OBI , seal . OBI forms, showing a hand holding a writing brush are difficult to differentiate from those for 吏 2074 ‘official’, 事 309 (‘thing’, ‘act’), and 史 523 ‘scribe, history’. In early Chinese, two of the four underlying words (those represented by 使 and 史) were homophones. At seal stage, the graph 使 emerged differentiated in shape from the other three, having 亻 41 ‘person’, and 吏 2074 as phonetic and semantic meaning ‘work’, giving ‘one who does (allocated) work’; sense then narrowed to ‘(an) official’. MS1995:v1:60-61, 26-8; BK1957:256; KJ1970:450; OT1968:59; AS2007:350, 465-6.
Mnemonic: OFFICIAL PERSON USES SERVANT
304
L4
始
SHI, hajimeru/maru
begin, first
8 strokes
始終 SHIJŪ throughout
始動機 SHIDŌKI starter motor
始めて hajimete for the first time
The bronze forms and have 女 together with elements corresponding to 台 (not 183) or 以 443 respectively as the phonetic, both having similar pronunciation in early Chinese. The phonetic has an associated sense of ‘first daughter’, leading to a more generalised meaning of just ‘first’. MS1995:v1:320-21; KJ1970:14; OT1968:255; YK1976:220. We suggest taking 台 as ‘nose’ ム and ‘mouth’ 口 22.
Mnemonic: A WOMAN’S FACE BEGINS WITH A NOSE AND MOUTH
305
L3
指
SHI, yubi, sasu
finger, point
9 strokes
指示 SHIJI indication
親指 oyayubi thumb
指図 sashiZU directions
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 扌 34 ‘hand’, and 旨 1401 as phonetic. Though the modern meaning of 旨 is ‘good/tasty’, here it has an associated sense of ‘become divided up, separate’ – a reference to the fingers (Katō, Yamada) or ‘show, point to’ (Ogawa). KJ1970:466; YK1976:222; OT1968:412. We suggest taking 匕 (see 258) as a person sitting, and 日 as ‘sun’ 66.
Mnemonic: PERSON SITS POINTING WITH FINGER AT SUN
306
L3
歯
SHI, ha
tooth, teeth
12 strokes
歯根 SHIKON dental root
歯医者 haISHA dentist
歯車 haguruma toothed gear
Traditional 齒. OBI form depicts mouth, showing teeth. Bronze form has phonetic 止 143 (‘stop’) added as top component, as in the modern graph, with associated sense ‘be lined up’ (Katō, Yamada), or ‘stay, stop’ (Mizukami, Tōdō). (Tōdō says sense is teeth ‘stay in one place’ while chewing). MS1995:v2:1526-7; KJ1970:469-70; YK1976:224; TA1965:69-71; MR2007:249. We suggest taking 止 in its meaning ‘stop’, 米 as ‘rice’ 220, and the enclosure as a mouth.
Mnemonic: TEETH ENSURE RICE STOPS IN MOUTH
307
L1
詩
SHI
poetry
13 strokes
詩人 SHIJIN poet
詩的 SHITEKI poetic
詩情 SHIJŌ poetic sentiment
A late graph (Shuowen) . Has 言 118 ‘words’, and 寺 149 (‘temple’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘move, advance’ (Mizukami, Tōdō) (Tōdō says here it means ‘move feelings forward through language’), or ‘thought, volition’ (Yamada). MS1995:v2:1194-5; TA1965:72-4; YK1976:224-5.
Mnemonic: WORDS AT THE TEMPLE ARE POETIC
308
L3
次
JI, SHI, tsugi, tsugu
next, follow
6 strokes
三次 SANJI tertiary
次第に SHIDAI ni gradually
相次いで aitsuide in succession
On the basis of OBI form generally taken as originally 欠 496 ‘open the mouth, yawn’, with two strokes for 二 as phonetic with associated sense ‘stop’ (Katō, Mizukami, Ogawa), or ‘arrange’ (Mizukami), ‘follow after’ (Ogawa). (Ma, though, takes as showing fluid coming out of the mouth.) Katō feels yawning indicates taking turns to rest, adding to the idea of following in order. MS1995:v1:696-7; KJ1970:181-2; OT1968:531; MR2007:399. We suggest taking 冫 as the ‘ice radical’ (see 401).
tsukau
