TSUMUGU · B1 · 字
財
ㄘㄞˊ · cái
noun — wealth, money, property
字源 FORM — what the parts do
A cowrie shell (貝), old money, and 才 cái for the sound: wealth. 說文 reads it 人所寶也 — what people treasure. From the shell came all the words for having: riches (財富), property (財產), public funds (財政). It rides the 才 series: 材、裁.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
一串貝殼（貝）攢起來，那就是財。
A string of cowrie shells (貝) saved up — that is wealth.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)財富、錢財— wealth, money常用
→財產— property, assets常用
⇒財政、理財— public finance; to manage money
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension