TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
淺
淺 ＝ 氵 ＋ 戔
ㄑㄧㄢˇ · qiǎn
adj — shallow; superficial
字源 FORM — what the parts do
氵義water — measured top to bottom
戔聲jiān — gives the sound, and its meaningtwo daggers (戈) hacking down to little — small, thin
ITjiān → qiǎn — initial softens, tone shifts
Water (氵) you reach the bottom of at once — shallow. 戔 carries both jobs: it gives the sound jiān (worn to qiǎn), and its own sense of small-and-thin (two daggers 戈 cutting things down) feeds the meaning. From shallow water: thin in substance (淺薄), easy (淺易), and pale in colour (淺色). The same 戔 runs 錢、踐、殘.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
河水（氵）只淹到腳踝，低頭就看見底下的石頭。
The river (氵) barely covers your ankles — look down and there are the stones on the bottom.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)淺、水淺— shallow常用
→淺薄、膚淺— superficial; thin in substance常用
⇒淺色、淺易— pale (colour); easy, plain
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension