蹂 (róu): to trample; to tread on

Meanings

庄稼被骑兵蹂平了。

Zhuāngjia bèi qíbīng róu píng le.

The crops were trampled flat by the cavalry.

这片土地屡遭战争蹂躏。

Zhè piàn tǔdì lǚ zāo zhànzhēng róulìn.

The land suffered repeated ravaging by war.

usage

Most often in 蹂躏, which moves from the literal "to trample underfoot" to the figurative "to ravage, oppress, or violate" by force.

radical

足 zú

foot; leg

The foot radical (left-side form) gives the core meaning: 蹂 is action done with the feet, trampling and crushing underfoot.

phonetic

柔 róu

soft; gentle

Supplies the reading róu directly. The ironic contrast with its own "soft" meaning is incidental; it functions purely as the sound.

蹂 róu