大筋
おおすじ · oosuji · JLPT N1 · noun
outline
📋 大 (big) + 筋 (line, thread) = the big thread of a story: its outline
筋 also means muscle or plot line. 大筋 is the main storyline or gist, with the details left out.
大 — pictograph of a person with arms outstretched
大 is a pictograph showing a person standing with arms and legs spread wide. The outstretched arms suggest 'big' or 'great', extending from the literal image of a large stance to abstract meanings like important or grand. It is one of the oldest characters, found on oracle bones.
筋 — bamboo 竹 + flesh 月(肉) + strength 力
A semantic compound: 月 (flesh) shows it relates to the body, 力 (strength) hints at muscular force, and 竹 (bamboo) suggests fibers like bamboo strands. Together they depict the sinews or tendons that give the body its strength.