TSUMUGU · A2 (est.) · 字
耕
耕 ＝ 耒 ＋ 井
ㄍㄥ · gēng
verb — to plow, till; to farm
字源 FORM — what the parts do
耒義a plow — the wooden handle and blade
{j,g}IFjǐng → gēng — the initial fell back to g, ing to eng
A plow (耒) and 井 jǐng for the sound, worn to gēng. The plow breaks the field — to till. From the broken earth: 耕田、耕作、耕地. 井 also draws the gridded fields of old, lines crossing like furrows.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
犁（耒）一推，土翻成一條條，像 井 字的方格。
The plow (耒) pushes through; the soil turns up in rows, gridded like 井.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)犁田— to plow, till常用
→耕作、耕種— to farm, cultivate常用
⇒耕耘、筆耕— to toil at, work steadily at
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
耘yúnthe partner — 耘 weeds (+云), 耕 breaks ground (+)井jǐngthe bare phonetic — add the plow and the well-grid becomes tilling