劇
부수: 刂
획수: 15획
劇 has the meanings ‘severe’, ‘intense’ and ‘drama’.
劇 = 豦 + 刂
X = semantic/phonetic + semantic (distortion)
• 豦 is disputed between a tiger 虍 and a boar fighting 豕, or a mythical boar with a tiger’s head. In either case, 豦 is associated with the sense of ‘being extremely violent’.
• 刂 is not a component of 刀 (knife), but rather a distortion of 力 (effort). 力 likely depicts a plough and from this comes the meanings ‘strength’, ‘force’ and ‘ability’.
In modern vocabulary 豦, only has ‘theatrical’ associated meanings.
Evolution:
劇 = ’to overexert oneself’ ➔ ’severe/dramatic’ ➔ ’theatrical’
Mnemonic
Imagine you’re walking in the mountains and encounter a wild boar 豕 with a tiger’s head 虍. You hastily 力 run away to prevent this story from becoming a 비劇.
Vocab
| 劇的 | 극적 | theatrical; dramatic |
| 演劇 | 연극 | play; drama |
| 悲劇 | 비극 | tragedy |
| 歌劇 | 가극 | opera |
| 寸劇 | 촌극 | short play; skit |
| 喜劇 | 희극 | comedy, farce |
| 無言劇 | 무언극 | pantomime |
| 劇場 | 극장 | theater; cinema |
| 劇作家 | 극작가 | playwright; dramatist |
| 詐欺劇 | 사기극 | deception scheme |
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Bibliography
— Grant, B.K. (1982). A Guide To Korean Characters: Reading and Writing Hangul and Hanja, [s.v. 1455]. Seoul: Hollym.
— Henshall, K.G. (1998). A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters, [s.v. 848]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.
— Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters, [s.v. 劇, 刂].
— Seely, C., Henshall, K.G., & Fan, J. (2016). The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji: Remembering and Understanding the 2,136 Standard Japanese Characters, [s.v. 858]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.