拾

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

手 (손 수) — semantic component, representing the hand, denoting manual action.

合 (합할 합) — phonetic component, providing the sound shí / seup and carrying the idea of bringing together or uniting.

Thus, 拾 literally signifies to bring together by hand — the act of gathering or picking up scattered things.

According to Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「拾，取遺也。从手，合聲。」

“拾 means to pick up what is lost. Formed from 手 (‘hand’) and phonetic 合 (‘to combine’).”

The composition implies not only the physical act of picking up something dropped, but also gathering together what has been scattered or separated.

Historically, 拾 also served as a loan character for 十 (ten), especially in early manuscripts and inscriptions, hence the dual pronunciation (습 / 십).

拾得 (습득) — to pick up; to find

收拾 (수습) — to gather; to tidy up; to settle

拾遺 (습유) — to pick up what is lost; also “posthumous writings” (collected after death)

拾荒 (습황) — to pick up scraps; to scavenge

拾級 (습급) — to ascend step by step (lit. to “pick up” steps)

拾穗 (습수) — gleaning ears of grain

拾金不昧 (습금불매) — “to return found gold without concealing it” — a moral idiom meaning honesty and integrity

拾得 (습득, Shide) — the name of a Tang-dynasty Zen poet and monk, disciple of Han-shan (寒山)

The concept of 拾 carries moral and philosophical resonance beyond its literal sense.

In Confucian ethics, to pick up what is lost (拾遺) symbolizes restoring order and virtue, retrieving what society or individuals have carelessly let fall.

The idiom 拾金不昧 (to not conceal found gold) is recorded in Later Han History (後漢書·楊震傳):

「拾金不昧，為人所稱。」

“One who finds gold and does not conceal it is praised by all.”

It became a moral standard epitomizing honesty and self-restraint.

In Buddhist and Daoist contexts, 拾 also carries the metaphorical sense of collecting scattered thoughts or recovering the lost mind (失心) — an image of inner mindfulness and return to awareness.

Graphically, 拾 is distinct from 拿 (잡을 나): when 手 appears below 合, it forms 拿, meaning “to grasp” or “to seize.” The position of the hand radical thus shifts the nuance from gently gathering (拾) to firmly holding (拿).

In calligraphy and classical writing, 拾 occasionally substitutes for 十, particularly in early seal and clerical script, due to phonetic overlap and simplified stroke patterns.

From its moral idiom 拾金不昧 to its gentle motion of gathering, 拾 reflects the human impulse to bring things — and truths — back into harmony.