This is WK’s Meaning Explanation for 正直:
When we learned 直, the two meanings we were taught were “fix” and “direct.” Out of curiosity, why did WK use “fix” instead of “direct” for 正直?
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Yeah, I’d expect something like “if you say things that are correct and direct, you’re being honest”.
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Probably to reinforce one meaning, specifically the one that seemed to fit best with ‘correct’, so that the explanation would be easier. However, my Chinese dictionary (since this word exists in Chinese too) agrees with your intuition, and so do I, as a Chinese speaker. My Japanese dictionary (大辞林) explains the word as meaning, among other things, ‘not having a front and back’ (literally), which more idiomatically means ‘not being two-faced’, which sounds a lot more like being ‘direct’ or ‘straightforward’. (Yes, 直 means ‘straight’ as well!) In short, you’re right, and WK’s explanation is technically wrong, because 正直 has nothing to do with the act of righting others’ wrongs. For that matter, I’d say that 正 here means ‘upright’ or ‘proper’, not ‘correct’. However, if it helps people remember what the word means… why not? My understanding is that WK’s explanations are usually more of mnemonics than strictly ‘accurate’ explanations.
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They probably use “fix” because it’s the primary meaning they taught with the kanji. I didn’t memorize the “direct” meaning when I first learned it.
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