<p>The phonetic component doesn't always contribute any meaning to the character meaning most of the time. Mother 妈 definitely has nothing to do with a horse!</p>
<p>If you want a sort of mnemonic to remember the meaning you can think of 井 looking like a frame of a pillory (those wooden boards with holes to hold a prisoner's head and hands). Those objects usually humiliates the prisoners as a form of punishment.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T16:05:31.967Z
2021-04-02T16:05:31.967Z
Fishuman
<p><a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E5%88%91" rel="nofollow noreferrer">刑</a>
根据说文解字，刑的左边在古代还真是个&quot;井&quot;，</p>
<blockquote>
<p>井，法也。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>注意此处的&quot;井&quot;并不是水井（well），而是&quot;整齐、有秩序&quot;
<a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%BA%95" rel="nofollow noreferrer">井</a></p>
<blockquote>
<ol start="3">
<li>整齐，有秩序：～然。～～有条。</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<p>再查井的说文解字，会发现有</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(丼)八家爲一丼</p>
</blockquote>
<p>可能是古代比较早期的一种管理制度，看着像九宫格，中间空地不住人，看起来整整齐齐的样子。</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2wjM1.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2wjM1.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T13:06:39.840Z
I am pasting translation. Actually what shù Owen mentioned in his book?” Xing According to Shuowen Jiezi, the left side of Xing was really a "well" in ancient times.

 Well, law also.
 Note that the "well" here is not a well, but a "tidy and orderly" well

 Neat and orderly: ~ Ran.  ~ ~ There is an article.
 Check Jing's Shuo Wen Jie Zi again, you will find that there are

 (Don) Eight houses are one don
 It may be an earlier management system in ancient times. It looked like a nine-square grid, with no people living in the open space in the middle, and it looked neat and tidy.
user27485
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-03T02:20:06.987Z
丼 is 井, and is pronounced , of course, as jing. Don is Japanese pronunciation, not Chinese pronunciation.
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-03T02:21:02.577Z
"八家為一丼" is called 井田制度. It's a famous system used in Zhou dynasty. A piece of square land is divided into 9 blocks. Eight families farm the nine blocks. The harvest from the peripheral eight blocks, which are called 私田, belongs to the individual family who farm it. The harvest from the center block, which is called 公田, belongs to the aristocrat who owns the land. Ancient Chinese were so smart. They ended up concentrating on their 私田 and paid little attention to 公田. This eventually lead to the demise of the system.
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T09:59:17.337Z
2021-04-02T09:59:17.337Z
Zhang
<p>Any easy way or background why
Well + knife is Punishment? Knife is related punishment, but after killing with knife any history to through them in the well?</p>
<p>wikitionary details about 刑:</p>
<p>Originally written as 㓝, phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *ɡeːŋ): phonetic 井 (OC *skeŋʔ) + semantic 刂. Later corrupted as ⿰幵刂, phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *ɡeːŋ): phonetic 幵 (OC *kŋeːn) + semantic 刂.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T09:01:49.030Z
井 is phonetic, so it hints at the sound of 刑. *Well* doesn't have anything to do with the character.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T09:41:28.123Z
So xing sound comes from jing. So only phonetic portion from. Thanks
user27485
<meaning><glyph-origin><history>
Any hypothesis to remember 刑?
# Any hypothesis to remember 刑?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-02)

Any easy way or background why
Well + knife is Punishment? Knife is related punishment, but after killing with knife any history to through them in the well?

wikitionary details about 刑:

Originally written as 㓝, phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC \*ɡeːŋ): phonetic 井 (OC \*skeŋʔ) + semantic 刂. Later corrupted as ⿰幵刂, phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC \*ɡeːŋ): phonetic 幵 (OC \*kŋeːn) + semantic 刂.

**Tags:** meaning, glyph-origin, history

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 井 is phonetic, so it hints at the sound of 刑. *Well* doesn't have anything to do with the character.  
> **username_0**: So xing sound comes from jing. So only phonetic portion from. Thanks  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-04-02. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

The phonetic component doesn't always contribute any meaning to the character meaning most of the time. Mother 妈 definitely has nothing to do with a horse!

If you want a sort of mnemonic to remember the meaning you can think of 井 looking like a frame of a pillory (those wooden boards with holes to hold a prisoner's head and hands). Those objects usually humiliates the prisoners as a form of punishment.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-04-02. Score: 1

[刑](https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E5%88%91)
根据说文解字，刑的左边在古代还真是个"井"，

> 井，法也。

注意此处的"井"并不是水井（well），而是"整齐、有秩序"
[井](https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%BA%95)

> 3. 整齐，有秩序：～然。～～有条。

再查井的说文解字，会发现有

> (丼)八家爲一丼

可能是古代比较早期的一种管理制度，看着像九宫格，中间空地不住人，看起来整整齐齐的样子。

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/2wjM1.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/2wjM1.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I am pasting translation. Actually what shù Owen mentioned in his book?” Xing According to Shuowen Jiezi, the left side of Xing was really a "well" in ancient times.   Well, law also.  Note that the "well" here is not a well, but a "tidy and orderly" well   Neat and orderly: ~ Ran.  ~ ~ There is an article.  Check Jing's Shuo Wen Jie Zi again, you will find that there are   (Don) Eight houses are one don  It may be an earlier management system in ancient times. It looked like a nine-square grid, with no people living in the open space in the middle, and it looked neat and tidy.  
> **username_4**: 丼 is 井, and is pronounced , of course, as jing. Don is Japanese pronunciation, not Chinese pronunciation.  
> **username_4**: "八家為一丼" is called 井田制度. It's a famous system used in Zhou dynasty. A piece of square land is divided into 9 blocks. Eight families farm the nine blocks. The harvest from the peripheral eight blocks, which are called 私田, belongs to the individual family who farm it. The harvest from the center block, which is called 公田, belongs to the aristocrat who owns the land. Ancient Chinese were so smart. They ended up concentrating on their 私田 and paid little attention to 公田. This eventually lead to the demise of the system.  

---

