匕

A small handheld tool. The semantic range is split between a spoon or ladle (associated with dining or ritual offerings) and a knife or dirk (associated with cutting, surgery, or violence).

Functions almost exclusively as a concrete noun.

Distinct from 比 (to compare/be near), which typically functions as a verb or adjective of proximity.

Fanqie reading: 卑履 呼霸.

Visually similar to 比 in certain scripts or hurried hands.

The translator must determine which tool fits the immediate context (e.g., a banquet vs. a conflict).