取

Compound ideograph formed from:

耳 (귀 이) — an ear, representing the object to be taken.

又 (손 우) — a hand, representing the act of grasping.

Together they depict “a hand taking an ear”, literally to seize by taking the ear.

This reflects an ancient war custom in which a warrior would cut off and present the left ear of an enemy as proof of victory or capture.

Cited explanation:

《說文解字》: 「取, 捕取也。从又从耳。」

“取 means to seize or capture. It is composed of 又 (‘hand’) and 耳 (‘ear’).”

And in classical texts:

《周禮》: 「獲者取左耳。」 — “Those who capture (an enemy) take the left ear.”

《司馬法》: 「載獻聝。」 — “They carry and offer the severed ear (聝).”

This association of taking as proof or possession gave rise to the general meaning “to acquire.”

取得 (취득) — acquisition, to obtain or gain

採取 (채취) — to gather, collect, extract

選取 (선취) — to select, to choose

奪取 (탈취) — to seize, to capture

收取 (수취) — to receive, to collect

採取主義 (채취주의) — extractivism (philosophical/economic term)

In classical usage, 取 appears in phrases such as 取義 (to choose righteousness) and 取信 (to gain trust) — emphasizing moral or intellectual choice rather than physical seizure.

娶 (장가들 취)

The addition of 女 (woman) transforms the sense from “to take” to “to take as wife,” signifying marriage acquisition.

Thus, 娶 preserves the etymological sense of “to obtain through taking.”