在 (zài) — to exist, to be at; adv — in the middle of

entries → 在

TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字

在 character · TOCFL 1 (est.)

在＝才＋土

ㄗㄞˋ · zài

verb — to exist, to be at; adv — in the middle of

字源 FORM — what the parts do

才聲cái — gives the sounda sprout just breaking ground; oracle bone wrote the word with 才 alone

{z,c,s}ITcái → zài — crosses inside {z,c,s}; tone shifts too

土義earth

Earth (土) anchors the meaning; 才 cái gives the sound, c crossed to z — itself a sprout breaking ground. What has broken ground is there: 存在; where it is: 在家、在台北; what it is in the middle of: 在吃飯.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

前天還平平的，今天土（土）裡頂出一點綠（才）。

Flat ground two days ago; today a point of green (才) pushes up through the soil (土).

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

(本義)存在— to exist, be there常用

→在家、在學校— to be at, in常用

→正在— in the middle of — the progressive 在

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension