TSUMUGU · TOCFL B1 (est.) · 字
默
默 ＝ 犬 ＋ 黑
ㄇㄛˋ · mò
verb/adj — silent; to do from memory (默寫)
字源 FORM — what the parts do
犬義a dog
{h,m}IFhēi → mò — the initial crosses to m, the vowel narrows
The old graph carries two tellings: a dog (犬) and the dark (黑) together — the dog that pursues in silence, 說文's 犬暫逐人也; or a dog (犬) with 黑 hēi marking the sound, worn across to mò. Either way the word is silence — 沉默, 默不作聲 — and from silence, doing without a word: 默寫、默禱.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一條 犬（犬）在 黑（黑）夜裡悄悄跟著——一聲不響。
A dog (犬) slips through the dark (黑), trailing close — without a sound.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)沉默、默— silent, quiet常用
→默寫、默念— to do from memory, silently
⇒默認、默許— to consent tacitly
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension