TSUMUGU · TOCFL 5 (est.) · 字
役
役 ＝ 彳 ＋ 殳
ㄧˋ · yì
noun/verb — labour service, conscription; a military campaign; to put to work, enslave
字源 FORM — what the parts do
彳義a step — going out, being sent
殳義a hand gripping a pole or weapon — driving someone on
A hand with a weapon (殳) sends a man out on the road (彳) — driven off to guard the border or do the work. 說文 reads it as guarding the frontier. From that came every kind of imposed service: 兵役 conscription, 勞役 forced labour, and a single campaign, 戰役; to drive a person so is 奴役, to enslave.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
拿著棍（殳）的人在後面押著，前面的人只能往外走（彳）——去服役。
A man with a staff (殳) drives from behind; the one ahead can only march out (彳) — sent to serve — 役.
字源
意 · Meanings
(本義)戍邊、勞役、兵役— frontier duty; labour service; conscription常用
→戰役— a military campaign, a battle
→奴役、役使— to drive, put to work, enslave
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
殳shūthe driving hand — the weapon that sends people off投＝ 扌 ＋ tóuthe lookalike — hand (扌) with , throwing, not stepping ()