Is vitality a power of the lower body?
It seems like something important
I was talking about sperm, and then I wondered,
what exactly is this "sei" (精) anyway?
This character is used surprisingly often.
Yet, for all that, it feels like I understand it but I don't.
My gut feeling is,
it feels like it's something important.
Since the conversation started with sperm,
it's become even more complicated.
When you say food that gives you "sei" (vitality),
some people might think it sounds a bit like a dirty joke.
If you think about phrases like "sei-ippai" (with all one's might) or "sei-o-dasu" (to work hard),
it has a nuance of power or underlying strength.
The same goes for "sei-ga-tsuku" (to gain vitality).
Perhaps more than just raw power,
the image of the "bottom" or "foundation" in "underlying strength" feels important.
It's not just the surface, but something inside.
Like polished rice, you know.
Come to think of it, the fact that the character for "sei" contains the character for "rice"
is also mysterious.
Maybe "seimai" (polished rice) is the original meaning.
Is it about rice?
When I look up the origin of the kanji "sei" (精),
the "sei" (青) on the right is a phonetic component that represents sound,
and the "rice" (米) on the left is a semantic component that represents meaning.
It represents sound, but it also represents meaning,
and characters that use this "sei" (青) and are read as "sei"
often share a common meaning.
(↑ Suddenly I started saying something sensible...)
Certainly, "hare" (clear), "sei" (pure), and "sei" (quiet) all
have somewhat similar nuances.
Of course, it originally comes from "blue" (aoi).
The sound "sei" itself
also seems to have a refreshing feel for some reason,
and there are many positive words like "sei" (holy), "sei" (correct), "sei" (life), and "sei" (success).
Though there are also words like "sei" (pass away) and "sei" (politics).
Returning to polished rice,
you refine brown rice, and the important thing inside is revealed,
it feels like that.
(Refining already uses the character "sei")
Something that runs out
I thought it felt like a soul, and then I wondered,
is that what the "sei" in fairy (yousei) means?
There is also the word "seirei" (spirit).
There is a saying about one's "sei" and soul being exhausted.
In that case, is it something different from a soul?
So, I looked it up again and found there are the terms "seikon" (spirit/soul) and "seikon" (stamina/energy),
and it was the latter "seikon" that gets exhausted.
I had been remembering it wrong the whole time.
As for "seishin" (spirit/mind), is it like saying if you polish a human,
there is a heart deep inside?
(This part is just my own imagination)
Well, I guess this nuance of being something fundamental
is also present in the word "seishi" (sperm).
That's why I think words like "seiryoku" (vitality/sexual energy)
are actually quite pure and noble words, but
the person who first said "seiryoku zetsurin" (insatiable sexual energy) is to blame.
It inevitably gets pulled in that direction.
Maybe it's also because it sounds the same as "sei" (sex).
However, the function of leaving behind descendants is inherently noble.
Therefore, vitality can be said to be the root of all work.
Eating food that gives you energy
and working with all your might is mentally correct.