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In the Wiktionary page for this kanji they said that it's a pictogram for
someone's mouth over a bowl of rice on a stand .. the question is: are they
meaning this was the actual way for eating in this time without using hands?
Or this just a symbol?
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question
kanji etymology
What is the etymology of the kanji 食?
Here's the illustration from [学習]{がくしゅう}[漢字]{かんじ}[新辞典]{しんじてん} (a great little
elementary-level Kanji dictionary) that shows the origins of 食 as an open
mouth pointing straight down, over a bowl filled with rice.

[![食の字のなりたち](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ITMv2.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ITMv2.jpg)
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answer
「食」( _to eat_ ) was originally「」, comprised of a _mouth_ 「亼・亽」and a
_cereal/grain/wheat basket_ 「皀」. In the character「食」,「皀」was later changed into
the shape of「艮」.

`[商](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty)  
[甲](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YvoT4.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YvoT4.png)  
[甲](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)1289  
[合集11485](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=11485&jgwfl=)``[春秋](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period)  
[金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3D2k1.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3D2k1.png)  
仲義⿱貝口  
[集成2279](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2279&jgwfl=)``  
[篆](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_seal_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/robly.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/robly.png)  
[說文解字](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi)  
``[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)  
[簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xCE12.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xCE12.png)  
[睡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts)ㆍ[秦](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference)78  
``今  
[楷](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DDscR.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DDscR.png)  
  
`

> 「亼・亽」is「口」( _mouth_ ) written upside-down. This is more evident in the older
> shapes of「口」:
>
> `商  
> 甲  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/857rl.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/857rl.png)  
> [珠](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)579  
> [合集27706](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=27706&jgwfl=)``秦  
> 簡  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GwnLH.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GwnLH.png)  
>
> [睡ㆍ為](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference)32  
>  ``今  
> 楷  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvvlY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qvvlY.png)  
>  
>  `
>
> 「亼・亽」functions as a semantic component in characters like 令, 命, 合, 今, among
> others.
>
> * * *
>
> `商  
> 甲  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/i0b13.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/i0b13.png)  
>
> [存下](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)764  
> [合集32879](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=32879&jgwfl=)``商  
> 甲  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uYYts.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uYYts.png)  
>
> [京津](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)4144  
> [合集27937](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=27937&jgwfl=)``  
> 篆  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/exz2H.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/exz2H.png)  
> 說文解字  
>  ``今  
> 楷  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQvUJ.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sQvUJ.png)  
>  
>  ``今  
> 楷  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6zJKK.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6zJKK.png)  
>  
>  `
>
> 「皀」fell into disuse as an individual character, but the word it represented
> remained, now written as「簋」, formed by adding「竹」( _bamboo_ ) and「皿」( _dish;
> vessel_ ) onto「皀」.
>
> `  
> 篆  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f0LDt.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f0LDt.png)  
> 說文解字  
>  ``今  
> 楷  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wwNmY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wwNmY.png)  
>  
>  `
>
> 「皀」is a component in characters like 卽 ([
> _Shinjitai_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjitai): 即), 旣 ( _Shinjitai_ :
> 既), 鄕 ( _Shinjitai_ : 郷), among others.

* * *

**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/)
    * [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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answer