480531170

166
L4
親
SHIN, oya, shitashii
parents, intimate
16 strokes
RYŌSHINparents
SHINRUIrelatives
oyakataboss, foreman
Generally identified from bronze script stage
onwards as and interpreted as consisting of
20 ‘see’ with (see 165). The latter element
is made up of 1535 ‘needle’ with 73 ‘tree’,
and is interpreted in several ways: Shirakawa
sees it as ‘a tree selected for religious purposes
(by marking with a needle or arrow)’, cut down
and used as part of the process of revering relatives
who were deceased – hence the extended
meaning of ‘parents, relatives’. Mizukami, however,
takes the original meaning of as a tree
used for firewood, or a luxuriant rapidly-growing
tree; in the graph , he takes it as phonetic
with associated sense ‘close, near’, giving overall
meaning ‘seeing those nearby’, i.e., parents,
relatives. SS1984:472, 478; MS1995:v1:668-9,
1178-9.
Mnemonic: A PARENT SHOULD LOOK OUT
FOR NEEDLES, EVEN FROM TREES
167
L4
図
ZU, TO, hakaru
plan, diagram
7 strokes
CHIZUmap
ZUGAa drawing
TOSHOKANlibrary
Early form ; traditional form . Taken as a
sketch showing land within boundaries (Mizukawa,
Katō), similar to some interpretations
of 91 ‘draw’. Shirakawa takes it as granaries
on agricultural land. MS1995:v1:260-61;
KJ1970:909; SS1984:483.
Mnemonic: DIAGRAM ON PAPER SHEET
SHOWS SPOT X WITH TWO POINTERS
168
L3
数
SŪ, kazu, kazoeru
number, count
13 strokes
SŪGAKUmathematics
SŪJITSUseveral days
kazukazunumerous
Seal ; traditional . Has (normally
‘beat, strike’ 112, but here ‘do something with
the hands’), and (CO; ‘sorceress’) as phonetic
with associated sense ‘count out loud’
(Katō), or ‘be linked’ (Mizukami). Shirakawa,
though, takes the graph as originally depicting
a woman with a chignon, which is then
dishevelled by someone’s hands () to denote
‘blame, reproach’ (now a minor meaning in
Chinese). MS1995:v1:582-3,336-7; KJ1970:499;
SS1984:490-91. We suggest taking the modern
form as 220 ‘rice’, 37 ‘woman’, and ‘use of
hands’ 112.
Mnemonic: WOMAN COUNTS NUMBER OF
RICE GRAINS BY HAND
169
西
SEI, SAI, nishi
OBI and other early forms seem to
west
L5
depict a basket (Mizukami, Shirakawa), or ‘wine
6 strokes
press’ (Katō), while Ma and Schuessler say ‘nest’.
From the outset, it appears to have been a
SEIYŌthe West
loan for ‘west’. MS1995:v2:1174-5; SS1984:493;
KANSAIKansai region
MR2007:457; AS2007:522; KJ1985:550-1. Taking
nishibiafternoon sun
the modern form as a wine jar may be helpful.
Mnemonic: TIME FOR A JAR – THE SUN IS IN
THE WEST
The 160 Second Grade Characters 87