What is the difference between 刧 and 劫?

刧 is a historical variant form of 劫. The standard modern form is 劫, which uses 力 (force) as the right component instead of 刀 (knife).

Is 刧 commonly used in modern Chinese?

No, 刧 is considered a variant character and is rarely used in contemporary writing. The standard form 劫 is preferred in modern contexts.

The character carries three primary meanings: coercion and threat, robbery and plunder, and disaster or calamity (especially in Buddhist contexts).

刧Tone 2

jié ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 刀

To coerce, to threaten;

to plunder, to rob;

variant form of 劫 (robbery, disaster).

To coerce, to threatento plunder, to robvariant form of 劫 (robbery, disaster).

To threaten and coerceCalamity and disasterRobbery and plunderTo rob wealthTo seize by force

The robber threatened the victim (刧持).
Ancient texts sometimes use this variant for calamity (刧难).
This character appears in historical documents as a variant (刧 is a variant form).

刧 is a historical variant of the more common character 劫, which carries strong Buddhist connotations of kalpa (a cosmic cycle or period of time).
In Buddhism, 劫 represents an immensely long period and is associated with cycles of creation and destruction.
The character conveys meanings of coercion, robbery, and inevitable disaster across various contexts.