TSUMUGU · TOCFL B2 (est.) · 字
鼠
ㄕㄨˇ · shǔ
noun — rat, mouse; rodent
字源 FORM — what the parts do
鼠形a rodent — gnawing teeth on top, clawed feet and a long tail below
The whole graph is one animal: the top draws the head and bared teeth, the bottom the feet and the long trailing tail — a rat. From the rat come every rodent (老鼠、松鼠) and the sneaking, thieving sense it drags along (鼠輩、抱頭鼠竄). It does not break into a meaning-piece and a sound-piece; the picture stands alone.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
上面一張啃東西的牙，下面四隻腳拖條長尾——一隻鼠。
Gnawing teeth up top, clawed feet and a long tail dragging below — one rat.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)老鼠— rat, mouse常用
→松鼠、鼠類— rodent (squirrel, etc.)
⇒鼠輩、鼠竊— a sneak, petty thief
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
鼬yòuthe lookalike kin — 鼬 (weasel) keeps the body and adds 由; stands alone