entries → 聖
TSUMUGU · B2 · 字
聖 character · B2
聖 ＝ 耳 ＋ 口 ＋ 壬
ㄕㄥˋ · shèng
noun/adj — sage; holy, sacred

字源 FORM — what the parts do

耳義an ear — the one who hears and understands
口義a mouth — and speaks what he hears
壬形a person standing on the ground, raised up
A big ear (耳) and a mouth (口) over a person standing tall (壬) — the one whose hearing reaches everything and whose word answers it: the sage. From the perceptive wise man, the holy and the sacred: 聖人、聖潔、神聖.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

一隻大耳朵（耳）什麼都聽得進，嘴（口）一開就說中——這樣的人，立在那裡就是聖。
One great ear (耳) takes in everything, the mouth (口) speaks it true — such a one, standing there, is a sage.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)聖人、通達— sage, the all-discerning常用
→聖潔、神聖— holy, sacred常用
⇒聖經、聖地— scripture; holy land
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
聽＝ 耳 ＋ 壬 ＋ 悳tīngthe ear's other compound — 聽 takes 德 below for listening; 聖 sets the mouth and the standing figure壬rénthe base the figure stands on, here a person raised on the ground