TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
犧
犧 ＝ 牛 ＋ 羲
ㄒㄧ · xī
noun — a sacrificial animal; (in 犧牲) to sacrifice, give up
字源 FORM — what the parts do
羲聲xī — gives the soundexact match — the same 羲 as 伏羲
An ox (牛) for the sacrificial beast; 羲 xī on the right carries the sound, unchanged. 犧 is the whole, unblemished animal brought to the ancestral altar — 宗廟之牲. Paired with 牲 it becomes 犧牲: the offering given up, and from there anything surrendered for a cause.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一頭純色的牛（牛）牽上祭壇——犧。
A whole ox (牛) of unbroken colour led up to the altar — the offering.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)犧— a sacrificial animal常用
→犧牲— to sacrifice, give up常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
羲xīthe sound on the right, alone — as in 伏羲, the legendary sage牲＝ ＋ 生shēngthe partner in 犧牲 — 牲 the live beast, 犧 the pure offering; both ride