Interesting Kanji (#1)

Introduction

Every once in a while, probably some time after I published an excerpt, I would try to write something about a kanji that I found interesting, and talk about it. It may related to its etymology, its various usage, and what not.

Enjoy.

破
as seen in 破壊・はかい "destruction" in Rendezvous with Rama (excerpt #1).

First of all, this kanji consists of 石 and 皮 which means "rock" and "skin" respectively. By itself, jisho.org gives this kanji to mean "middle section of a song." Not sure if it was used to mean any song including modern songs, but definitely applicable to traditional song because why else? To be quite honest, I've never seen it used in such a way.

Usually, though, and is its most likely use case scenario, this kanji is used as a verb 破る・やぶる "to break; to destroy; to defeat; to shatter; etc." It invokes an image of something that was reduced from its previous form, in a not-too-good manner. Irreparable, regrettable, and so forth, you get the point.

This invoked image mostly stays with this kanji even when it becomes a component of another kanji compound.

We've seen it before in 破壊 "destruction."

Another example is 破産・はさん "bankruptcy." This 破産 has another interesting property where if you replace the 破 part, the "destroying" part and change it with 生 "life" to become 生産・せいさん the meaning becomes its opposite. "Production." It should be obvious the distinction while 破産 means "a lost of assets," 生産 means "a gain of assets."

Other examples include 破裂・はれつ "explosion," 破滅・はめつ "ruin," 破局・はきょく "catastrophe," 破損・はそん "damage," and so forth. Now each of these compounds has almost the same pattern in which they portray a status beyond repair.

Now why does 石 "rock" and 皮 "skin" combination becomes as such? Well, probably because it's not advisable to try rubbing your skin (or any skin) with a rock. At best you're going to scrape the skin, but most of the time you're going to damage the skin. Not a pleasant image but when you see this 石 "rock" and 皮 "skin" becomes 破, you'd be forced to remember its inherent "destructive" force.