (脚部) — lower part; leg section

각대 (脚臺) — stand; base; pedestal

각력 (脚力) — leg strength; stamina

각본 (脚本) — script; screenplay

Relationship with related characters:

脚 / 腳 — leg, foot, base

腿 — leg (modern anatomical usage)

足 — foot; sufficient

肢 — limb (general)

In Modern Chinese:

The meaning “leg” in modern anatomical precision is more often expressed with 腿 in Mandarin, while 脚 has broadened semantically.

腿 = anatomical “leg”

脚 = foot, base, or functional lower part

腳 is the historically correct form; 脚 is a later graphic simplification.

Taiwan maintains 腳 as the standard form.

The semantic shift toward “script” (脚本) is unique to East Asian modern usage.

In classical Chinese, 腳 / 脚 often referred to:

- the foot or leg of a person

- the base or support of furniture or structures

腳 (U+8173) — orthodox form

Standard in Taiwan and classical texts.