82107
I know this isn't important, but I am curious about the connection between 足りる
(be sufficient), 足す (add) and 足 (leg). Is there any meaning to the common
kanji usage? I can see the connection between the first two, but I don't quite
understand how they connect to "leg".
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2020-10-14T21:21:50.550
82094
2020-10-15T12:18:41.353
question
kanji
What's the leg doing in 足りる and 足す?
It's a great question. You might have already known that Japanese characters
originally came from Chinese, so if you google "足" in a chinese etymology
dictionary, you will find this

>
> 甲骨文中“正”（征）与“足”本是同一个字，后被转注成两个字。足，甲骨文（囗，村邑或部落）（止，行军），表示军队归邑。金文、篆文承续甲骨文字形。因为“疋”（脚，名词）篆文的字形与“足”（凯旋归邑，动词）的篆文字形相似，后人习惯于以“足”字代替本义完全不同的“疋”字，“疋”的甲骨文字形像由大腿小腿、脚板构成的脚部。造字本义：名词，出征得胜，凯旋归邑。隶化后楷书将篆文字形中的写成。古人称得胜凯旋为“足”，称征而无获为“乏”。
> <https://www.vividict.com/Public/index/page/details/details.html?rid=12270>
> <http://www.zdic.net/hans/%E8%B6%B3>

Basically translated into:

Originally, "正" and "足" are the same word in Oracle bone script, but then they
are distinguished as two different words. "足" is composed by "囗", which stands
for "village", and "止", which stands for "to army", so "足" originally means
"the army comes back to their own country/village", which basically equals to
"triumphant return". However, Chinese use “足” instead of “疋” (which means
"foot") because they look same. Then, “足” lost its originally meaning "the
army comes back to their own country/village", but the derived meaing "to
satisfy; to fulfill" remains, because if "The army came home victorious, or
made a triumphant entry into the city", you get the related meaning "to
satisfy; to fulfill/enough; sufficient; not lacking".

Hope you understand.
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2020-10-15T02:29:56.197
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answer
This is a relic of the Chinese writing system, which some time in the past
used the character 「足」 to mean _sufficient, enough_. From
《上{{kr:海}}博物館藏戰國楚竹書・䊷衣》簡11 ( _[Shanghai Museum Chu Bamboo
Slips](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Museum_bamboo_slips)_ , section
[_Black Robes_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zisi), Slip #11:

[![《上海博物館藏戰國楚竹書・䊷衣》簡11](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2KcwB.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2KcwB.png)

> 子曰大臣（之）㔻（不）⿱目辛（親）（也）則（忠）敬㔻（不）`（足）`而⿱富貝（富）⿱貞貝（貴）(已）⿺辶化（過）
>
> _The Master said: If the ministers are not close to their monarch, then
> [their loyalty to him] and [his respect for them] will be not`sufficient`,
> yet their wealth and rank will be excessive._

_Leg_ and _sufficient/enough_ are not really related concepts, so as far as we
know, 「足」 is just a loan character for the meaning _enough_.

* * *

There are some suggestions that 「足」 got its meaning from a misreading of 「正」,
with the two characters looking extremely similar*** during a lengthy period
in the middle of the [Zhōu
Dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_dynasty). The evidence surrounding
this interpretation is circumstantial (i.e. don't put too much weight on it),
and usually comes from a reading of 「正」 as _just right_ :

> 《論語・述而》
>
> 子曰：「若聖與仁，則吾豈敢？抑為之不厭，誨人不倦，則可謂云爾已矣。」公西華曰：「`正`唯弟子不能學也。」
>
> [_The Analects_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analects), _Shu Er_
>
> _The Master said, "The sage and the man of perfect virtue - how dare I rank
> myself with them? That I strive to become such without satiety, and teach
> others without weariness - this much can be said of me." Gong Xi Hua said,
> "This `is just` what we, the disciples, cannot imitate you in."_
>
> Translation by [James Legge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Legge),
> source: [https://ctext.org/analects/shu-
> er?searchu=”公西華曰：“正唯弟子不能學也。](https://ctext.org/analects/shu-
> er?searchu=%E2%80%9D%E5%85%AC%E8%A5%BF%E8%8F%AF%E6%9B%B0%EF%BC%9A%E2%80%9C%E6%AD%A3%E5%94%AF%E5%BC%9F%E5%AD%90%E4%B8%8D%E8%83%BD%E5%AD%B8%E4%B9%9F%E3%80%82)

* * *

***Glyph origins of 「足」 and 「正」:

  * [「足」 originally depicted](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=703) an _entire leg_ , complete with buttocks and the [_foot_ 「止」](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=141) drawn sideways. By the [Western Zhōu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou) period, the legs and buttocks were reduced to an enclosed circle or square, and 「止」 was turned upright.

`[商](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty)  
[甲](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script)  
[![足](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jdl3j.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jdl3j.png)  
[甲](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)2878  
[合集21475](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=21475&jgwfl=)``商  
[金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions)  
[![足](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vEXBw.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vEXBw.png)  
足作父丙鼎  
[集成2118](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2118&jgwfl=)``[西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou)  
金  
[![足](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1jBBd.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1jBBd.png)  
免簋  
[集成4240](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4240&jgwfl=)`

    * `[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)  
[簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips)  
[![足](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cl4cH.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cl4cH.png)  
10.2  
[睡虎地秦簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts)``[東漢](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han)  
[隸](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script)  
[![足](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlPzf.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlPzf.png)  
魯峻碑  
``  
[楷](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script)  
[![足](https://i.stack.imgur.com/knwng.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/knwng.png)  
  
`

    * `[戰國](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period)・[楚](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_\(state\))  
簡  
[![](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VZ1xf.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VZ1xf.png)  
112  
[包山楚簡](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%85%E5%B1%B1%E6%A5%9A%E7%B0%A1)``  
[隸定](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%9A%B6%E5%AE%9A)  
[![](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bBWnG.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bBWnG.png)  
  
`

  * 「正」 ( _military expedition_ , now written as [「征」]{しょう・せい}, [Baxter–Sagart OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_\(2014\)): **/*teŋ/** ) [was originally](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=251) a compound of

    * doubly semantic and phonetic [「丁・囗」 ( _picture of walls surrounding a settlement_](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian?kaiOrder=3), now written as [「城」]{じょう・せい}, **/*[d]eŋ/** )
    * semantic 「止」 ( _picture of a foot_ )

inferring the meaning _marching soldiers towards a fortified settlement_ >
_military expedition_ (now written as 「征」) > _to govern_ (now written as 「政」)
> _right, proper_. Over time, 「囗」 was reduced to a straight horizontal line
「一」.

`商  
甲  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xS0Q5.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xS0Q5.png)  
[甲](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)193  
[合集22336](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=22336&jgwfl=)``西周  
金  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VGgnt.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VGgnt.png)  
[大盂鼎](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Yu_ding)  
[集成2837](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2837&jgwfl=)``西周  
金  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0UCRH.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0UCRH.png)  
御正衛簋  
[集成4044](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4044&jgwfl=)``西周  
金  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9StD.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/w9StD.png)  
無㠱簋  
[集成4225](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4225&jgwfl=)``[春秋](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period)  
金  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Uv9W.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Uv9W.png)  
中子化盤  
[集成10137](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=10137&jgwfl=)``秦  
簡  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqL1E.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqL1E.png)  
23.3  
睡虎地秦簡``[西漢](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Western_Han)  
隸  
[![正](https://i.stack.imgur.com/apPQt.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/apPQt.png)  
[孫臏](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Bin%27s_Art_of_War)37  
[銀雀山漢簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinqueshan_Han_Slips)``  
楷  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Vtcf.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Vtcf.png)  
  
`

* * *

**References:**

  * [漢語多功能字庫](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/)
  * 《王力古漢語字典》
  * [小學堂](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
    * [異體字表](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/variants)
    * [字形演變](https://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian)
  * [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
    * [郭沫若《甲骨文合集》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/)
    * [中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/)
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2020-10-15T09:49:26.517
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2020-10-15T12:18:41.353
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answer