TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
淘
淘 ＝ 氵 ＋ 匋
ㄊㄠˊ · táo
verb — to wash, pan (rice, gold); to clear out
字源 FORM — what the parts do
氵義water
匋聲táo — gives the sounda kiln-pot, the same shape inside 陶 (pottery)
Water (氵) with 匋 táo, the potter's jar. Swirl grain or sand in water and let the swirl carry off the chaff and grit — to pan, to wash clean (淘米, 淘金). What the water carries away is discarded, so 淘汰 means to weed out, to eliminate. The same 匋 sits inside 陶.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
米倒進水（氵）裡一圈圈打轉，糠隨水（匋）漂走。
Rice swirls round in the water (氵); the chaff floats off with the current (匋).
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)淘米、淘金— to wash, to pan常用
→淘汰— to weed out, eliminate常用
⇒淘氣— naughty, mischievous
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension