view. MR2007:477; SS1984:321; KJ1970:28; YK1976:188-9; MS1995:v1:258-9,536-7; AS2007:268. We suggest taking the enclosed part of the modern form as 玉 15 ‘jewel’.
Mnemonic: A COUNTRY IS AN ENCLOSED JEWEL
137
L4
黒
KOKU, kuroi
black
11 strokes
黒板 KOKUBAN blackboard
黒海 KOKKAI Black Sea
黒幕 kuroMAKU manipulator
Bronze ; seal ; traditional 黑. Interpretations differ somewhat (the top part of the graph is taken as representing, for instance, a primitive window or chimney or grille), but there is broad agreement that the depiction in the original bronze forms involves flames (now in its short form 灬 8) and smoke rising and causing an accumulation of soot, hence the extended meaning ‘black’. KJ1970:961; OT1968:1165; SS1984:322. We suggest taking 里 238 as the graph for ‘village’, comprising 田 63 ‘field’ and 土 64 ‘ground’.
Mnemonic: GROUND IN BURNT FIELD IS BLACK
138
L5
今
KON, KIN, ima
now
4 strokes
今週 KONSHŪ this week
今度 KONDO this time
今頃 imagoro around now
The OBI forms such as are taken by Katō and Ogawa to depict a roof covering some sort of object; Shirakawa interprets as a lid and stopper over a container. Either way, the meaning ‘now’ represents a loan usage. KJ1970:175-6; OT1968:42; SS1984:325.
Mnemonic: NOW IS THE TIME TO COVER THAT OBJECT
139
L3
才
SAI
talent, age, -year
3 strokes
天才 TENSAI genius
五才 GOSAI five years old
才能 SAINŌ talent
Etymology uncertain. Early forms , . There are numerous proposals for this graph, which appears from OBI onwards. Among them, Ma notes the view that it depicts a plant appearing above the surface for the first time. Ogawa and Shirakawa, by contrast, see it as a length of wood secured in the ground, with a horizontal length or bundle to form a cross shape; Shirakawa then hypothesizes that this served as a marker of sacred places. Katō follows the hypothesis of a noted Chinese scholar, who believes it depicts a river blocked up, with disastrous consequences. It is unclear as to how it gained its present meanings, but probably through loan usage. MR2007:341-2; OT1968:399; SS1984:334; KJ1970:420-21.
Mnemonic: PROPPING UP THE CROSS SHOWS TALENT
140
L3
細
SAI, hosoi, komakai
slender, fine
11 strokes
細工 SAIKU craftsmanship
細長い hosonagai slender
細々 komagoma in detail
Late graph (Shuowen). Seal form has 糸 29 ‘thread’ as semantic, and 囟 (CO originally a pictograph of skull or fontanelle) as phonetic, with associated sense ‘thin, slender’. The change from 囟 to 田 in standard script is due either to script regularization or mistaken analysis. KJ1970:469; YK1976:198; SS1984:338. We suggest taking 田 as 63 ‘field’.
Mnemonic: SLENDER PATH THREADS THROUGH FIELD
141
L4
作
SAKU, SA, tsukuru
make, make up
7 strokes
製作 SEISAKU production
作品 SAKUHIN a work
動作 DŌSA action
Originally the graph was just 乍, with OBI forms such as showing what is seen as timber being cut with an ax. Some bronze forms have a hand appended; later this was dropped, and the ‘person’ determinative 亻 41 was added. ‘To make’ evolved as an extended meaning. As the phonetic in 作, 乍 also has associated sense of ‘modified, not genuine’ (cf English ‘made up’). MS1995:v1:18-20, 54; KJ1970:435-6; OT1968:25,53. We suggest taking 乍 as a saw.
Mnemonic: PERSON USES SAW TO MAKE THINGS
142
L3
算
SAN
reckon, count
14 strokes
計算 KEISAN calculation
予算 YOSAN budget
算数 SANSŪ arithmetic
Relatively late origin (Shuowen) . The top element is 58 ‘bamboo’, which Katō takes as referring to bamboo tallies used for counting in ancient times, together with 具 284 (‘equipment, means’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘count’, giving ‘to count’. KJ1970:443; SS1984:353; OT1968:755, 98.
Mnemonic: USE BOTH HANDS TO COUNT ON A BAMBOO ABACUS
view. MR2007:477; SS1984:321; KJ1970:28; YK1976:188-9; MS1995:v1:258-9,536-7; AS2007:268. We suggest taking the enclosed part of the modern form as 玉 15 ‘jewel’.
