TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
只
ㄓˇ · zhǐ
adv — only, just
字源 FORM — what the parts do
A mouth (口) with the breath drawn off below (八) — together they write the sigh that closes a sentence, an old final particle. The everyday only borrowed the graph: 只有、只要.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一句話說完，口（口）一鬆，那口氣（八）往下散。
The sentence done, the mouth (口) eases — the breath (八) drifts down and away.
字源
意 · Meanings
(本義)句尾語氣詞— the breath that closes a sentence
(假借)只有、只要— only, just常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension