牢 (láo)
firm; sturdy; fold (for animals); sacrifice; prison
Etymology
Depicts an animal, such as a cow (牛), trapped around an animal's fence (宀).
Shuowen Jiezi
《說文》：“牢，閑，養牛馬圈也。从牛，冬省，取其四周帀也。”
Original meaning
pen; fence
Components
- 宀 (iconic) — Originally a pictograph of an animal pen. Later reanalyzed as 宀 (roof).
- 牛 (iconic)