欠

qiàn – yawn; owe/ short of, lacking. The upper part evolved from the pictogram of an open mouth. A person人with an open mouth is yawning, or trying to compensate for the lack of air.

欠缺    qiànquē – lack/ be deficient of (lack + lack)

欠债    qiànzhài – owe a debt (owe + debt)

chuī – blow; play (wind instruments); boast, brag; flatter. An open mouth 欠 expels air 口 – blowing, playing a wind instrument, or boasting.

吹牛 chuīniú brag, boast.

ruǎn – soft; flexible.  The soft 耎 (as the beard 而 of a man 大 changed to 欠), part of a chariot车.

软化 ruǎnhuà  soften;

软件 ruǎnjiàn software.

yǐn – drink, keep in the heart, nurse// yìn – give water to drink.  An open mouth 欠 is drinking from a vessel食.

饮料yǐnliào beverage.

kǎn – cut, chop; cut down. A stone 石knife that leaves a void欠 where it cuts.

砍柴 kǎnchái cut firewood.

kǎn – pit, hole; bank (of river); ridge.  A pictogram of a hole in the earth: the place lacking 欠 earth 土.  ç

垄坎lǒngkǎn ridge between fields.

chuī – cook. To blow 吹 (chuī phonetic) to the fire 火 to stir it up and start cooking.

炊具 chuījù cooking utensils.

cì – second/ times, order/ inferior/ remain/ stand. This is two 二breaths (or two sneezes) with an open mouth 欠, emphasizing the second one. Second > secondary > times > order > arrange > arrange hair (of woman). It is also the modern form of a OBC that showed a military encampment > place > remain > stand.

其次    qícì – next; second.

次序    cìxù – order, sequence (order + order)

English version (not yet published) of the section in the Spanish «Caracteres chinos: un aprendizaje fácil basado en su etimología y evolución.» Madrid. 2016