頉

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

止 (그칠 지) — semantic component, signifying “to stop” or “halt.”

頁 (머리 혈) — phonetic component, giving the sound yí and carrying the sense of “head” or “face.”

In classical lexicons such as the Zìhuì Bǔ (字彙補) it is glossed “與之切，音移。養也，頷也,” meaning “pronounced yí; to nourish, the chin.”

The Kāngxī Zìdiǎn (康熙字典) repeats this, noting that 頉 is an ancient variant of 頤 (턱 이 “jaw, chin”).

However, in Korean lexicography (as noted in 자휘보, 강희자전, and 한국민족문화대백과사전, the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture), 頉 developed a distinct local usage as a 국자 (國字), representing the native word “탈,” meaning mishap or disorder.

Thus the semantic evolution follows:

“to nourish, chin (classical)” → “to have something go wrong, trouble (Korean).”

Used almost exclusively in Korean compounds and idioms denoting misfortune or bodily ailment:

頉 (탈) — mishap, trouble

腹頉 (복탈) — stomach trouble, indigestion

後頉 (뒤탈) — later problem, after-effect

病頉 (병탈) — illness, sickness, physical disorder

執頉 (집탈) — to pick a fault, find trouble

左稱右頉 (좌칭우탈) — making excuses on every side

In Korean folk belief, “탈” signifies not only physical disorder but also spiritual or moral imbalance — as when a person “has a tal” (탈이 나다), implying something has gone awry in body or fate.

In traditional medicine texts such as the Dongui Bogam (東醫寶鑑), the word “탈” appears to denote internal disharmony or digestive malfunction, a “trouble arising in the organs.”

The character 頉, though phonetically tied to Chinese 頤, is semantically unique to Korean — a striking example of semantic domestication of a sinograph.

As such, it occupies an important place among Korean 국자, illustrating how the script system adapted to represent purely native ideas.