TSUMUGU · B1 · 字
貢
ㄍㄨㄥˋ · gòng
verb — to offer tribute, contribute; noun — tribute
字源 FORM — what the parts do
Tgōng → gòng — the level tone falls
工 gōng for the sound, its tone falling to gòng, over a cowrie shell (貝) — goods of worth. 說文 reads it 獻功也 — to offer up the fruit of one's work: the tribute sent to a ruler (貢品、進貢) and, broadened, anything one gives to a common cause (貢獻). It rides the 工 series: 紅、項.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
把做出來的好東西（貝）一份份獻上去（工）——進貢。
Offering up the good things one has made (貝) as the fruit of one's labor (工) — paying tribute.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)貢品、進貢— tribute; to pay tribute常用
→貢獻— to contribute, give to a cause常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension