TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
柔
ㄖㄡˊ · róu
adj — soft, supple, gentle
字源 FORM — what the parts do
IFmáo → róu — the reading slid far off the donor
A spear (矛) over wood (木) — wood that bends like a spear-shaft springs back, the supple wood. 矛 máo carries the sound, slid far to róu. From bending wood, everything soft and yielding: 柔軟, 溫柔. 矛 also frames 揉 róu, to knead.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
矛桿（矛）那樣的木（木）：壓得彎，一鬆又彈回來——柔。
Wood (木) like a spear-shaft (矛): press it bent, let go, it springs back — supple.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)柔軟— soft, supple常用
→柔和、溫柔— gentle, mild
⇒懷柔— to soothe, win over
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension