Tuesday, January 23, 2018

莫: the mists of sunset


莫 is 人名用漢字 (recall, that's kanji used for names but not part of the standard set).  It's supposed to be the sun setting behind reeds:  you can see them at the top, and the 大-like symbol below is also reeds, by simplification.  TheKanjiMap says it's something like isn't or mustn't, but I think of it (per Henshall) as a situation when things are not quite clear (like at sunset), fuzzy, obscure

暮, sunset:        The extra sun is there to emphasize that this time, we're really
                            talking about the sunset, not using any extended meaning.
模, imitation:      It's not clear if this is real wood or an imitation.
膜, membrane:  A vague, fuzzy layer of flesh is a membrane.
墓, grave:          At the sunset of life, they put the body in the earthen grave.
幕, curtain:        Cloth that obscures the play you're about to see.
漠, vague:         The mists at sunset make what you see vague and obscure.
募, recruit:         Raw recruits' knowledge if vague and fuzzy, but they
                            empower your organization.
慕, yearn:          When I see the twilight of sunset, my heart yearns for home. 
                           (And it feels broken up -- maybe that's why it's drawn in that unusual way.)

莫模膜墓幕漠募暮慕

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