肯

Ancient form 肎.

The earliest form shows 冖 (covering/abbreviated form of 骨 “bone”) + 肉 (“flesh”) — “Flesh between the bones.”

This expresses what is natural or inherent, leading to the idea of

“natural, proper, appropriate → to approve, to be willing.”

Evolution:

Bronze script: 肎 shows bone + flesh

Seal script: similar, clearer distinction

Clerical script: regular script transition: 冖 changed to 止, giving the current 肯

Thus 肯 is a transformed pictograph with semantic reinterpretation, not a standard phono-semantic character.

Approval / affirmation:

肯定 (긍정) — affirmation; to agree

否肯 (부긍) — approval or disapproval (rare/classical)

Willingness / consent:

肯允 (긍윤) — to consent; grant approval

肯諾 (긍락) — to accept and permit (literary)

Classical idioms:

肯心 (긍심) — willingness; approval (classical)

肯綮 (긍경) — the vital point; crucial essence (lit. “where bone and flesh meet”)

Very important idiom derived from 肉＋骨 origin.

Modern adaptations:

Used in phonetic transliteration:

肯德基 (KFC) — Kěndéjī (first character 肯 used for its sound 'ken').

肯 appears often in:

- Confucian texts (willingness → moral action)

- Legalist texts (consent → obedience)

- Daoist texts (rarely, in literal sense of enjoying something)

Classical citations:

《孟子·梁惠王上》 (Mencius)

「民之歸仁也，猶水之就下，獸之走山；無人不肯也。」

“People turning toward benevolence is like water flowing downward or beasts running to the hills — no one is unwilling” — 肯 = willing.

《荀子·禮論》 (Xunzi)

「人心之所肯，則禮義生焉。」

“Where the human heart gives approval, therein arise propriety and righteousness” — 肯 = approve, consider right.

《史記·留侯世家》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「沛公不肯從也。」

“The Duke of Pei was not willing to comply” — unwillingness.

《韓非子·外儲說右上》 (Han Feizi)

「既食之，又肯其味。」

“Having eaten it, he even enjoyed its flavor” — early sense “to relish, to enjoy.”