TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
凶
凶 ＝ 凵 ＋ 乂
ㄒㄩㄥ · xiōng
adj — inauspicious, ill-fated; fierce, violent
字源 FORM — what the parts do
凵義a pit dug open
乂形crossed lines marking the trap
The old graph carries two tellings. In one, a pit (凵) with an X (乂) slashed across its mouth — the ground broken open to swallow whatever steps in. In the other, the X marks the spot where a blow lands on a body — the shape of striking a person. Either way the line runs to harm: bad luck, disaster, 凶險、凶兆, and when the danger is a person, 凶惡.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
坑（凵）口劃了個叉（乂）——標出陷阱在哪，踩上去就凶。
An X (乂) cut across the mouth of a pit (凵) — the mark of the trap; step on it and it turns ill.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)凶險、不吉— inauspicious, ill-omened常用
→凶惡、凶狠— fierce, violent
⇒凶年、饑荒— a year of famine
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension