TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
從
ㄘㄨㄥˊ · cóng
prep — from; verb — to follow
字源 FORM — what the parts do
彳義a step on the road
从義two people, one behind the other — the old graph entirealso gives the sound: 从 cóng
Two people, one behind the other (从) — to follow; that was the whole old graph. The road (彳) and a foot (止) came in later to underline the walking. A path followed out of a place turns into from: 從家裡來.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
山路窄，後面的人跟著前面的人（从），腳印（止）落在腳印裡。
The mountain path is narrow; one walks behind the other (从), footprints (止) landing inside footprints.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)跟從— to follow
→從家裡來— from — the path followed out常用
→服從— to obey — to follow orders
⇒從前— before — time followed back
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
从cóngthe bare pair — the old graph still stands alone往＝ ＋ 主wǎngthe other road word — 往 heads toward, 從 sets out from