執着
しゅうじゃく · shuujaku · JLPT N1 · noun
attachment
🧲 執 = hold + 着 = stick: holding on and sticking fast gives attachment, adhesion, tenacity
執 means grasp or hold on to, and 着 means stick to or arrive at. One grip explains all three meanings: attachment to a thing, adhesion between surfaces, and tenacity in not letting go.
着 — sheep 羊 (top) + eye 目 (bottom)
着 originated as a variant of 著, which depicted plants emerging visibly above ground (grass radical 艹 over 者). Over time 着 split off to carry meanings like 'attach,' 'wear,' or a verb suffix marking ongoing action (zhe), while 著 kept senses like 'manifest' or 'author.'
しゅうちゃく · shuuchaku · JLPT N1 · noun
attachment
🧲 執 (hold on) + 着 (stick to) = holding on and sticking = attachment, tenacity
Shū (執) means hold or grasp, and chaku (着) means attach or stick. Something that holds on and sticks fast is attached, and the same grip becomes tenacity.
着 — sheep 羊 (top) + eye 目 (bottom)
着 originated as a variant of 著, which depicted plants emerging visibly above ground (grass radical 艹 over 者). Over time 着 split off to carry meanings like 'attach,' 'wear,' or a verb suffix marking ongoing action (zhe), while 著 kept senses like 'manifest' or 'author.'