depict a hand holding a writing brush (聿; see 400) over 者 314 (‘person’) as phonetic – the latter later reduced to 日– with associated sense such as ‘imitate’ or ‘write’, giving ‘copy text, write’. MS1995:v1:632-3; KJ1970:491; OT1968:813.
Mnemonic: BRUSH IN HAND WRITES TEXT IN LINES
160
L5
少
SHŌ, sukunai, sukoshi
few, a little
4 strokes
少年 SHŌNEN a youth
少数 SHŌSŪ minority
多少 TASHŌ more or less
OBI forms for this graph comprise four short vertical strokes , apparently contrasting with three for 小 38 ‘small’. There are varying views on the significance of the fourth stroke. Ma, for instance, takes it as simply a means to visually distinguish the underlying word from the near-homophone written 小, while Ogawa takes it as representing ‘one’, i.e. still a small number or ‘few’. Qiu, by contrast, feels the word for ‘small’ was represented by both the three-dash and four-dash versions, and that the 小:少 distinction was a later development, the four-dash version having evolved into the modern form; Katō is of the same view. MR2007:226; OT1968:292; QX2000:175; KJ1970:606; AS2007:535,454.
Mnemonic: THREE WITH ONE IS STILL JUST A FEW
161
L4
場
JŌ, ba
place
12 strokes
会場 KAIJŌ meeting place
入場 NYŪJŌ admission
広場 hiroba open space
Possibly a relatively late graph (Shuowen) , though Mizukami lists forms which he believes to be OBI equivalents, depicting divided-up and leveled land . The later forms are taken as 土 64 ‘earth, ground’, and 昜 (CO, original sense ‘sun rises up’) as phonetic with associated sense taken as i] ‘remove obstructions from ground’, giving ‘ground made level by removing things’ (Katō), or ii] ‘above, high, opened up, big’, giving ‘sunny ground developed higher up’ (noted in Mizukami). Shirakawa and Ogawa see as originally a place to conduct ritual. Sense generalised to ‘place’. MS1995:v1:274-6; KJ1970:879-80; SS1984:459; OT1968:220. Suggest take modern form as 土 64 ‘ground’, with 日 66 ‘sun’ and as rays.
Mnemonic: PLACE WHERE SUN-RAYS SHINE DOWN ON THE GROUND
162
L4
色
SHOKU, SHIKI, iro
color, sex
6 strokes
好色 KŌSHOKU amorousness
色素 SHIKISO pigment
銀色 GIN’iro silver color
A relatively late graph. The form in the Shuowen is taken as showing a man bending over another bent person, to denote sexual intercourse. The lower element also has a phonetic role. Extended meanings include ‘sexual desire’, ‘beautiful woman’, ‘beautiful complexion/color’. MS1995:v2:1104-05; SS1984:462; KJ1970:556-7; OT1968:840.
Mnemonic: COLORFUL TALE ABOUT BODIES BENT IN SEX ACT
163
L5
食
SHOKU, taberu, kuu
food, eat
9 strokes
食事 SHOKUJI meal
食べ物 tabemono food
食い物 kuimono food, victim
Based on pictograph: OBI forms, e.g. , depict food piled up in vessel, with a top element taken as a lid (Qiu), or as phonetic with associated sense ‘bite’, giving ‘eat’ (Mizukami). As a determinative in compound graphs, can be 飠. MR2007:322; QX2000:183; OT1968:1114: MS1995:v2:1454-5.
Mnemonic: FOOD IN A VESSEL WITH LID ON TOP
164
L4
心
SHIN, kokoro
heart, mind
4 strokes
中心 CHŪSHIN core
心臓 SHINZŌ heart
真心 magokoro sincerity
Based on a pictograph: the bronze forms depict a heart , as do the OBI forms listed by Ma. MR2007:433; SS1984:467; KJ1970:560. As a determinative, in compound graphs often in short form 忄.
Mnemonic: HEART HAS FOUR PARTS
165
L5
新
SHIN, atarashii, arata, nii-
new
13 strokes
新年 SHINNEN New Year
新品 SHINPIN new article
新潟 Niigata place name
The OBI forms , are typically interpreted as including i] depictions of an ax 斤 1233 and a needle 辛 1535, or ii] an ax and a tree 木 73, or iii] an ax and a needle with a tree (the shape 立 here is seen as abbreviation of 辛 [as phonetic with associated sense ‘cut’ or ‘new’]). Among these, iii] seems to be probably the most commonly occurrent as an OBI and bronze compound graph, with the original meaning of ‘cut a tree (for firewood)’. With regard to how this graph acquired the sense of ‘new’, Mizukami and Tōdō consider this may be based on the sense of ‘newness’ associated with freshly cut wood. MR2007:504; MS1995:v1:596-8; KJ1970:575-6; TA1965:778-80. We suggest taking the modern form as 斤 1233 ‘ax’, 木 73 ‘tree, wood’, and 立 77 ‘stand’.
Mnemonic: AX STANDING BY TREE READY TO CUT NEW WOOD
166
L4
親
SHIN, oya, shitashii
parents, intimate
16 strokes
両親 RYŌSHIN parents
親類 SHINRUI relatives
親方 oyakata boss, foreman
Generally identified from bronze script stage onwards as and interpreted as consisting of 見 20 ‘see’ with (see 165). The latter element is made up of 辛 1535 ‘needle’ with 木 73 ‘tree’,
