0065 考

考

This character means ‘think, consider,’ and is pronounced kangaeru in Japanese. In Chinese it’s pronounced  kǎo and means ‘to examine, test.’

Sears says that it’s a picture of an old man leaning on a cane, and that the Chinese meaning went from ‘depend on (the cane)’ to ‘test, examine.’ Wieger thinks that the ‘examining’ developed because it was up to the elders to examine pupils and candidates. He also thinks that the supposed cane in the character is really an abstract portrayal of ‘difficulty in breathing.’ “The line bent up represents the breath that tries to go out, but is checked by the transversal barrier.” And in this character, he says that it represents the asthma of old men. (See 'Useful Information' for information about Sears and Wieger.)

It’s hard to see what all of the appendages represent for the old man. Legs, arms, and a hat?

Here are some of the charming archaic forms: