籍

Phono-semantic compound:

籍 = 竹 (“bamboo, writing material”, semantic) + 耤 (“to tread; to till”, phonetic)

竹 — semantic: bamboo was the primary writing material (bamboo slips 籤, 冊). Thus many book-related characters use 竹 as their semantic element.

耤 — phonetic: gives the sound 적 (dzjek / dzek).

Because early Chinese texts and records were kept on bundles of bamboo slips, 籍 originally meant:

“A collection of bamboo slips → library volume → register → official record.”

Records, registers:

國籍 (국적) — nationality; state register

戶籍 (호적) — household register

戶籍謄本 (호적등본) — family register transcript

籍帳 (적장) — registry book; record ledger

Books, documents:

書籍 (서적) — books, publications

藏籍 (장적) — collection of books; archives

經籍 (경적) — classics and writings

Roster / lists:

名籍 (명적) — list of names

學籍 (학적) — student record; academic register

在籍 (재적) — enrollment status

Classical / rare literary:

籍籍 (적적) — noisy, bustling (onomatopoetic borrowing in classical texts)

藉籍 (자적) — numerous; flourishing; abundant (classical)

竹 radical reflects the early practice of writing on bamboo slips.

Thus 籍 belongs to a family of “book-related 竹 characters”:

冊, 籍, 籤, 籙, 籌, etc.

耤 phonetic series includes:

耤 (적), 籍 (적), 藉 (자/적 depending on sense), all showing related historical pronunciations.

Classical citations:

《周禮·地官》 (Rites of Zhou)

「凡田籍，以辨民之徭役。」

“All land registers were used to determine the corvée duties of the people” — 籍 = official register.

《漢書·食貨志》 (Book of Han – Treatise on Food & Money)

「民無籍，則賦斂無所據。」

“If the people have no registers, taxes have nothing to rely upon” — 籍 = census record.

《論語·子張》 (Analects 19:20)

「邦無道，則可卷而懷之；邦有道，則仕焉——是亦籍也。」

(後世注: 籍 = to rely on, “to base oneself upon”)

“When the state lacks the Way, fold your principles and keep them; when the state follows the Way, serve in office — this also is to rely on (a proper basis)” — classical rare meaning: “to rely on.”

《史記·儒林列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「書籍滿家。」

“Books and records filled the entire house” — 籍 = books.