駟

four horses

Strokes15

Readings

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駟 refers specifically to a team of four horses, typically harnessed together to pull a chariot or carriage.

駟し
four-horse carriage; team of four horses
駟も舌に及ばずしもしたにおよばず
rumors travel faster than a four-horse carriage; a word once uttered cannot be recalled
駟馬しば
four-horse carriage

駟 combines 馬 (horse) with 四 (four), directly representing a team of four horses. This is a straightforward semantic compound.

The left side is a horse 馬, and the right side is the number four 四. Picture four horses lined up together, pulling a single chariot.

For シ, imagine the four horses standing in a row, and you say 'Sheesh, that's a lot of horses!' The 'Shee' sound cues シ.