To march, or not to march,
That is the question.
It is interesting to see how the meaning of words can sometimes evolve to the extreme…
The term "武士 (samurai)" is written in kanji as "those who carry out martial deeds". Just by looking at the character for "武 (martial)" Japanese people can sense something brave and strong. But what is the origin of this kanji?
The character "武" is formed by combining "戈 (halberd)" and "止 (stop)". "戈" represents a type of ancient weapon, but the interesting part is "止". At first glance, it seems straightforward—it literally means to stop or to halt.
So, what does "stopping a halberd" mean?
There's an anecdote in the "Zuo Zhuan," a Chinese text from around the 4th century BCE, where King Zhuang says, "武 (martial) means to stop the halberd. It is meant to prohibit violence, to cease wars, to bring peace to the people, to harmonize the masses, and to enrich wealth". This interpretation has been the long-standing conventional understanding of the character's origin.
However, at the end of the 19th century, rapid advancements in the study of oracle bone script (ancient scapulimancy) revealed that "止" also resembled the shape of a foot and carried meanings such as "to march forward" or "to advance", in addition to "to stop". Consequently, a new interpretation emerged for the "止" in "武", suggesting that it signifies the latter meanings. Thus, "武" came to be understood as "to advance with a halberd", meaning "to attack" or "to fight". This interpretation has now become widely accepted and is adopted by many dictionaries.
While interpreting the character "武" in the manner of King Zhuang feels philosophical and virtuous, I believe the simple interpretation of "marching with a halberd" is the correct origin of this kanji.
I cast my vote for "to march", but what do you think?
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