TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
半
ㄅㄢˋ · bàn
num — half
字源 FORM — what the parts do
An ox (牛) split clean down the middle (八) — half. The biggest animal a family owned, divided; from there, every halfway thing: 一半、半天、半夜.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
兩家合買一頭牛（牛），從中間分（八）——一家一半。
Two families buy one ox (牛); it is split down the middle (八) — half each.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)一半— half常用
→半天、半夜— half the day — midway through
→半路— midway — on the road
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension