TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
正
ㄓㄥˋ · zhèng
adj — straight, correct, upright; adv — exactly, right now
字源 FORM — what the parts do
A line (一) above a foot (止): the foot walks straight up to the mark and stops dead on it. 說文: 是也 — to be right. No overshoot, no swerve — squared onto the target. From that: correct, upright, and the exact point (正好、正在).
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
地上畫一條線(一),一隻腳(止)不歪不斜,正好踩在線上。
A line drawn on the ground (一); a foot (止) lands on it dead straight — neither past it nor off it.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)端正、正直— straight; upright常用
→正確— correct; right常用
→正好、正在— exactly; right at (the moment)常用
⇒正月— the first month — the "true" month
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension