磨

Phono-semantic compound:

石 (돌 석) — semantic component, indicating stone or grinding materials.

麻 (삼 마) — phonetic component, provides the sound mó / ma and implies something fibrous, rough, or resistant.

Thus 石 + 麻 → 磨 — “to work stone or hard surface by rubbing,” hence “to grind, polish, or wear down.”

Originally, an older form 䃺 (U+40FA) used 靡 (쓰러질 미) as its phonetic element, depicting “to grind until worn out.”

In later script development, the phonetic was replaced by 麻, resulting in the standardized modern form 磨.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「磨，摩石也。从石，麻聲。」

“磨 means to grind stone; composed of 石 and phonetic 麻.”

研磨 (연마) — polishing; grinding; honing

磨滅 (마멸) — to wear away; to perish by erosion

磨耗 (마모) — abrasion; mechanical wear

磨練 (마련) — training; tempering; honing one’s skill or character

磨刀 (마도) — to sharpen a knife

苦磨 (고마) — toil; hardship (literally “bitter grinding”)

In moral philosophy and education, 磨 symbolizes the process of discipline and self-improvement — the transformation achieved through sustained effort and endurance, much as friction brings forth brilliance from raw material.

Book of Han (漢書 · 張湯傳):

「不磨不磷，不磷不光。」

“If not ground, it will not be smooth; if not polished, it will not shine.” — metaphor for self-cultivation and refinement.

Zhuangzi (莊子 · 讓王):

「磨而不磷，涅而不緇。」

“Though ground, it is not defiled; though dyed, it is not blackened.” — describing moral integrity despite hardship.

In Buddhist and Confucian literature, 磨 frequently appears metaphorically: “to 磨心 (grind one’s heart)” meaning to cultivate patience and discipline through suffering.

「學者當磨煉心志，如磨鐵如磨鏡，不可一時放懈。」 《朱子語類》卷一百五十七

“A student must polish and temper his mind and will, just as one grinds iron or polishes a mirror; one must never relax for even a moment.” — Zhu Xi (1130–1200), Collected Conversations (朱子語類)

Here 磨煉心志 (“to grind and refine the heart and will”) expresses the moral labor of self-discipline and inner purification — the Confucian ideal of “inner virtue forged by constant effort.”

「故君子所以為學者，必先磨其心志，以成其德。」 《大學衍義》卷二十七（宋·真德秀）

“Therefore the gentleman who engages in learning must first grind and polish his mind and will, thereby completing his virtue.”

This text connects 磨心志 directly to moral virtue (德) — “磨心” here symbolizes deliberate refinement of moral nature.

「磨心成鏡，除垢見佛。」 《景德傳燈錄》卷二十七

“Polish the heart into a mirror; remove defilements and see the Buddha.”

This exact phrasing appears in several Chan/Zen lineages, reflecting the Zen notion that the mind is inherently luminous but obscured by dust; polishing (磨心) represents meditative purification.

「心地本來清淨，但用此心常磨，不令塵垢生。」 《六祖壇經》

“The ground of the mind is originally pure; only keep polishing it constantly, so that no dust of defilement may arise.”

Here the verb 磨 literally represents meditation and mindfulness — continuous refining of awareness.

「磨煉其心，如磨寶鏡，使光明朗徹。」 《明心寶鑑》卷上·修身篇

“Polish the heart as one polishes a precious mirror, so that its brightness shines through.”

This late-Ming moral anthology fuses Buddhist meditation imagery (the mirror-mind) with Confucian self-cultivation, fully uniting the metaphor of “磨心” as spiritual and ethical refinement.