The story of 九

nine

九 depicts a stretched and bended arm which going to pick something. The original meaning of 九 is probing or the end, but such meaning was then replaced by 究, now 九 solely means the number of nine. Ten is the number after nine, ten is the largest number which can be counted by human hands, it is the 'end', so nine is the number which is coming to this 'end'.