journey, travel, chase away, let go, going, before, formerly
往 centers on movement along a path: going, traveling, or journeying. The temporal senses 'before' and 'formerly' extend naturally from the idea of having gone past, while 'chase away' and 'let go' are less common applications of sending something on its way.
往 combines 彳 (the 'step' or 'go' radical) with 主, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally expressed going or traveling.
The left side 彳 suggests a path or step, and the right side 主 looks like a master or lord. Picture a master setting out on a journey, stepping forward along the road.
For オウ, imagine a traveler going on a journey and saying 'Oh!' (オウ) as they see the road ahead. The 'Oh!' sound cues オウ while the traveler steps forward.
making a round trip; going and returning; coming and going
coming and going; traffic
years gone by; earlier years; former years; the past
sometimes; often
passing on to the next life
being brought to a standstill; being stranded; getting stuck; stalling; deadlock
moving about in confusion; going every which way; going this way and that
outward journey
doctor's visit; house call
the past
to parry; to sidestep; to dodge
the past; old times; bygone times; days of yore
brink of death
traffic; coming and going; highway
illness that one had in the past; previous illness; medical history; anamnesis
the passage of people and horses; coming and going of people and horses
after; ... and later
words and deeds of the people of yore
spirited advance; energetically going forward
dash and go; pushing forward