TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
麥
麥 ＝ 來 ＋ 夊
ㄇㄞˋ · mài
noun — wheat, barley (the grain)
字源 FORM — what the parts do
來聲once the wheat-ear pictograph, now the donor of both meaning and soundreads "come" today; the original wheat picture is hidden inside it — meaning and sound both
IFlái → mài — the grain-word and 麥 share one worn root
夊形a downward foot, the roots trailing below
The top 來 was first the picture of a wheat plant — then it was borrowed away to mean "come," so a foot (夊) for the roots was added below to keep the grain. The old graph carries two tellings: the foot is the wheat's trailing roots, or it marks the grain "arriving" as a gift. Either way, 來 above holds both the meaning and the worn sound.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一株麥子立著，穗在上（來），根（夊）往下扎——這才是「來」本來的樣子。
A wheat plant stands, the ear on top (來), the roots (夊) striking down — this was what 來 first drew.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)小麥、大麥— wheat; barley常用
→麥芽、麥粉— malt; wheat flour
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension