TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
語
語 ＝ 言 ＋ 吾
ㄩˇ · yǔ
noun/verb — language, words; to speak
字源 FORM — what the parts do
吾聲wú — gives the soundfive 五 over a mouth 口 — "I", first person
IF≠wú → yǔ — the reading reshapes, w gone and the vowel narrowed
言 the speech, 吾 the sound: words exchanged, one tongue answering another — language. 吾 wú once meant "I" and carries the reading, worn to yǔ. From speech traded back and forth came 語言, 話語, and the set saying, 成語.
意 · Meanings
(本義)言語、話語— words, speech常用
→語言、外語— language
⇒成語、諺語— a set phrase, a proverb
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
吾wúthe phonetic, standing alone — five over a mouth, meaning "I"; 語 adds for the speech話＝ ＋ 舌huàthe partner word — 話 holds a tongue 舌, 語 the pronoun ; both write speech