TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字
米
ㄇㄧˇ · mǐ
noun — hulled rice; grain; (loan) metre
字源 FORM — what the parts do
米形rendered bare — grains scattered around a central linethe dots are the loose kernels; the cross is the stalk or chaff they came off
Grains drawn loose around a center line — the dots are hulled kernels, the cross the stalk or sieve they fall from. Husked grain, rice above all, and then by sound a borrowed use for the metre: 白米、米飯、玉米、公尺.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
篩子一抖，一粒粒白米（米）落下來，撒了一桌。
The sieve shakes, kernels of rice (米) falling loose, scattered across the table.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)白米、米飯— hulled rice常用
→小米、玉米— grain in general (millet, corn)常用
→公尺、米— metre (the unit)常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension