480531170

647
L3
易
8
EKI, I, yasui, yasashii
easy, change, divination
strokes
BŌEKItrade
EKISHAfortune-teller
AN’Ieasy-going
OBI ; seal . Interpretations diverge. In one
analysis, early forms (OBI, bronze) are taken as
a pictograph of a lizard, with a second element
(determinative no. 59) to indicate
the characteristic of lizards to change colors
(Katō, Yamada), or the sun’s rays reflected off
a lizard’s skin (Ogawa). Yamada takes ‘change’
and ‘easy’ as extended senses. More convinc-
ingly, Gu and Schuessler take the OBI form
as signifying liquid being moved from one
vessel into another. Schuessler also treats
as representing two separate words in early
Chinese: originally a word for ‘change’, then
borrowed to write a near-homophone meaning
‘be easy, at ease’. The meaning ‘divination’
may be an extended one based on interpretation
of changes. The diversity of views on
is noted by Ma. KJ1970:96; YK1976:67-8;
OT1968:460; MS1995:v1:610-11; MR2007:413;
AS2007:566,569; GY2008:1438;. We suggest
taking as 66 ‘sun’ and as lizard’s body
with four legs.
Mnemonic: LIZARD’S BODY AND LEGS
CHANGE EASILY IN SUN – HOW DIVINE!
648
L1
益
EKI, YAKU, masu
gain, profit, benefit
10 strokes
YŪEKIprofitable
masumasuincreasingly
RIEKIprofit
OBI ; seal . The OBI forms show deep
bowl 300 full to brim with liquid; taken to
mean ‘overflow’. Meanings such as ‘abundant,
add, gain’ are extended. MS1995:v2:904-5;
MR2007:317; OT1968:691; YK1976:68;
KJ1970:88. Suggest taking as laden table.
Mnemonic: BOWL AND LADEN TABLE ARE
SIGNS OF PROFIT AND GAINS
649
L3
液
EKI
liquid
11 strokes
EKITAIliquid
EKIKAliquefaction
KETSUEKIblood pressure
Seal ; late graph (Shuowen). Has 42 ‘water’,
and 232 (‘night’) as phonetic with associ-
650
L3
演
EN, ENjiru
act, perform
14 strokes
ENSHUTSUproduction
SHUTSUENperformance
ENZETSUspeech, address
OBI ; seal . Has 42 ‘water’, and (NJK
meaning a zodiac sign, but originally [OBI],
pictograph of arrow, or occasionally arrow
with two hands, to mean ‘straight arrow’ or
‘straighten a [bent] arrow’) as phonetic with
ated sense either as ‘soak, ooze through’ (Katō,
Yamada), or ‘(continue) at intervals’ (Ogawa,
Tōdō) – the latter giving ‘water which gradually
drips down’; sense became generalized to
‘liquid’. KJ1970:89-90; YK1976:68; OT1968:584;
TA1965:336; AS2007:562.
Mnemonic: NEED FOR LIQUID, SUCH AS
WATER, AT NIGHT
associated sense ‘extend, pull out’, to give ‘long
river, long river current’; sense generalized to
‘extend’. Shirakawa sees senses such as ‘act,
perform’ as arising from figurative usage in
relation to activities requiring a flowing performance,
such as dance and drama. OT1968:603;
MS1995:v2:776-7,v1:376-7; KJ1970:110-11; YK
1975:71; SS1984:60. We suggest associating
this graph with 133 ‘flaming arrow’/ ‘yellow’,
replacing 53 ‘grass’ with 30 ‘roof/building’.
Mnemonic: PERFORM ACT IN YELLOW
BUILDING BESIDE RIVER
The 185 Fifth Grade Characters 211