TSUMUGU · A2 (est.) · 字
弄
弄 ＝ 玉 ＋ 廾
ㄋㄨㄥˋ · nòng
verb — to handle, fiddle with, mess with; to make, do
字源 FORM — what the parts do
玉聲yù — also the sound donor, read 王聲 in 說文a piece of jade — worn to 王 in the modern glyph, the dot lost
廾義two hands held up, cupped
The old graph carries two tellings: two hands (廾) cupped under a piece of jade (玉), turning it over to admire — both halves picturing the act; or, as 說文 reads it, 廾 over 王聲, the jade-worn-to-王 lending the sound. The jade has worn down to look like 王 in the modern form, its dot gone. To play a jade in the hands is to fiddle, to handle, and so to do or make: 玩弄、弄壞、弄好.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
兩手（廾）捧起一塊玉（玉），翻來覆去地玩——弄。
Two hands (廾) lift a piece of jade (玉), turning it over and over — fiddling with it.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)玩弄、把弄— to handle, fiddle with常用
→弄壞、弄好— to make (it) broken; to fix常用
⇒捉弄、戲弄— to tease, to play tricks on
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension