終 (zhōng) — the end; to the end

entries → 終

TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字

終 character · TOCFL 2 (est.)

終＝糸＋冬

ㄓㄨㄥ · zhōng

noun/adv — the end; to the end

字源 FORM — what the parts do

糸義silk thread

冬聲dōng — gives the soundthe elder graph of 終 itself: a cord with both ends knotted

{t,d}↔{zh,ch,sh}Idōng → zhōng — the d/zh crossing; -ōng holds

Silk thread (糸) beside 冬 — and 冬 is the older graph here: a cord with both ends knotted, the end of the line. Winter borrowed it for the year's end, so the thread (糸) was added back and 終 went on writing end. dōng gives the sound, worn from d to zh.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

線用到底，兩頭打上結（冬）——這捲線（糸）到這裡為止。

The thread runs out; both ends knotted (冬) — the spool (糸) stops here.

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

(本義)終點、終了— the end常用

→終於— at the end of it — finally

→終身、終日— end to end — the whole stretch

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension