entries → 膏
TSUMUGU · A2 (est.) · 字
膏 character · A2 (est.)
膏 ＝ 高 ＋ 肉
ㄍㄠ · gāo
noun — fat, grease; paste, ointment

字源 FORM — what the parts do

高聲gāo — gives the sounda tall watchtower on a city wall
肉義flesh — the fat under it
A tall tower (高) gives the sound; flesh (肉) underneath gives the meaning — the fat packed against an animal's body. From grease, anything thick and smearable: 藥膏、牙膏. The same 高 builds 糕、篙.
意 · Meanings
(本義)脂膏、膏油— animal fat, grease常用
→藥膏、牙膏— ointment; paste
⇒膏腴— rich, fertile — land thick with fat
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
高gāothe phonetic and the top half — 高 stands alone as the tower; 膏 sets 肉 beneath it for the fat糕gāothe 高 series — 米 added, cake of steamed rice