entries → 草
TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
草 character · TOCFL 1 (est.)
草 ＝ 艸 ＋ 早
ㄘㄠˇ · cǎo
noun — grass, a plant; (verb) to draft

字源 FORM — what the parts do

艸義grass — two plants side by side
早聲zǎo — gives the soundthe sun 日 over a sprout — early
{z,c,s}ITzǎo → cǎo — the z slides to c, tone shifts
Two plants (艸) over 早: green things growing low to the ground. 早 zǎo carries the sound, the z worn to c. From grass came 草稿 — a draft, words still rough, not yet trimmed.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

草頭（艸）兩株並排，底下太陽（早）剛升——清早，露水還在草尖上。
Two blades side by side (艸), the early sun (早) just up — dawn, dew still on the grass.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)草— grass, a low plant常用
→草地、青草— grassland; green grass
⇒草稿、起草— a draft; to draft — words left rough
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
早zǎothe phonetic, standing alone — 早 is just the sun over a sprout; 草 adds the grass-head 艸 on top茶cháanother grass-head plant — 茶 holds a person 人 and tree 木 under the 艸