曽
← →
formerly
On-Yomi: ソウ、ソ、ゾウ — Kun-Yomi: かつ、かつて、すなわち
Elements:
formerly, increase, horns, rice field, brains, sun, day
Heisig story:
This primitive (named for its associations with the kanji of the following frame) is composed of a pair of horns growing out of a brain with a tongue wagging in the mouth beneath. Think of "former" in connection with administrators or heads of state who have just left office but continue to make a nuisance of themselves by advertising their opinions on public policy.
Heisig comment:
* The primitive meaning, increase, comes from the next frame. Always think of something multiplying wildly as you watch.
Koohii stories:
1) [dingomick] 15-2-2007(255): The Artist formerly Known as Prince has the horniest brain around, and I think you can imagine what his wagging tongue is doing…
2) [allanh] 1-3-2009(236): Formerly, horned animals were used to plough the ricefield, and it took all day. Nowadays it's done by machine.
3) [shadolite] 20-3-2008(70): The horns found in the ricefields were formerly used in rituals celebrating the sun goddess, amaterasu.
4) [Hyreia] 4-2-2009(62): I can't help but see this as the former president of the United Sates, George W. Bush. The horns growing out of his brain with an evil thought, his tongue wagging in his mouth, saying something stupid. (It helps later on. Increase = him increasing the national deficit until we have nothing but dirt left, Hate = Bush's mind). Fun stuff.
5) [cricket] 2-4-2008(21): This was formerly a human, but it has turned into a demon, with only jagged horns sticking out of its brain and a disgusting wagging tongue at the bottom.