TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
工
ㄍㄨㄥ · gōng
noun — work; worker; craft
字源 FORM — what the parts do
工形a craftsman's tool, drawn whole
A workman's tool drawn whole. The old graph carries two tellings: a carpenter's square for ruling true lines, or a tamper for pounding earth walls. Either way the tool stands for the work itself: 工作、工人、工程. As a sound it builds 紅、空、功、江.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
木匠把曲尺（工）往木板上一靠，畫出一條筆直的線。
The carpenter sets the square (工) against the plank and rules one dead-straight line.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)工具、工匠— the tool; the craftsman
→工作、做工— work常用
⇒工人— worker
⇒工程、工夫— engineering; craft put in
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension