掛

A phono-semantic compound:

手 (hand) — semantic indicator: physical action

卦 (guà, divinatory trigram) — phonetic element

The earliest meaning of 掛 was “to place something so that it hangs”, i.e., to suspend by the hand.

The phonetic element 卦 also subtly contributes a conceptual nuance:

divination trigrams (卦) were hung up for consultation, reinforcing the idea of displaying or setting something in a fixed position.

掛衣 (괘의) — to hang clothes

掛畫 (괘화) — to hang a painting

掛號 (괘호) — to register (hospital, mail)

掛斷 (괘단) — to hang up (a call)

掛念 (괘념) — concern; emotional attachment

掛心 (괘심) — to worry about

掛鉤 (괘구) — hook; linkage

Meaning-related characters:

懸 — to hang; to suspend (more abstract, mental)

繫 / 系 — to tie; to link

附 — to attach

倚 — to lean on; rely upon

Action-related:

持 — to hold

提 — to lift

放 — to release

掛 often sits conceptually between physical suspension and mental attachment.

掛 is the character of connection and fixation. It expresses:

- physical hanging

- symbolic resignation

- emotional attachment

- technical connection

- mental preoccupation

Across classical and modern contexts, 掛 consistently conveys "placing something into a dependent or suspended state."

Classical citations:

《史記》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「掛印而去。」

“He hung up his seal and departed.”

Here, 掛 signifies renunciation of office, a symbolic act: hanging up one’s official seal before withdrawing from public life.

Later classical prose uses 掛 metaphorically:

「心有所掛，行必不正。」

“When the heart is burdened with attachments, conduct will not be upright.”

掛 expresses mental entanglement or fixation, rather than physical hanging.

In Buddhist commentaries:

「不掛於相。」

“Do not cling to appearances.”

Here, 掛 is close in meaning to 執 (to cling), emphasizing non-attachment.