脚本
きゃくほん · kyakuhon · JLPT N1 · noun
scenario
📜🎬 脚 (foot, base) + 本 (root, original text) = the written base a story stands on: a scenario
Read kyaku + hon: 脚 is the foot or base and 本 is the root or original book. A 脚本 is the foundational text that a film or play is built on.
脚 — meat radical 月(肉) + 却 (phonetic)
脚 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 月 is the 'flesh/body' radical (from 肉), marking it as a body part. The right side 却 supplies the sound. Originally it referred to the lower leg or shin, and later broadened to mean 'foot' or 'leg' generally.
本 — tree 木 + mark at base
本 is a pictograph of a tree (木) with a stroke at its base, marking the roots. From this 'root' meaning it extended to 'origin,' 'source,' and 'foundation.' In modern usage it also serves as a measure word for bound objects like books.