OBI , ; seal . Views vary. One takes 八 ‘eight’ in its original sense ‘divide’, ‘open up’, and lower element (口) as ‘enclose, surround’. Overall meaning is then taken as either ‘open up a physical area’ (Shirakawa takes as walled area for ceremonies at Court), or ‘open up something enclosed /kept by individuals)’, giving ‘open up’, and by extension ‘public; fair (distribution)’ (Mizukami, Shirakawa, Yamada, Katō). A minority view takes the lower element in OBI as a receptacle, treating the whole graph as originally meaning ‘(lidded) jar’, and takes other meanings as loan uses (Ma). At seal stage, the lower element was changed to 厶; Katō says changed in error, but 厶 was originally (OBI) a closed circle shape (‘enclose and make one’s own’; later 私 887 ‘I, me’). MS1995:v1:100-02,188-90; SS1984:285-6; YK1976:173; KJ1970:396-7; MR2007:228. We suggest taking 厶 as a nose, and 八 70 in its modern meaning ‘eight’.
Mnemonic: EIGHT LORDS SHOW NOSE IN PUBLIC
127
L3
広
KŌ, hiroi/geru/garu
wide, spacious
5 strokes
広大 KŌDAI vast
広島 Hiroshima place-name
広告 KŌKOKU advertisement
Bronze ; traditional 廣. One of various graphs of the most numerous category, the semantic-phonetic compound type (see Introduction). Based on OBI and bronze forms, Qiu assesses early equivalents of the determinative 广 as ‘a kind of structure’, and as one simpler than that represented by the ‘roof’ determinative 宀 30. Tōdō takes the phonetic component 黄 as having an associated sense ‘spread out’; Shirakawa and Katō are in general agreement. MR2007:408; QX2000:180; TA1965:414-5; SS1984:287; KJ1970:324. We suggest taking the modern form’s 厶 as a nose.
Mnemonic: SPACIOUS BUILDING TO NOSE AROUND IN
128
L3
交
KŌ, majiru, kawasu
mix, exchange
6 strokes
交通 KŌTSŪ traffic
外交 GAIKŌ diplomacy
交換 KŌKAN exchange
The OBI and bronze forms show a person with legs crossed ; leading to extended meanings such as ‘exchange’. MR2007:429; SS1984:288; KJ1970:173; OT1968:37. We suggest taking the modern form as 六 80 ‘six’ over a cross.
Mnemonic: MIX SIX CROSSES – FAIR EXCHANGE
129
L4
光
KŌ, hikari, hikaru
light, shine
6 strokes
日光 NIKKŌ sunlight
光年 KŌNEN light year
光学 KŌGAKU optics
OBI ; bronze ; and seal forms show flames over a kneeling person’s head; interpreted as conveying the meaning ‘light’ (as opposed to darkness). At the seal stage, the lower element was changed to 儿‘person’ (see 41). MR2007:425; SS1984:289; KJ1970:325-6. Take modern form as ‘person’ 儿 and as ‘odd’ flames 火 8.
Mnemonic: LIGHT SHINES FROM ODD FLAMES OVER PERSON’S FLAT HEAD
130
L4
考
KŌ, kangaeru
consider
6 strokes
考案 KŌAN idea
参考 SANKŌ reference
考え事 kangaegoto a concern
OBI ; seal . OBI forms are very close to or the same as those for 老 638 ‘aged, old’; they depict an old person with bent back and long hair, leaning on a stick. At the bronze stage, the lower element was changed in some cases from the stick shape to 丂 (CO ‘floating weed’), as in the seal form. This serves here as phonetic with associated sense ‘bent over’ (or Ogawa says ‘old’), giving a word for ‘old person’ different in early Chinese pronunciation from that written as 老 . 考 was subsequently borrowed for its sound value to write another word meaning ‘examine, consider’. MR2007:393; OT1968:805; KJ1970:891-2; MS 1995:V2:1048-51. We suggest taking 耂 (which is actually nicknamed the ‘old man’ determinative) as ‘entering the ground’ (see ‘ground’ 土 64), and the lower element as a (physically) crooked old man.
Mnemonic: CROOKED OLD MAN CONSIDERS BURIAL IN THE GROUND
MR2007:308; KJ1970:405-6; SS1984:285; OT1968:309; GY2008:23.
