TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
當
ㄉㄤ · dāng/dàng
verb — to serve as, face; at (a time); (dàng) fitting, to treat as
字源 FORM — what the parts do
IT≠shàng → dāng — an old crossing, outside today's families
Two fields (田) facing each other, equal in worth — to match. 尚 shàng carries the sound, an old crossing. What matches the post fills it: 當老師、應當; what matches the moment is 當時; read dàng, the match as judged: 適當、當作、當鋪 — value traded for value.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
兩塊田（田）隔著田埂相對——一畝對一畝，剛剛好抵上。
Two fields (田) face each other across the ridge — acre against acre, an even match.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
dāng
(本義)相當——相抵— to match, be equivalent
→擔當、當老師— to serve as — filling the matched post常用
→當時、當天— at — the matched moment常用
dàng
(引申)適當、恰當— fitting — well matched
→當作；典當— to treat as; to pawn — traded at matched value
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension