TSUMUGU · TOCFL 5 (est.) · 字
柱
ㄓㄨˋ · zhù
noun — pillar, post, column; a support
字源 FORM — what the parts do
Tzhǔ → zhù — only the tone falls
Wood (木) plus the sound 主 (zhǔ, tone fallen to zhù) — the upright post that holds a roof up. 說文 glosses it plainly: 楹, a pillar. From the timber post came any mainstay: 支柱, 頂梁柱.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
屋頂壓下來，全靠那根直立的木（木）頂著——柱。
The roof bears down; one upright timber (木) holds it all — 柱.
字源
意 · Meanings
(本義)柱子、樑柱— pillar, post, column常用
→支柱、頂梁柱— a mainstay, the one who holds things up
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension