Traces in Our Time
The modern Japanese language still knows the phrase
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shinan |
It is defined as "pointing to the south; instruction, guidance, instructor".
Shinan is composed of two kanji:
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shi, a variation of yubi, finger, and sasu, a verb whose meanings include
to point at , aim at, indicate or nominate; and
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nan a phonetic variation of minami, a noun that commonly means south.
The ancient Chinese vehicle was called shinan-sha in Japanese. Sha is a
phonetic variation of kuruma, and both of the words share the core meaning
of vehicle.
Source: The Daily Yomiuri at http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/words/97032701.htm