TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
神
神 ＝ 礻 ＋ 申
ㄕㄣˊ · shén
noun — god, spirit; the look in the eyes
字源 FORM — what the parts do
礻義an altar (示)
Tshēn → shén — tone only
The altar (礻) marks the gods' side of things; 申 shēn carries the sound — and its old graph is a lightning bolt, the sky's own display. From the gods: the spirit in a person (精神), the light in the eyes (眼神), the uncanny (神奇).
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
祭壇（礻）前人們抬頭，一道閃電（申）把整片天劈亮。
Before the altar (礻) heads lift — lightning (申) splits the whole sky white.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)神明— gods, spirits常用
→精神、眼神— the spirit; the look in the eyes
→神奇、神祕— marvelous, mysterious
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension