flames’ as phonetic with associated sense ‘peaceful’, to give original meaning ‘say things in a peaceful way’, and possibly having a sense of warmth. KJ1970:97-8; YK1976:354; OT1968:935.
Mnemonic: NOT A FLAMING ROW, BUT WARM WORDS IN CONVERSATION
364
L4
着
CHAKU, tsuku, kiru
arrive, wear
12 strokes
到着 TŌCHAKU arrival
着物 kimono clothing
付着 FUCHAKU adhesion
Rather awkward. This late graph, not listed in the Shuowen, is included in the Ganlu zishu (Character Dictionary for Seeking an Official Stipend, compiled in 8th century AD China by Yan Yuansun) as a popular or vulgar variant of 著 (see 949), which is itself a variant of 着 1853 ‘chopsticks’ (q.v.). 着 consists of 58 ‘bamboo’, with 者 314 (‘person’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘put between’. Qiu notes that in the Han dynasty clerical script (see Introduction) there was alternation between 竹 ‘bamboo’ and 艸/艹 53 ‘plant, vegetation’ as a determinative. Despite a long history of use in China, the status of 着 was less solid than 著 in the sense that in character dictionaries it continued to be treated by scholars typically as a vulgar form until it was officially accepted as a separate graph in modern times. In Japanese, meaning range is ‘wear, arrive, adhere’. QX2000:323-4; SS1984:592; YK1976:359. We suggest taking the upper part as slight variant of 426 羊 ‘sheep’, and lower as 目 76 ‘eye/see’.
Mnemonic: I SEE SHEEP ARRIVING, WEARING THEIR FLEECE
365
L4
注
CHŪ, sosogu
pour, note
8 strokes
注目 CHŪMOKU attention
注射 CHŪSHA injection
注釈 CHŪSHAKU notes (text)
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 氵 42 ‘water’, and 主 315 (now ‘main/master’ but originally a stemmed lamp) as phonetic with associated sense ‘continue’, to give meaning ‘continuation of water droplets’ (Katō, Ogawa). An alternative analysis is given by Tōdō, who includes 注 in his word-family ‘stand firmly/upright’ on the basis that water pouring down can be seen as a vertical column. The early meaning of 主 is stemmed lamp, and this may reinforce ‘column’. KJ1970:506-7; YK1976:362; OT1968:567; TA1965:281-4.
Mnemonic: MASTER POURS WATER IN A COLUMN, AND TAKES NOTES
366
L3
柱
CHŪ, hashira
column, pillar
9 strokes
柱石 CHŪSEKI pillar
電柱 DENCHŪ telegraph pole
氷柱 tsurara* icicle
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 木 73 ‘tree, wood’, and 主 315 (‘main’, originally a stemmed lamp) as phonetic with associated sense ‘stand firmly’; in Tōdō’s word-family ‘stand firmly/upright’. YK1976:362-3; OT1968:499; TA1965:281-4.
Mnemonic: MASTER WOODEN PILLAR
367
L1
丁
CHŌ, TEI
block, exact
2 strokes
丁度 CHŌDO exactly
丁寧 TEINEI civility
丁目 CHŌme city block
OBI ; seal . The OBI form shows a nail head (typically squared, as at that stage of script a rounded shape was difficult), whereas the seal form shows a side view. Through later general development of the script, the determinative 金 16 ‘metal’ was added to create NJK 釘 as an unambiguous way of writing ‘nail’. Note too the reading TEI, as in teinei ‘polite’, ‘careful’. MS1995:v1:4-5; MR2007:514; KJ1970:940; YK1976:372.
Mnemonic: BLOCK IS EXACT TO A ‘T’.
368
L1
帳
CHŌ
register, drape
11 strokes
手帳 teCHŌ notebook
帳場 CHŌba counter, desk
蚊帳 kaya* mosquito net
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Generally taken as 巾 1232 ‘cloth’, with 長 189 ‘long’ as phonetic with associated sense ‘pull taut’ (later 張 775), originally referring to a curtain pulled around a bed as a screen; Tōdō, in contrast, includes 帳 in a word-family meaning ‘long’, to give ‘long hanging cloth’. Not clear whether the sense ‘record book/accounts book’ is an extended usage (records written on cloth?) or a loan usage. KJ1970:702-3; YK1976:366; OT1968:318; TA1965:348-9.
Mnemonic: LONG CLOTH DRAPE USED AS REGISTER
369
L3
調
CHŌ, shiraberu, toto-noeru
investigate, tone, adjust, tune
15 strokes
調整 CHŌSEI adjustment
調べ shirabe investigation
調子 CHŌSHI tone, condition
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 言 118 ‘words, language’,