Originally found in OBI in simpler graph自 150 (‘nose’, ‘self’). Seal form for 鼻 is . Has 自, originally a pictograph of the nose, and 畀 (CO, originally ‘arrow with big head’) as phonetic with associated sense in dispute: ‘stick out’ (Yamada, Ogawa), or ‘two things are together’ (Mizukami, Tōdō), or ‘naturally draw in and expel air’ (Mizukami). MS1995:v2:1522-3; YK1976:425; OT1968:1171. Suggest 自 as ‘nose’, 田 as 田 63 ‘field’, and lower part as two ‘tens’ 十 35.
Mnemonic: OWN NOSE FOLLOWS TRAIL THROUGH TWENTY FIELDS
400
L3
筆
HITSU, fude
writing brush
12 strokes
鉛筆 ENPITSU pencil
筆者 HISSHA writer
筆使い fudezukai penmanship
OBI ; seal . The simpler, older form shows a hand holding a writing brush (聿 159); to this, 58 ‘bamboo’ was later added, reflecting the fact that brushes typically had a bamboo shaft, though sometimes wood was used. In OBI, texts were sometimes written first using a brush, then incised with a knife-like instrument. The brush was the most common writing instrument in China and Japan until displaced by the steel-tipped pen, etc. in modern times. YK1976:426; KJ1970:55; MS1995:v2:1062.
Mnemonic: HAND HOLDS BAMBOO WRITING BRUSH
401
L3
氷
HYŌ, kōri
ice
5 strokes
氷山 HYŌZAN iceberg
氷点 HYŌTEN freezing point
氷水 kōrimizu ice water
OBI (冫); bronze (冰); seal ; the latter now a CO 冰 . Quite a rare graph in OBI and bronze. OBI form depicts cracks or irregularities in ice. At bronze stage 水 42 ‘water’ was added on the left, but in the seal script this changed to the right, giving 冰 , as in modern Chinese usage. The form 氷 standard in Japanese is found in Chinese calligraphic tradition (Tang Dynasty onwards). Distinguish also from 永 644 ‘long’. MR2007:450; MS1995:v1:116; KJ1970:809; FC1974:v1:191-2. Suggest taking the extra stroke relative to 水 42 ‘water’ (at the top left) as a crack in the ice.
Mnemonic: A CRACK IN THE WATER? – THAT MUST MEAN ICE
402
L3
表
HYŌ, omote, arawasu
show, surface, list
8 strokes
表面 HYŌMEN surface
表現 HYŌGEN expression
時刻表 JIKOKUHYŌ timetable
Seal . Has 衣 444 ‘clothing’, and 毛 230 ‘fur, hair’. The function of the element 毛 is disputed: taken either as phonetic with associated sense ‘envelop, enclose’, to give ‘outer garment to cover inside’ (Katō, Mizukami, Yamada), or as semantic and interpreted as a garment worn over a fur coat (Mizukami, Qiu). The meanings ‘front, surface; show’ are extended usages. KJ1970:843-4; MS1995:v2:1164-5; YK1976:427; QX2000:20. Suggest take the top part as odd variant of ‘master’ 主 315, with ‘clothing’ 衣.
Mnemonic: THE ODD MASTER’S CLOTHES SHOW A LONG LIST
403
L3
秒
BYŌ
second (of time)
9 strokes
二秒 NIBYŌ two seconds
秒針 BYŌSHIN a second hand
秒速 BYŌSOKU speed per sec.
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 禾 87 ‘grain plant/cereal’, and 少 160 (‘few, little’) taken either as phonetic and semantic meaning ‘small’ (Ogawa), or as phonetic with associated sense ‘slender, thin’ (Yamada) or ‘ear (of cereal)’ – again, something small – (Katō). The sense ‘small’ was then extended to small units, giving ‘second’ in the dimension of time. KJ1970:847; YK1976:429; OT1968:731.
Mnemonic: A LITTLE BIT OF CEREAL EATEN IN A SECOND
404
L4
病
BYŌ, yamai, yamu
illness, sickness
10 strokes
病気 BYŌKI illness
病人 BYŌNIN sick person
黒死病 KOKUSHIBYŌ plague
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 疒 ‘(sick-) bed’ (the ‘sickness’ determinative, based on a person resting on a bed), and 丙 1932 (originally, probably chopping board used in rituals, now ‘third class’), as phonetic with associated sense ‘be added’, to give ‘illness which gets worse’. KJ1970:837,938-40; YK1976:429; OT1968:678; SS1984:728.
BION nasal sound
