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Is it a coincidence that element 至 is in both 屋 and 室? How is 至 related to the
concept of "room" or "house"?
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2017-02-19T02:03:42.967
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2018-09-09T11:20:58.333
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question
kanji etymology
Relationship between 屋, 室 and 至
I'm afraid but "至" is not related to the concept of "屋" or "室."

"至" is often use as averb "至{いた}る = reach," and the phrases like as
"至{いた}る所{ところ} = everwhere, wall-to-wall, "至急 = as soon as possible."

Anyway I don't know the word "至" relating the concept of "屋" or "室."

If you can show us the examples of "至" relating the concept of "屋" or "室," I'd
like to read them carefully.
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2017-02-19T03:24:39.310
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Below I cut and paste 3 different pages of info from
[okjiten.jp](https://okjiten.jp) so that you can see them all together. 「至」is
a representation of an arrow which flown and landed head down in the ground.
For「屋」and 「室」, imagine a person launched from a bow and falling head first
through the roof into their home. Makes sense, right?

**至**

  * 指事文字です。「矢が地面につきささった」象形から、「いたる」を意味する「至」という漢字が成り立ちました。 
    * <https://okjiten.jp/kanji975.html>

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4Vpn.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4Vpn.gif)

**屋**

  * 会意文字です(尸+至)。「屋根」の象形(「家屋」の意味)と「矢が地面に突き刺さった」象形(「至(いた)る」の意味)から、人がいたる「いえ・すみか」を意味する「屋」という漢字が成り立ちました。 
    * <https://okjiten.jp/kanji464.html>

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ecpvJ.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ecpvJ.gif)

**室**

  * 会意兼形声文字です(宀+至)。「屋根・家屋」の象形と「矢が地面につきささった」象形(「至る」の意味)から人が留まる「へや」を意味する「室」という漢字が成り立ちました。 
    * <https://okjiten.jp/kanji268.html>

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yx36X.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yx36X.gif)
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answer
Is it a coincidence that element 至 is in both 屋 and 室? How is 至 related to the
concept of "room" or "house"?

至 is indeed [![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhRLS.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bhRLS.png)
, representing an arrow "arriving" to its target.

In 屋 and 室 we have the radicals 尸 and 宀.

尸, originally [![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v5ykW.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v5ykW.png)
, represents a "sitting person", while 宀, originally [![enter image
description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MtAQ3.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MtAQ3.png)
, represents a "shelter".

In the case of 屋 you can think about a person that has _arrived_ at a place
where he can _sit_ comfortably, so to say, a "house".

With 室 you can go with the same concept: A _shelter_ where one _arrives_ and
is able to stay comfortably.

_For more information about these etymologies check the next
link:[therealkanjiworld.com](http://www.therealkanjiworld.com)_
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2017-02-28T10:43:50.210
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answer
* 「室」means _room_ , containing semantic「宀」( _picture of a building_ ).
  * 「至」(Baxter-Sagart OC: **/*ti[t]-s/** ) is a phonetic component in「室」(Baxter-Sagart OC: **/*s.ti[t]/** ).
  * 「屋」(generically meaning _building_ ) contains an abbreviated「室」in the shape of「至」as a semantic component. We can view this as the structure of「尸」taking place of the structure of「宀」in「室」. 
    * Several other parts of「屋」got corrupted or omitted as well;「尸」( _squatting person_ > _body_ ) is not the original shape in「屋」.

> The original shape of「屋」did not contain「至」, as part of other
> characters.「屋」was a picture of a tent, and this word is now written as「幄」.
>
> # `  
> [篆](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_seal_script)  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hrBcT.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hrBcT.png)  
> 說文古文「屋」  
>  ``  
> 篆  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sOiaA.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sOiaA.png)  
> [說文解字](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi)「至」  
>  `
>
> The tent shape was subject to gradual corruption into「尸」:
>
> # `[西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou)  
> [金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions)ㆍ隸定  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4zXG0.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4zXG0.png)[![enter
> image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2PjKC.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2PjKC.png)  
> 訓匜  
> [集成10285](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=10285)``  
> 篆  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UbCfT.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UbCfT.png)  
> 說文[籀文](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizhoupian)「屋」  
>  ``現代  
> [楷](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script)  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xEkk.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xEkk.png)  
> 「屋」  
>  `

* * *

**References:**

  * 季旭昇《說文新證》
  * [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
  * [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
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