TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
拉
拉 ＝ 扌 ＋ 立
ㄌㄚ · lā
verb — to pull, to drag, to haul
字源 FORM — what the parts do
扌義a hand
立聲lì — gives the sounda person standing on the ground; here only the sound-piece, far off the modern reading
{l}IFTlì → lā — initial holds, final and tone both swing off the donor
A hand (扌) on the left does the pulling; 立 lì on the right gives the sound, though the reading has wandered a long way from lì to lā. The old word was harsher — to pull down, to break (摧); worn smooth, it became the everyday pull: 拉門、拉車.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一隻手（扌）抓住繩子，往後一沉——拉。
A hand (扌) grabs the rope and throws its weight back — a pull.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)摧拉— to pull down, to break
→拉扯、拉門— to pull, to drag常用
⇒拉車、拉小提琴— to haul; to draw (a bow across strings)常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension