TSUMUGU · A2 (est.) · 字
絕
ㄐㄩㄝˊ · jué
verb/adv — to cut off, sever; utterly
字源 FORM — what the parts do
糸義silk threads
卩聲jié — gives the sounda kneeling figure; the old graph also reads it as the severed end
FTjié → jué — final and tone both move
A knife (刀) brought down across the silk (糸) — the thread cut clean through. The old graph carries two tellings of 卩: the kneeling figure as the severed end, or 卩 jié lending the sound. From the parted strand: to sever (斷絕), to break off (拒絕), then the sense of going all the way to the limit: 絕望、絕對.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一束絲（糸）攤平，刀（刀）一壓——齊根斷了。
The silk (糸) laid flat, the knife (刀) pressed down — and the strands part at the root.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)斷絲— to cut a thread
→斷絕、拒絕— to sever; to refuse常用
⇒絕對、絕望— utterly; to the very limit常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension