TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
氣
氣 ＝ 气 ＋ 米
ㄑㄧˋ · qì
noun — air, breath; temper
字源 FORM — what the parts do
气聲qì — gives the sound, exactwisps of rising vapor — alone, the original graph for air
Curling wisps (气) wrote air by themselves; this character adds rice (米) — 說文: grain sent to feed a guest, the word later written 餼. The vapor word borrowed the whole graph and kept it: 空氣、天氣、力氣、生氣.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
鍋裡的米（米）滾了，白汽（气）一條一條往上飄。
The rice (米) comes to a boil; white vapor (气) climbs off the pot in ribbons.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)送米糧（後來寫餼）— grain sent to a guest — the word now written 餼
→空氣、天氣— air; weather常用
⇒力氣、生氣— strength; anger — breath at work
⇒客氣— polite — a guest's manner
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
汽＝ 氵 ＋ qìthe watered twin — steam, 汽車's 汽餼xìthe grain sense's new house