While Shuowen uses 殘穿 as a definition, other dictionaries simply use 穿. One in particular (正字通) referred to Shuowen as the source of the definition but still simplifies it to just 穿. This all indicates that the meaning of (歺又) is simply to “make a hole”.
Note that this character has the following variants: 
Dictionary scans of the simplified definition include the following (taken from MOE’s website).
廣韻:
字彙:
正字通:
重訂直音篇:
Very interesting, thank you! 
Although those sources are later than and quote Shuowen, the fact that their compilers zeroed in on the 穿 portion of the definition does seem to confirm not only the ‘pierce’ reading, but also the notion of interpreting compound definitions according to the intersection of their meanings rather than an aggregate reading. I’m just taking my baby steps here in learning how to read Shuowen, and wish I had a graduate-level course or something for guidance, but it’s very helpful to bounce these ideas off of other posters.
Now I’m going to have to do some more serious digging in the oracle bone and bronze records to see if I can come up with any compounds using can2 ‘pierce’ as a semantic. .
Where is dragonbones’ last post?
Oh, no one had answered it yet, and I happened to be contacted by a paleographer friend, so I bugged her for the answers, which were reasonably satisfactory, so then I didn’t want to trouble anyone here by asking questions that had already been answered. So I deleted it. I could put the questions back up if you’re interested in trying your hand at it, though. 
It was part of a short translation I was doing for the museum at the Institute of History and Philology at the Academia Sinica.
Here’s the bronze:
I was in a hurry and looking for second opinions on:
靈命難老
皇祖公伯及孟姬 (in the context of 不X做這件銅器…來祭祀皇祖公伯及孟姬)
and in this excerpt,
多福，Y（眉）壽無彊（疆），永屯（純）霝（靈）冬（終）
Dear All,
I have a bronze sculpture with bronze script and need assistance in translating what it says.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
I can be reached at ctyam2003@yahoo.com or +639189032136.
Best,
CTYam
P.S. Dragonbones: help needed. 
No guarantee I’ll have time, as I’m quite busy working and homeschooling two boys, and I haven’t read bronze script in years – but why don’t you post a clear image of it? There are others here who might help as well. You might do a rubbing if you can’t get a clear photograph directly.
Thank you for your quick reply. Is there a specialist that you know of that can help me out?
The Item hasn’t been cleaned for preservation purposes.
Hobbyist here.
That is a quite unique looking piece you have there. Large bronze ware is more common in the Shang and Zhou eras, but the shape and design is of nothing I’ve seen before. Judging from the script, if the item is real, it’s probably made after Late Eastern Zhou era, likely Han or later.
As for the scripts… it’s pretty hard to see them clearly from this picture. I think the lighting is a bit too harsh.
I tried to make the inscriptions more visible, but I think I’ve done a poor job.
In any case, the the few characters I can make a guess at are:
□乃□丕可□□
□□□□作□
□子□□□□
Thank you hansioux! It is a griffon with bronze script in the neck and chest which was unearthed in southern Philippines some 30 years ago with 2 other pieces. What do the characters mean if I may ask?
I couldn’t decipher enough characters to get what it says. It’s indeed a very unique find, especially in southern Philippines.
The translation of the characters you identified…what does it say or represent?
The area where it was found is close to Borneo and known to be a trading outpost way before pre colonial era.
Rich in gold and cowrie shells
乃 is a preposition, Let the character before 乃 be A, the character after be B, it is saying that A is B.
丕可, if I didn’t make a mistake guessing those two, means can’t, it’s an archaic form of 不可, meaning not allowed, or cannot do something.
Because A is B, so something isn’t allowed.
The 作 (or 乍 in it’s original form) character in the middle line there is very common in Shang or Zhou era bronze ware, because they would say who commissioned the bronze ware. Usually in the form of Name 作 item’s name. I’m guessing this piece is post Zhou because 作 doesn’t seem to be used in that form here.
子 character in the last line means son.
Wow! Thanks again! Are you anywhere the Philippines so that I can consult with you further. There are more script in this piece as well as the other one.
If my research is correct I think it would be from the Zhou era. Because if indeed the Shu helped the Zhou overthrow the Shang then this would be the correct period, as the third bronze piece is most likely from Sanxingdui.
Sorry, are you in Taipei?
I enquired a more knowledgeable guy, and he said the word that I thought is 丕 on the first line is more likely to be 至. The rest is still too hard to discern from the photos.
He agrees with my assessment that the text written seems much more classical and more elaborate, meaning it’s more likely to be an piece made between Han to Tang dynasty, or a very well made forgery.
Many thanks again!
Are you and your friend available to decipher the bronze script professionally?
Or would you anybody or any organization I can consult with like a museum or a person (professor) from a museum?
I am willing to shoulder reasonable costs or even travel there with better pictures to get an accurate translation.
Again thank you for your kind assistance!
