拱

• Ritual gesture: The act of folding one's hands across the breast in salutation.
• Spatial/Geographical: To surround, encompass, or encircle; frequently used to describe the curvature of land, such as mountains or rivers "embracing" a site.
• Military: The encircling of a position by an army.
• Social/Political: Yielding, handing over, or presenting something to a superior.

• Intransitive when describing the ritual posture or state of the subject.
• Transitive when describing the act of encircling or encompassing a location or object.

// Contrast with 拜 (bài): While //bài// may encompass full kowtowing or general formal worship, //gǒng* refers specifically to the posture of the hands and upper body.

// Comparison with 圍 (wéi, surround) and 抱 (bào, embrace/hold): //gǒng* is distinguished by its association with curvature and ritual formality.