米

We have learnt 面 | 麺 before, today we study another character related to our daily food - 米. 

From its modern form of writing, it is not easy to reason its meaning. As usual, let us examine its evolution history to look for hints:

evolution history of 米

To be honest, it is still hard to tell what  represents. With the knowledge of meaning of 米, we can reasoning the logic of how Chinese ancestors created to mean rice, millet or any seeds requires grinding and removal of husk. I assume is indeed the drawing of using a wooden tool to remove husk of grains in ancient China:

连枷脱壳

Bronze script  was trying to represent 米 with the scene of its harvesting. Notice that right hand part of  is drawing of a knife (http://xiongzou.blogspot.com/2012/07/learn-one-chinese-character-day.html):

harvesting

Due to the lazy nature of human being, simpler version of 米 was kept as Seal script .

So 米 can be used to mean any grain seeds with their husk removed. for example 小米, 大米.

And as meter (unit of length) in English sounds very similar to 米, 米 is also used to represent meter, for example one meter is: 一米长.

米 is also a family name in Chinese, for example famous painter in Song Dynasty: 米芾.

That is all for 米, time to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 米 inside:

当家才知盐米贵；养子方知父母恩。