幾

Phono-semantic compound (later interpretation, but with strong pictographic origin):

戍/戈 (weapon element) – debated, sometimes seen as a radical component.

人 + 戈 + 幺 (small threads) — originally depicted fine threads of silk being separated or counted.

From this image of delicate, countable strands, the meaning “small number” → “how many” developed.

Semantic range:

- how many? how much? (interrogative);

- a few, several;

- almost, nearly, close to (approximation);

- subtle, delicate, infinitesimal (classical usage, e.g. 幾微 “tiny, slight”).

기미 (幾微) — subtle sign, faint indication

기수 (幾數) — number, quantity

기하 (幾何) — geometry; also “how much/many” in literary context

기근 (幾近) — nearly, almost (classical/literary)

In Confucian and Daoist texts, 幾 often signifies a subtle beginning or an almost imperceptible tendency:

《中庸》: “幾者，動之微” — The subtle stirring that precedes action.

Here 幾 represents the incipient moment of change, the point where something is about to emerge but has not yet fully manifested.

Thus, beyond just “a few” or “how many,” it also expresses the fine threshold between non-being and being, a key idea in classical philosophy.