entries → 為
TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
為 character · TOCFL 1 (est.)
為 ＝ 爫 ＋ 象
ㄨㄟˊ · wéi/wèi
verb — to do, to be; (wèi) prep — for

字源 FORM — what the parts do

爫義a hand, reaching down
象義an elephant — worn past recognitionhead, trunk and four legs survive as the hooks and dots below
A hand (爫) leads an elephant (象) by the trunk — the great animal put to work. Together they write to do; centuries of copying wore the elephant into the hooks and dots below. Read wèi, the doing turns toward someone: 為了、為什麼.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

手（爫）按著象鼻，大象一步一步把木頭拖出林子。
A hand (爫) on the trunk; step by step the elephant hauls the log out of the forest.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
wéi
(本義)做、作為— to do — the led elephant at work常用
→成為、以為— to be, to become; to take as常用
wèi
(引申)為了、為什麼— for, for the sake of — doing turned toward someone常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
偽wèi為 plus a person (亻) — what's only acted out: fake象xiàngthe elephant, still whole as its own character