賝
previous
Strokes15
Readings
On'yomi
- チン
Kun'yomi
- たから
Meaning
賝 centers on the idea of something that came before or is prior. The given meaning "previous" is the only clear sense, and the character is rare, so treat its meaning as narrowly temporal.
Study
Etymology
賝 is a rare character whose historical development is uncertain. It visually combines 貝 (shell, money) with 罙, but the original semantic and phonetic roles are unclear.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 貝 suggests value or goods, and the right side 罙 looks like a deep container. Picture a previous treasure stored deep inside a shell-like box: 賝 means previous.
Reading mnemonic
For チン, imagine a chin resting on a hand while thinking about a previous treasure: chin -> チン, and the chin points back to the past.