seven 七[qi] (the first tone) Note that the first stroke “cuts” clearly through the second. This distinguishes seven from the character for spoon 匕, in which the horizontal stroke either stops short or, depending on the font, extends just slightly beyond the vertical stroke.
As a primitive, this form takes on the meaning of diced, i.e., “cut” into little pieces, consistent both with the way the character is written and with its association with the character for cut 切 to be learned in a later lesson.