TSUMUGU · C1 (est.) · 字
丹
ㄉㄢ · dān
noun — cinnabar, vermilion; red; a prepared pellet
字源 FORM — what the parts do
丹形a grain of red mineral inside the frame of a mine-pit
A pit or well drawn as a frame, with a single mark inside for the lump of red ore dug from it — cinnabar, and the vermilion red made from it. From the red come 丹青 (painting) and 丹心 (a red, true heart); ground and fired by alchemists, the pellet 丹藥.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
礦坑（外框）裡頭挖出一粒（一點）紅石——硃砂，紅得發亮。
From the mine-pit (the frame) comes a single grain (the dot) of red ore — cinnabar, gleaming red.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)硃砂、丹紅— cinnabar; vermilion常用
→丹青、丹心— painting; a true red heart
⇒丹藥、煉丹— an elixir pellet; alchemy
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension