they were in fact separate words (Schuessler lists them together as one entry). Aesthetically a displeasing graph at bronze stage because it consists of multiple elements one on top of the other; this visual imbalance became moderated at the seal script stage. MS1995:v2:984-5; KJ1970:735; YK1976:392; QX2000:350-51; AS2007:500. Take modern graph as 立 77 ‘stand’ and 里 238 ‘village’.
Mnemonic: CHILD STANDS IN VILLAGE
386
L3
農
NŌ
farming
13 strokes
農場 NŌJŌ farm
農民 NŌMIN farmers
農業 NŌGYŌ agriculture
OBI ; bronze ; seal . Some variation in shape, but OBI commonly has 林 79 or 森 40 ‘forest’ (these two graphs originally not necessarily distinguished strictly as in modern Japanese) with 辰 ‘clam’ (later written as NJK 蜃), sometimes also with 又 2003 (or other equivalent graph for) ‘hand’. Overall meaning is ‘cut (small) trees and vegetation with sharpened clam shells to clear for growing crops’. Bronze forms commonly include 田 63 ‘field’ (originally had a general sense, not necessarily ‘wet/paddy field’), with or without an element for ‘forest’ or ‘hand’, but interpreted in same way as OBI form. The seal form has what has sometimes been taken as 囟 ‘fontanelle/skull’ (see 思 147 ‘think’), but this is a miscopying or misinterpretation of 田 in the bronze forms (Katō). MS1995:v2:1280-81; KJ1970:738-9; MR2007:263; YK1976:406-7; AS2007:49. We suggest using 曲 279 ‘bend’ (though incorrect), 厂 as a slope, and the lower part as a scythe.
Mnemonic: FARMING INVOLVES BENDING AND CUTTING ON SLOPES
387
L3
波
HA, nami
wave
8 strokes
周波 SHŪHA frequency
音波 ONPA sound wave
波乗り naminori surfing
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 氵 42 ‘water’, and 皮 396 (‘skin, hide’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘move up and down, heave’. In Tōdō’s word-family ‘be covered with; skewed, slanting’. YK1976:407; OT1968:567; TA1965:658-60.
Mnemonic: WAVES FORM ‘SKIN’ OF WATER
388
L3
配
HAI, kubaru
distribute
10 strokes
心配 SHINPAI worry
配達 HAITATSU delivery
配り手 kubarite card dealer
OBI ; seal . Has 酉 318 ‘wine jar, wine’, and right-hand element showing a kneeling person. Ma interprets original meaning as ‘person wanting wine badly’, while Mizukami takes right-hand element as having associated sense ‘serve, accompany’, and regards ‘distribute’ as a loan usage. Other commentators, though, are typically more cautious on how to interpret this graph, as there are no examples of usage in the Chinese classics to help analysis. At the bronze stage, in some occurrences the shape of the ‘person kneeling’ element changed; this change is reflected in the seal form, which was then rendered as 己 866 (‘self’) in block script. MR2007:522; MS1995:v2:1346-7; KJ1970:798-9; YK1976:410.
Mnemonic: DISTRIBUTE WINE TO ONESELF – WHILE KNEELING
389
L3
倍
BAI
double, -fold
10 strokes
五倍 GOBAI five-fold
倍加 BAIKA doubling
倍数 BAISŪ multiple
Seal ; a late graph (Shuowen). Has 亻 41 ‘person’, and 咅 (a CO meaning ‘spit’) as phonetic with associated sense ‘oppose, rebel’. Original meaning of the graph is ‘oppose, rebel’, but Tōdō gives a classical reference to support the sense ‘multiply’, as does Schuessler. KJ1970:758-9; YK1976:411-2; OT1968:71; TA1965:158; AS2007:159. We suggest taking 咅 as 77 立‘ stand’ and 22 口 ‘open mouth’.
Mnemonic: PERSON STANDS OPEN-MOUTHED AT DOUBLE
390
L3
箱
hako
box
15 strokes
小箱 kobako little box
箱舟 hakobune ark
箱入り hakoiri boxed
Seal ; a relatively late graph (Shuowen). Has 58 ‘bamboo’, and 相 348 (‘mutual’) as a phonetic with associated sense ‘face each other’, which is taken as referring to the long rails on either side of an oxcart. The graph 箱 was originally used to denote the part of an ox-cart used for carrying goods (Katō, Shirakawa), and since this was box-like in shape, by extension the meaning ‘box’ evolved. MS1995:990-91; KJ1970:551; SS1984:548.
Mnemonic: BAMBOO SIDES MUTUALLY OPPOSED IN BOX
391
L3
畑
hata, hatake
(dry-) field
9 strokes
茶畑 CHAbatake tea field
田畑 tahata fields, estate
麦畑 mugibatake wheat field
One of a limited number of graphs devised in Japan based on the formational principles of Chinese characters, known as ‘kokuji’ (国 字 ‘national characters’). Has 火 8 ‘fire’ and 田 63 ‘field’, meaning ‘dry field’ (as opposed to a paddy field). OT1968:671.
Mnemonic: A DRY-FIELD IS AN EASILY BURNED FIELD
392
L4
発
HATSU, HOTSU
discharge, start, leave
9 strokes
発表 HAPPYŌ announcement
発足 HOSSOKU inauguration
発電機 HATSUDENKI generator
Bronze ; seal ;
