Frame 47 [Dr./acupuncturist] never gave me any problems...until now. I'm on Frame 227 [dilute] drowning in the task of coming up with a memorable story.

The problem that I cannot get over is that Heisig is trying have us remember that "a doctor without a needle is an acupuncturist".... I'm sorry, am I the only one who thinks that this is just totally bucked up? If there is any branch of medicine that requires needles, it's acupuncture. So...shouldn't it be the other way around -- "a doctor with a needle is an acupuncturist", while one without is just a "doctor"?

For the life of me (and even despite how worked up I am about this issue), I cannot see Heisig's "acupuncturist" when that needle bushu is absent...

If I go my own route, and decide to call it whatever I want, am I going to run into trouble? Are there other many other kanji which use this bushu?

I dunno. Maybe the normal doctor uses needles (and syringes) to inject his patients with cures, while the acupuncturist is actually a quack who just has his patients lie down and close their eyes while he tells them he's putting needles in them but isn't actually doing a thing. Thus, accounting for the total lack of needles in his office.

I think of Heisig's "acupuncturist" as any New Age or "alternative" kind of healer, as opposed to the kind licensed to give you injections. (Actually, I REALLY think of it as a particularly earth-mothery friend of mine who's always pressing herbal remedies on everyone she knows.)

The New Age thing comes in handy for 薄 "dilute", if you have ever heard of or seen Bach's FLOWER Remedies (a widely distributed homeopathic line), because the whole idea of homeopathy is that you DILUTE the active ingredient in WATER to the vanishing point. My visual for it is my friend, standing in the aisle of Whole Foods where they have this stuff, lecturing me on how it's made :-)

How about using flowers instead of needles? Can you visualize that? Picture an arm with a bunch of flowers sticking out instead of needles.

I suggest you read Kevin Trudeau's book Mega Memory. In fact, a lot of the Heisig's principles for remembeing Kanji are parallel to the book. I wonder if they know each other.
The book recommens using illogical, ridiculous, nonsensical imagery to help remember stuff. Actaully, flower stems piercing the skin instead of needles is more favorable than a doctor with needles. You already know a doctor or a accupuncturist has needles so it is actually easy to forget.

In the other case, your mind creates something so new that it is unique to your imagination. It is so ridiculous that it is difficult to forget. Especially the more time you take to visualize it in your mind. The more details the better.

What color are the flowers?
What color is the skin and why?
What is being punctured?
An Arm? Why? Whos arm? does it have a watch?
Etc.

See the point? The more details the easier it is to remember.

I think I must have a different version to you. My version says...

Quote:Think of a Dr. who is a spe-
cialist with a needle (an acupuncturist)

The primitive takes the form of acupuncturist too. They are both acupuncturists. The primitive still has one needle on the top, but is missing the one on the left, so it can be an acupuncturist who has forgotten his needles. In any case, just making this post and reading a discussion about it should be enough to cement the kanji in your memory.

[Katsuo]

potempkin Wrote:Are there other many other kanji which use this bushu?

Here's a list of where it appears in Heisig's books:

専 46 specialty
博 47 Dr.
薄 227 dilute
簿 949 register
縛 1376 truss

If you prefer, you could call 博 "doctorate" as its use isn't restricted to medical doctors.

医 1694 "doctor" is mostly used where medicine is concerned.