TSUMUGU · TOCFL B1 (est.) · 字
賜
ㄘˋ · cì
verb — to bestow, grant (from above to below)
字源 FORM — what the parts do
IFTyì → cì — same series, the reading drifted right across
A cowrie shell (貝) is wealth in hand, and to 賜 is to hand that wealth down — what a ruler bestows on those below. 易 yì carries the sound, worn to cì. The giving runs one way: from the high seat down.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
君王抬手，一串貝（貝）落到臣子掌中——這是賜。
The ruler lifts a hand; a string of cowries (貝) drops into the subject's palm — that is to bestow.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)賜予、賞賜— to bestow, grant (downward)常用
→賜給、賜福— to grant (a gift, a blessing)
⇒恩賜— what is granted — a favor, a boon
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension