TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
參
ㄘㄢ · cān/shēn
verb — to join, take part (cān); noun — ginseng; Orion (shēn)
字源 FORM — what the parts do
厽義three stars — Orion's beltthe old graph drew them as 晶
彡聲shān — gives the sound; drawn as streaming light
FTshān → shēn; the cān reading drifts further
Three stars (厽) over a person (人), their light streaming down (彡) — Orion's belt, the constellation 參宿. 彡 shān doubles as the sound, bent to shēn; the star name keeps that reading, and 人參 the man-shaped root reads it too. Read cān, the character does its everyday work: 參加、參考.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
夜裡抬頭，三顆星（厽）排成一線，光（彡）落在仰著的臉（人）上。
Night; three stars (厽) in a line overhead, their light (彡) on the upturned face (人).
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
cān
(假借)參加、參與— to join, take part常用
→參考、參觀— to consult; to visit — going in among
shēn
(本義)參宿（獵戶三星）— Orion's three stars — the constellation
→人參— ginseng常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension