TSUMUGU · TOCFL 3 (est.) · 字
武
武 ＝ 戈 ＋ 止
ㄨˇ · wǔ
adj/noun — martial; military force
字源 FORM — what the parts do
戈義a halberd
A halberd (戈) over a foot (止). The old graph carries two tellings: a foot marching out under arms — war on the move; or, in the classic's reading, the stopping (止) of halberds — force whose point is to end the fight. Both wrote the martial: 武器、武術、武力.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
隊伍開拔，腳步（止）踏得齊齊的，戈（戈）尖在晨光裡一排亮。
The column moves out, feet (止) striking in step, a row of halberd points (戈) bright in the morning light.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)軍事、征伐— arms and the march — martial常用
→武器、武力— weapons; force常用
→武術、武功— martial arts
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension