The Chinese Radical: 革




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Meaning
untanned leather    革

Explanation A horned 廿 animal seen from above with a backbone 丨 and broad hips 一 has a skin 囗 of leather around its torso. - Also these radicals 皮 and 韦 stand for leather.

Used in these characters:
HSK 3
shoe
xié
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: 2x earth 圭 = piled earth (cf. with road/street 街, where you walk 行 over piled earth 圭)
The leather for the piled earth (= the street) is: the shoe!
HSK 5
animal hide, leather, to remove, to expel (from office)

廿
Center: peeled skin 囗, rest: pictogram for a horned 廿 animal with backbone 丨 from above
Horned animals have a skin 囗 of leather.
HSK 5
whip or lash, to flog, conductor's baton
biān
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: convenient 便 (The person 亻likes it furthermore 更, if it's convenient) [further 更 = The sun 日 goes with each unit of length 丈 further and more]
Leather is convenient as a whip.
HSK 6
tyrant, hegemon, to rule by force, to usurp

Top: rain 雨, below: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather; but here: animals in general.), moon 月
He controls the rain, the animals and the moon: The tyrant!
HSK 6
to rear, to bring up, to raise

Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: 匊 (enwrap 勹, rice 米)
The horned animal needs protection (= wrapping) and food (= rice) during rearing.
no HSK
scabbard, sheath
qiào
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: alike/resemble 肖 (Small 小 bodies 月 are alike.)
Made of leather and similar (to the sword:) The sword's scabbard.
no HSK
boots
xuē
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: change 化 (From a standing 亻 to a sitting 匕 person is a change.)
Leather changes into boots.
no HSK
saddle (of a horse)
ān
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: peaceful 安 (A woman 女 in the house 宀 makes it peaceful.)
It is made of leather and makes (riding) more peaceful: The saddle.
no HSK
target, mark

Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: hope for 巴 (Behind the doorknob 巴 you can hope)
The leather in the size of a doorknob is: the target.
no HSK
bridle, halter, to restrain, to detain, to lodge, inn

Top: net 罒/网, bottom: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), horse 马/馬
The 'net' made of leather for the horse is: the bridle.
no HSK
rein in, to choke, to throttle, to strangle
lè, lēi
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather), right: force 力
For horned animals 革 you need force to rein them. OR: With leather and force you can rein.
no HSK
martingale (horse's harness)
yǎng
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: center 央 (The yoke 冂 on the shoulders of the big 大 man is centered)
Made of leather and located centrally: The martingale.
no HSK
martingale (control of a horse's head), stingy
jìn
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals have a skin 口 of leather.), right: axe 斤
It is made of leather and (can control the horse) like an axe: The Martingale.

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.
廿

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