TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
貴
貴 ＝ 𠀐 ＋ 貝
ㄍㄨㄟˋ · guì
adj — expensive; honored
字源 FORM — what the parts do
𠀐聲kuì — gives the soundthe worn old graph of 蕢, a carrying basket
{g,k,h}Ikuì → guì — k to g inside {g,k,h}
Cowrie money (貝) under the worn shape of 蕢 kuì, a basket, which gives the sound — k stepped to g. What a basketful of shells buys: the costly, then the honored: 太貴、貴賓、貴姓.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一籃貝殼（貝）抬出去，只換回一小塊玉。
A basketful of cowries (貝) carried out — traded for one small piece of jade.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)昂貴— costly常用
→珍貴、寶貴— precious
⇒貴賓、貴姓— honored — the guest, the asked-for surname
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension