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76
L5
目
5
MOKU, me, ma
eye, look, mesh,
ordinal suffix
strokes
hitomeglance
hitotsumefirst
CHŪMOKUattention
OBI shows it as based on pictograph of an
eye, generating a range of extended meanings.
Use for ordinal suffix is loan usage. SS1984:824;
QX2000:178; KJ1970:873.
Mnemonic: SQUARE-EYED AND VERTICAL –
WATCHING TOO MUCH TV?
77
立
RITSU, tatsu/teru
stand, rise, leave
L5
5 strokes
JIRITSUindependence
tachibastandpoint
medatsustand out
OBI and bronze forms such as depict a person
standing, ground beneath them to emphasize
the act of standing rather than the figure.
Later forms such as show little change.
SS1984:875; QX2000:19; OT1968:744. ‘Leave’ is
an extended meaning based on rising.
Mnemonic: STAND TO TAKE YOUR LEAVE
78
力
RYOKU, RIKI, chikara
strength, effort
L4
2 strokes
NŌRYOKUability
JINRIKISHArickshaw
chikaramochistrongman
Early forms such as OBI seem to be generally
interpreted as showing an arm and hand. Less
convincingly, Shirakawa prefers to interpret as
depicting a plow, and by association
agricultural work and therefore physical
strength. (See also 57 ‘male’.) On the other
hand, if it were indeed a plow, it could be
argued that one might expect rather a meaning
such as ‘cutting’ or ‘planting’ or ‘preparing’.
KJ1970:907; YK1976:492; BK1957:244;
OT1968:123; SS1984:888-9. We suggest taking
the modern form as a shoulder and upper arm.
Mnemonic: STRONG UPPER ARM AND SHOULDER
79
L4
林
RIN, hayashi
forest
8 strokes
RINGAKUforestry
Kobayashia surname
MITSURINdense forest
Early forms show a simple doubling of ‘tree’
73. Unlike in Japanese, in Chinese from
the outset and 40 ‘woods’ have been
used with essentially the same meaning, i.e.
‘forest’. Schuessler considers the Chinese word
written probably evolved as an intensive
derivative from that written as . MR2007:341;
SS1984:889; QX2000:54; AS2007:358-9;
QX2000:198.
Mnemonic: TWO TALL TREES IN THE FOREST
80
L5
六
ROKU, musix
4 strokes
ROKUGATSUJune
muika*sixth day
ROKKAKUhexagon
OBI and bronze forms seem to indicate
a simple building of some sort (Shirakawa
suggests a temporary, tent-like structure), the
graph then probably having been borrowed for
the meaning ‘six’ through the phonetic loan principle.
Qiu prefers a more abstract interpretation,
taking it just as a geometric symbol. SS1984:919;
KJ1970:43-4; OT1968:96; QX2000:32. We suggest
taking the whole form as a pictorial mnemonic.
Mnemonic: LADEN TABLE FOR SIX LOSES ITS
LEGS
The 80 First Grade Characters 65