揮

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

手 (손 수) — semantic component, representing the hand and action performed with it.

軍 (군사 군) — phonetic component, approximating the sound huī and originally meaning army.

While the combination might seem to depict “commanding troops by hand,” this is coincidental. The proper analysis is phonetic: 軍 provides the sound, not the meaning.

手 + 軍 → 揮 → ‘to move or direct with the hand.’

Through natural semantic extension, it came to mean both physical movement (waving, scattering) and mental direction (commanding, leading).

指揮 (지휘) — to direct, command; conductor (in music)

揮動 (휘동) — to wave, to swing

揮發 (휘발) — to evaporate, volatilize (chemistry)

揮毫 (휘호) — to wield the writing brush; to compose calligraphy

揮淚 (휘루) — to shed tears (literally “wave away tears”)

揮軍 (휘군) — to command an army

揮別 (휘별) — to wave goodbye

揮手 (휘수) — to wave one’s hand

In classical literature, 揮 often symbolizes the noble’s effortless authority — to lead by gesture rather than force.

君子之道，揮而不迫，感而不怒。

“The way of the gentleman is to guide with a gesture, not to coerce; to move others by feeling, not by anger.”

Thus, 揮 embodies the Confucian ideal of moral influence (德化), where command arises from virtue, not domination.

In calligraphy and art, 揮毫 (to wield the brush) became a symbol of creative spirit in motion.

The brush’s stroke, directed by the mind, mirrors the cosmic act of creation:

筆者之揮，心之舞也。

“The writer’s stroke is the dance of the heart.”

Here, 揮 represents not mere movement, but the channeling of qi (氣) through disciplined expression — a concept shared in painting, martial arts, and even governance.

In Daoist thought, 揮 reflects the flow of action guided by spontaneity (無爲).

True mastery lies in 揮而不執 — “to move freely without attachment.”

Such movement aligns the human spirit with the natural Way (道).