The body (身) is only one inch (寸), which should mean "矮".

Throwing (委) the arrow (矢), which should mean "射".

What is wrong here?
['https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/33584', 'https://chinese.stackexchange.com', 'https://chinese.stackexchange.com/users/21202/']
> 
> **The body (身) is only one inch (寸), which should mean "矮".**
> 
> 
> 

Here are some characters containing「寸」as a semantic component, directly as part of the immediate decomposition or secondarily as part of one of the decomposed components:

* 得導持尋付尊奪肘專耐

It should be clear that「寸」probably never means *inch* as part of other characters.「寸」is a depiction of a *hand with a mark around the wrist area*, and when it contributes *meaning* to a character, you should treat it as the same *meaning* as「手・扌」.

`[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)  
[簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips)  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1cAnA.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1cAnA.png)  
[睡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts)・[秦](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference)51``今  
[楷](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script)  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZT10U.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZT10U.png)`

> 
> * *The mark around the wrist area* is called「寸口」in the terminology of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and indicates the location where the *pulse* is taken.「寸」was later used as a *unit of length*, but it should be clear that this is not its original meaning.
> 
> 
> 	+ Like most other character components, the stand-alone character「寸」developed a wildly different meaning from its role as a component in other characters.
> * Other components with the same *meaning* function as「手・扌」include「又」(*picture of a right hand*),「」(*picture of a left hand*), and「爪・爫」(*picture of a hand pointing downwards*).
> 
> 
> 

The「身」part of「射」is a graphical corruption, from a merger between「弓」(*bow*) and「矢」(*arrow*):

`[商](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty)  
[甲](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script)  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pxx8h.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pxx8h.png)  
[乙](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)1290  
[合集974](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=974&jgwfl=)``[西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou)  
[金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions)  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2uHwt.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2uHwt.png)  
靜簋  
[集成4273](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4273&jgwfl=)``[東周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Zhou)・[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_(state))  
[石鼓](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Drums_of_Qin)  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XCJHS.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XCJHS.png)``[秦朝](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)  
[簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips)  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QYqAs.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QYqAs.png)  
[睡・雜](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference)34``今  
楷  
[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DqOUL.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DqOUL.png)`

In the sequence above, Shape #1 is plainly a picture of a *bow and arrow*. Shape #2 adds a *hand*「又」, emphasising the *action* meaning in「射」. Shapes #3-4 show the corruption process of the *bow and arrow* into「身」. Shape #4 changes「又」into「寸」.

> 
> A character with a similar structure to「射」is「發」([*Zhengzhang*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Zhengzhang_(1981%E2%80%931995)) [OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Chinese): **/\*pad/**, *to shoot arrows > to emit > expand, develop*).「發」is comprised of phonetic「癶」(OC: **/\*paːd/**), semantic「弓」, and semantic「殳」(*hand holding a striking weapon*, emphasising an *attacking action*).
> 
> 
> 

---

> 
> **Throwing (委) the arrow (矢), which should mean "射".**
> 
> 
> 

「矮」(*Zhengzhang* OC: **/\*qraːlʔ/**, *short stature*) is comprised of semantic「矢」and phonetic「委」(**/\*qrolʔ/**).

* 「矢」(*arrow [shaft]*) is being used as a *length* measurement here; you can view it as either the length of the arrow itself or a standardised distance for measuring archery prowess. In English, *yard*, *feet*, etc. were similar measures of length, taken from actual objects.

	+ Compare some characters describing *length* or *measurement*: 短矩矬矱.
	+ There are other characters that use「矢」for the meaning *arrow* rather than *length*, *measurement*.
* The sound development is **/\*qraːlʔ/** > [MC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Chinese): **/ʔˠɛX/, 烏蟹[切](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanqie)** > Pinyin: **ǎi**.

---

**References:**

* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
* [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
	+ [郭沫若《甲骨文合集》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/)
	+ [中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/)
> 
> 射 <http://www.zdic.net/z/18/xs/5C04.htm>
> 
> 
> [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uzI2G.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uzI2G.gif)
> 
> 
> (1) (本作“射”。会意。金文字形,象箭在弦上,手(寸)在发放。**小篆把弓矢形讹变成“身”字,误。** 本义:用弓发箭使中远处目标)
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> 
> 

射 is a 会意字 (ideogrammic compound character)

The 寸 part in 射 was originally a pictograph of hand (手)

The 身 part in 射 was originally a pictograph of bow (弓) and arrow (矢), **it was mistakenly changed into 身 when the character evolved to 小篆 style**

> 
> 矮 <http://www.zdic.net/z/1f/sw/77EE.htm>
> 
> 
> [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXMF6.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DXMF6.gif)
> 
> 
> 短人也。从矢委聲
> 
> 
> 

矮 is a 形声字 (phono-semantic compound character)

The 矢 part in 矮 was originally a pictograph of an arrow head, that represents short stature (arrow head is short compare to all other pointed weapon); the 委 part is the phonetic component of the character, it is there for the sound, and the actual meaning of 委 is irrelevant.