梏

Wooden restraints for the wrists (manacles or fetters), characterized by a heavy, rigid materiality such as wooden rings or blocks. The term extends metaphorically to abstract or psychological constraints.

• Noun: The physical restraint itself.
• Verb: To manacle or bind; typically carries a connotation of legal or official punishment.

• Materiality: Distinct from metal chains or locks (鎖).
• Anatomical Focus: Part of a triad of restraints: 梏 for the wrists/hands, 枷 for the neck (pillory), and 桎 for the ankles (shackles). The specific use of 梏 often emphasizes the neutralization of the hands and the loss of agency.
• Compound Usage: In the compound 枷梏, the meaning shifts from a specific device to a general term for imprisonment, bondage, or state-sanctioned coercion.
• Verbal Distinction: As a verb, it is distinguished from simple binding (縛) by its association with official punishment.

Reading is stable; Middle Chinese //gok//.