TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
紫
紫 = 糸 + 此
ㄗˇ · zǐ
noun/adj — purple, violet
字源 FORM — what the parts do
糸義silk — dyed cloth
{z,c,s}Icǐ → zǐ — the initial crosses within the z/c/s family
Silk (糸) dyed a deep red-blue — purple. 此 cǐ carries the sound, the initial crossing to zǐ. The dye-name spreads to everything purple: 紫色, 紫禁城 (the Forbidden City, "purple-walled"), 紫外線 (ultraviolet, "beyond the violet").
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一匹絲(糸)泡進染缸,撈起來——是那一片深紫。
A bolt of silk (糸) goes down into the dye-vat and comes up — that deep purple.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)紫色— purple, violet常用
→紫外線— ultraviolet — "beyond the violet"常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension