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/)
Looking at modern forms of characters and trying to analyze them for their meaning doesn't always work out. If you are planning to go deeper into these studies you might want to try out [Outlier Linguistics](https://www.outlier-linguistics.com)' Dictionary. You can see their analysis of the two characters you're asking about below.

---

*Outlier*

**矮**

> 
> **FORM**  
> 
>  矮 ǎi is composed of 委 wěi (also wēi) and 矢 “arrow,” hinting at the original meaning “to be of short stature.” 委 gives the sound.
> 
> 
> Reference  
> 
>  李學勤，2012《字源》，天津：天津古籍出版社，2013年7月2次印刷。p. 473
> 
> 
> 

**射**

> 
> **FORM**  
> 
>  Ancient form:  
> 
> [![射](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HVZU0.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HVZU0.png)  
> 
>  射 was originally a bow (弓) and arrow (矢) being drawn by a hand (寸), depicting the original meaning “to shoot an arrow.” 
>  Over time, 弓 and 矢 merged together and were corrupted into 身.
> 
> 
> Reference  
> 
>  李學勤，2012《字源》，天津：天津古籍出版社，2013年7月2次印刷。p. 471
> 
> 
> 

---

Here is the original reference material outlier translated above:

《字源》

**矮**

> 
> 形声字。从矢，委声。本义为身材短。《说文》：“矮，短人也。”
> 
> 
> 

**射**

> 
> shè 船纽、铎部;船纽、祃韵、神夜切。  
> 
>  yè 喻纽、铎部;以纽、祃韵、羊谢切。
> 
> 
> 会意字。像矢(箭)在弓弦上将射发之形。《说文》：“䠶，弓弩发于身而中于远也，从矢，从身。”又说：“[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pv2a2.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pv2a2.png)，篆文䠶，从寸。寸，法度也，亦手也。”商代文字偶见繁形，像一人两手拉弓射箭形。一般商周文字射字则省去“人”，只作弓上注箭形。西周文字或作一手(又)拉弓射箭形。战国文字“射”形变，“弓”、“矢”二者不再互相配合为象形字，而是相并立;“弓”不再用象形字，改为简省形并且成为偏旁;“矢”字倒书并加短横，或虽正书而形变较大。秦简中“弓”又被讹作“身”，“又”则被加一短画成为“寸”。汉代隶书显然受秦文字的影响而定型。射用做动词，义为射箭，多见于商代田猎卜辞。 《粹》 1018：“王其射鹿，(擒)。弗。”或指祭祀之射牲。《粹》314：“于且(祖)丁[]。于父己。于父甲。其射。”做名词用时， “射”指官名或射手。 《粹》15：“贞：令多射䢍。”西周金文“射”指射箭。长甶盉：“穆王鄉(饗)豊，即井(邢)白(伯)大祝射。”西周有“司射”之官。静簋：“王令静司射學宫。”静盖任“射人”官职。战国文字“射”字通“夜”，《包山楚简》 138有“坪射公”，“坪射”，地名，读为“平夜(舆)”。《春秋·桓公九年》“射姑”，《史记·鲁周公世家》作“夜姑”，可证。 
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