OBI forms such as and , already stylized, are taken as a person’s foot; ‘stop, remain’ is an extended sense (Qiu), but the graph can also indicate action with the feet, i.e., ‘go, move’ (see e.g. 歴 636 ‘istory’), apparently due to confusion with several other early graphs similar in shape and pronunciation. MS1995:v1:702-03; QX2000:329; BK1957:253-4; OT1968:536, 25.
Mnemonic: FOOTPRINT STOPS OVER LINE
144
L4
市
SHI, ichi
city, market
5 strokes
吹田市 SUItaSHI Suita City
市場 SHIJŌ market
魚市 uoichi fishmarket
On the basis of the bronze form , Mizukami interprets the graph as consisting of 兮, meaning ‘flat’ or ‘balanced’ (according to Katō, CO 丂 originally referred to waterweed spreading flat over the surface, see 130), and 止 143 ‘stop’, giving an extended meaning of ‘stop/stay [at a place] and exchange items of equal value’, reflecting an ancient barter system for goods. Ogawa is in general agreement. Shirakawa, less convincingly, takes the bronze form as a picto-graph depicting a large sign to show where a market was being held. MS1995:v1:436-7; OT1968:313; SS1984:362-3; KJ1985:194. We suggest taking lower part as ‘cloth’ 巾 1232 and 亠 as a top hat.
Mnemonic: GO TO MARKET TO BUY CLOTH AND TOP HAT
145
L1
矢
SHI, ya
arrow
5 strokes
一矢 ISSHI retaliation
矢印 yajirushi arrow sign
矢先に yasaki ni just on the point of
OBI ; bronze . Based on a pictograph of an arrow. See also 黄 133 (‘yellow’) and 至 886 (‘reach’). MS1995:v2:928-9; KJ1970:460-61; SS1984:363. We suggest taking the graph as 大 56 ‘big’ with single top stroke as a broken tip.
Mnemonic: BIG ARROW WITH BROKEN TIP
146
L4
姉
SHI, ane
elder sister
8 strokes
姉妹 SHIMAI sisters
姉さん neesan* elder sister
姉上 aneue elder sister (formal)
Etymology disputed. Generally recognised from bronze stage onwards . Has 女 37 ‘woman’, and a phonetic interpreted in various ways, such as 市 144 (‘market’), with associated sense ‘young plant sprouting’ (Katō), or as (CO; ‘vegetation growing vigorously’) with associated sense ‘unequal’ (Mizukami, Tōdō) or ‘projecting’ (Ogawa). The Kangxi zidian dictionary lists both 姉 and 姊, with the same meaning, but treats the latter as auxiliary to 姉, which stands as the main entry. MS1995:v1:320-21; KJ1970:14-15; TA1965:770-76; OT1968:255; ZY2009:v1:203-4.
Mnemonic: WOMAN GOING TO MARKET IS AN ELDER SISTER
147
L4
思
SHI, omou
think
9 strokes
思想 SHISŌ ideology
思考 SHIKŌ thought
思い出 omoide recollection
A graph of relatively late occurrence, initial forms and . Mizukami interprets the top element as CO 囟 ‘skull’, with 心 164 ‘mind, heart’; Ogawa is in agreement. Shirakawa takes the top element to represent ‘brain’. MS1995:v1:502-3; OT 1968:364; SS1984:368. We suggest taking top element as 田 63 ‘field’ though it is incorrect as the etymology.
Mnemonic: I THINK MY HEART WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY FIELD
148
L4
紙
SHI, kami
paper
10 strokes
表紙 HYŌSHI book cover
和紙 WASHI Japanese paper
手紙 tegami letter
A late graph (Shuowen) . Traditionally the invention of paper has been attributed to Cai Lun, who did invent a type of coarse paper in AD105, but in earlier times scraps of different fabrics and the like were used. Before paper appeared, texts in China were written on various materials, the closest to paper being silk. This accounts for the use of 糸 29, the ‘thread’ determinative. 氏 522 (which originally represented a ladle) serves as phonetic for ‘smooth’. SS1984:370; OT1968:769; KJ1985:474.
