etymology of 友, 犮

Question

I am confused at these two characters some times. Could you please let me know etymology of these 2 characters? and advise any further analysis. Thanks

友 yǒu friend 犮 bá to pull up

Answer 1

友 is two hands 又 side by side. You can think of it as a handshake, which became the meaning for 'friend'.

犮 is a hand 又 holding onto a leash of a dog 犬. It could be a person pulling the leash or the dog is pulling the person. Back then, people traveled and explored unknown lands with a dog by their side for protection. 犮 is an obsolete character no longer used in modern writing. "Pull" is now clarified with an additional hand becoming 拔, while "travel" or "explore" is clarified with a leg becoming 跋.