Amazing Chinese Characters (593) Beat - 殴

 The big seal script of character Beating is

The left is a box with a person inside, the right is character Spear (Post 590), here means a beating stick. The person inside the box is beaten by a stick.

The small seal script of character Beat is

The left is character District (Post 296), the right is character Spear. Why the left changed to District which has three 口, could be three or more people are involved a fight. Some one thinks that people beat others with shouting. I don't know which is right.

The clerical script of character Beat is

similar to small seal script.

The pinyin of character 疫 is Ou1.