TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
皂
ㄗㄠˋ · zào
noun — soap; (old) black
字源 FORM — what the parts do
White (白) up top over a small lower mark. The character once meant black — the dark dye boiled from oak acorns — and from the washing-stuff it names soap: 肥皂、香皂. The bottom stroke carries no readable sound or sense; only the whole word is worth holding.
意 · Meanings
(本義)肥皂、香皂— soap常用
→皂色、青紅皂白— black (in set phrases)
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension