肆 (sì)

four (banker's anti-fraud numeral); unrestrained; wanton; (literary) s

Etymology

Depicts a hand restraining a domestic animal (㣇) by holding its tail (隶). 㣇 also represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "kill domestic animals and display them". The meaning later shifted to "shop", "wanton", "unrestrained", and "indulge".

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“,極陳也。从長,隶聲。,或从髟。”

Original meaning

kill domestic animals and display them

Components