凋 (diāo) — to wither, fade, fall (of plants); to decline

entries → 凋

TSUMUGU · B2 (est.) · 字

凋 character · B2 (est.)

凋＝冫＋周

ㄉㄧㄠ · diāo

verb — to wither, fade, fall (of plants); to decline

字源 FORM — what the parts do

冫義ice, frost — what kills the leaf

周聲zhōu — gives the sound

IFzhōu → diāo — the initial and vowel both shift far off the donor

Frost (冫) striking a plant half-dead — to wither. 周 carries the sound, shifted far from zhōu to diāo. From the frost-killed leaf: 凋零, 凋謝, 凋落 — to wither, fade, and fall.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

一夜霜（冫）下來，葉子蜷了、黃了——凋了。

One night of frost (冫), and the leaves curl and yellow — withered.

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

(本義)凋零、凋謝— to wither, fade and fall常用

→凋落、凋敝— to decline, fall into ruin

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension