TSUMUGU · TOCFL A2 (est.) · 字
孝
孝 ＝ 耂 ＋ 子
ㄒㄧㄠˋ · xiào
noun/verb — filial duty; to serve one's parents
字源 FORM — what the parts do
耂義an old person, bent over a staff — 老 worn down to its top
An elder (耂, 老 worn to its top half) leaning down, a child (子) beneath taking the weight — the young holding up the old. That is the word for serving one's parents, the duty owed them: 孝順、孝敬、盡孝.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
老人（耂）彎下腰，孩子（子）湊到身下，把長輩穩穩扶住。
The old one (耂) stoops, and the child (子) comes in beneath to take the weight and hold them up.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)孝順、孝敬— filial; to serve parents well常用
→盡孝、孝心— to do one's filial duty; a devoted heart
⇒守孝、戴孝— to be in mourning (for a parent)
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension