An archaic literary verb meaning 'to strike or beat,' especially 挝鼓 ('to beat a drum'), seen in classical texts like the 三国演义. It also served as an old form of 抓 (to grab). Not used in modern speech in this sense.
Hand radical on the left, side-form of 手. It comes from the original 'to strike with the hand' meaning; in the country name 老挝 the radical is just inherited and carries no meaning.