TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
四
ㄙˋ · sì
num — four
字源 FORM — what the parts do
四形rendered bare — a borrowed graphthe tally it replaced was 亖, four stacked strokes
The tally four is 亖, four stacked strokes — too many to read at a glance. The graph 四 was borrowed in to do the job, and the strokes retired.
意 · Meanings
(本義)四— four常用
→四方、四處— all around — the four quarters
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension