TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
北
ㄅㄟˇ · běi
noun — north
字源 FORM — what the parts do
北形two people standing back to back
Two people stand back to back — the original graph for the back, later written 背. Houses face south; the side the back turns to is north. An army that turns its back has lost: 敗北.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
兩個人背貼著背取暖，誰也不看誰。
Two stand back to back for warmth, neither looking at the other.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)背（後作背）— the back (now 背)
→北方、北邊— north — the side the back turns to常用
⇒敗北— to be routed — backs turned
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension