TSUMUGU · A2 (est.) · 字
厲
厲 ＝ 厂 ＋ 萬
ㄌㄧˋ · lì
adj — severe, stern, fierce; verb — to sharpen, spur on
字源 FORM — what the parts do
厂義a cliff — where the rough stone is quarried
IFwàn → lì — initial and final both shift off the donor
Rough stone from the cliff (厂) — a whetstone, the coarse rock you grind a blade against: 砥厲. From a sharpened edge, severity and force, 厲害、嚴厲、厲行. The sound under the cliff is read two ways: as 萬 wàn, the form on the glyph today, worn far to lì; or as 蠆 chài, a scorpion that 萬 stands in for, the older donor of the lì series.
意 · Meanings
(本義)厲、磨石— a whetstone; to sharpen
→厲害、嚴厲— fierce, severe常用
⇒厲行、再接再厲— to enforce; to press on
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension