【析形】早期金文字形是象形字,像荆条之形。后增声旁井,变作形声字。小篆字形象形部分讹变移位,变作艸与刀两部分,从艸,刑声。 【释义】《说文》:“楚,木也。”本义是一种落叶灌木,有黄荆、紫荆、牡荆等类,多丛生。[荆棘]泛指山野丛生多刺的灌木,后比喻艰险境地。又指荆条,古代用为刑杖。[负荆请罪]背负荆条,谓愿受杖。 【shape analysis】It is the pictophonetic character.In Bronze Inscriptions it looks like the twig of the chaste tree.Later井(jǐng)was added to it.So it turned to be a pictophonetic character.When in Small Seal script,it turned to be a pictophonetic character which is related to艸(ǎo,cottage)in meaning and sounds like刑(xíng). 【original meaning】A kind of deciduous shrub.