On the Deformed Brother Inside 脱税

脱税 (datsuzei: tax evasion)      to escape from + tax

The repeating shape in this compound is visually arresting. But the repetition also raises questions about what that shape means.

In the last blog, we saw yet another kanji with on the right:

鋭 (EI: sharp) of 鋭意 (eii: eagerly, sharp + idea)

And you’ve likely seen inside 説 (SETSU: to explain), as in 説明 (setsumei: explanation, to explain + to clarify).

It’s tempting to think of as a strangely shaped elder brother (兄). (The top two strokes of are a version of 分, “to divide,” according to Henshall and others.)

But Henshall says means “to exchange, to barter.” Let’s see how that works with the four kanji in question:

税 (tax), where 禾 means “rice plant”.

Makes sense! Paying taxes once involved divvying up rice plants and giving some away, says Henshall.

説 (to explain), where 言 means “words.”

One can exchange words, so 説 is logical enough.

鋭 (sharp), where 金 means “metal.”

Henshall says acts phonetically here to mean “small” and “taper.”

脱 (to escape from), where 月 means “flesh.”

Henshall says acts phonetically here to express “to lose.” The connection between this and “escape from” is so roundabout that I won’t bother repeating it here.

The result of this mini-inquiry? Not sure! Maybe that deformed elder brothers cause a lot of confusion!

Back to Sample Sentences with 得意 as “Strong Point” …

Back to the Blog …