存

Traditionally analyzed as a compound ideograph:

子 (자) – “child” (semantic component), suggesting continuation or being

才 (재) – providing the sound.

The original idea is “a child remaining alive / continuing to exist.”

From this notion of continued existence, the meanings “to exist,” “to survive,” and later “to preserve” naturally developed.

Semantic development:

To remain alive → to exist

Existing over time → to endure

Ensuring continued existence → to preserve

Thus, 存 bridges being, time, and responsibility.

存在 (존재) — existence

保存 (보존) — preservation

生存 (생존) — survival

存續 (존속) — continuation; persistence

存亡 (존망) — survival or destruction

現存 (현존) — presently existing

存心 (존심) — moral intention; inner mind (classical)

There are other characters meaning “to exist” or “to have,” such as:

在 (있을 재) – indicates being at a place (to be located)

有 (있을 유) – indicates possession (to have something)

存 focuses on existence itself, often implying continuance or preservation, while 在 and 有 have slightly different shades of meaning.

存 often contrasts with 亡 (“to perish”):

存亡 — survival vs destruction

In philosophy and ethics, 存 frequently refers to abstract survival (virtue, principles, memory), not just physical existence.

Classical citations:

《論語》 (The Analects)

「慎終追遠，民德歸厚矣；父母之喪，無所不用其極，存乎敬也。」

"Honoring the deceased and remembering ancestors fosters virtue among the people; In mourning parents, one spares no effort, for reverence is paramount."

《史記》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「國亡而道存。」

“The state may perish, but the Way remains.”

Here 存 emphasizes enduring existence beyond physical loss.