駟

Primary sense: A team of four horses (typically arranged in two pairs).

Metonymic uses:

1. The vehicle itself (the carriage).

2. Social or official rank, as the number of horses was regulated by ritual propriety (//li//).

Noun (collective): The team as a single unit.

Measure word: Used to count units of four-horse teams.

Attributive: Describing an object or person via association with such a team.

Contrast with 駕 (//jià//): While //jià// is a general term for a harness, a team of horses, or the act of driving, 駟 specifically denotes the number four.

Contextual nuance: When appearing with terms like 輿 (carriage/litter), the focus is on the apparatus of transport; when paired with descriptors of speed or power, the emphasis is on velocity and strength.

Simplified variant: U+9A77