父 I was taught fu is a pair of crossed axes as a symbol of father’s power. It may be easier to think of it as a picture of a mustache. 亲 is a tougher one. It’s the idea of a dagger 辛 which cuts away the deadwood 木 to separate that which is vital (one’s family) from that which is not. I’ve not looked up the 甲骨文 on that one yet. Anyway 辛 is definitely a picture of a punitive dagger used to inflict corporeal punishment on criminals in ancient China. Trees 木 pretty much everywhere are also symbols of the family tree, so this is also the power of the elders to punish wrongful behavior of their offspring. Linkwords: father, fuqin fu qin
