圭

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squared jewel

On-Yomi: ケイ、ケ

Elements:

square jewel, ivy, soil, dirt, ground, soil2, dirt2, ground2

Heisig story:

Now I am going to do something unusual. The character in this frame is going to get one meaning and the primitive another, with no relation at all between the two. In time, I hope you will see how helpful this is. The kanji key word, square jewel, depicts a mammoth precious stone, several feet high, made by piling up large heaps of soil on top of one another. Not something you would want to present your betrothed on your wedding day, but a good image for remembering this rare character, used chiefly in personal names nowadays.

Heisig comment:

* As a primitive, we shall use this character to mean ivy, that creepy vegetation that covers the surface of the ground to form a sort of "second" ground that can get somewhat tricky to walk on without tripping.

Koohii stories:

1) [Immacolata] 9-10-2005(166): Piling SOIL upon SOIL for aeons is how SQUARE JEWELS are formed deep in the earth.

2) [mdspencer] 14-4-2008(62): How would you stop someone stealing your biggest square jewel? Bury it deep in the soil under ground. Then plant ivy to mark the spot.

3) [Ninjasha] 3-2-2008(27): Layering soil over soil can create many things, from precious SQUARE JEWELS to lush beds of ivy.

4) [nesert] 3-10-2009(21): The pirate wanted to hide his square jewel well. So, he buried it in the soil, under the ground and planted poison ivy over the spot.

5) [keizai] 4-11-2009(10): Soil upon Soil compressed to make Diamond Square Jewels.

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