TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
了
˙ㄌㄜ · le/liǎo
particle — completed action; (liǎo) to finish, to grasp
字源 FORM — what the parts do
了形子 with the arm-stroke folded away — a child swaddled tight
The graph is 子 with its arm-stroke folded away — a child swaddled tight, arms bound in. The sentence-end le is liǎo worn light by everyday speech.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
布一圈一圈裹上去，小手臂收進去——裹好了。
The cloth winds round and round; the little arms tuck in — wrapped.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
le
(引申)吃了、來了— completed action — the verb's full stop常用
→下雨了— new situation — sentence-end le
liǎo
(本義)了結、完了— to finish, settle
→了解、明瞭— to grasp — the matter settled in the mind
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension