Volume 2. Learning Chinese Characters - An Ideographic Approach

7/29/2019 Volume 2. Learning Chinese Characters - An Ideographic Approach

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2010. Dileep Rajeev. All Rights Reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced without prior permission of the author. The book maynot be redistributed or posted on another source for download.

Chinese Characters

An Ideographic Approach, Volume 2

The subsequent volumes of this book may be downloaded fromChineseIdeographs.com

D Rajeev
http://www.chineseideographs.com/http://www.chineseideographs.com/http://www.chineseideographs.com/


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uncovered, the symbol conveying a deeper meaning at

each level.

The meaning conveyed by a symbol depends on the

context in which it occurs. The hand, appearing in its

reduced form , in the characters (d,hit), (n,

press),(ci, gather), etc., symbolize action. The same

symbol in (bi, to honor) shows two hands brought

together in a gesture of respect. The role the

component plays in(n, take) is slightly different in

it, (shu) 'hand' is modified with (h) 'combine' to

symbolize the fingers closing together to take

something.

Just as a character is more than the sum of its parts, a

phrase carries meaning beyond the individual meaning

of its parts that is, how a character lends to the

meaning of a phrase depends on the context in which it

occurs. The form , in itself, symbolizes talent, ability,activity, etc., in a purely abstract manner, depicting an

active principle, symbolized by a vertical line, breaking

through a hindrance. The same form , when modified by

the character (gng, firm), in , conveys the

meaning just now the energy associated with the

active principle, symbolized by , being firm ,

strongly manifesting, when it has just acted.

Figure 1. The ancient form of , depicting an activeprinciple, symbolized by a vertical line, breaking through a

hindrance talent, ability, etc.

Sound symbolism and phonetic

components

The sound-forms of Chinese characters evoke in the

mind of the listener the concept or the meaning it

symbolizes. The sound kng , as it is intoned in

Chinese, with a high level tone, produces a sound similar

to one created when an empty vessel is hit, evoking in

the mind a feeling of emptiness and conveying,

symbolically, the meaning of the character empty,

hollow, a space, etc. The sound(n), evoking a sense

of tranquil stillness, conveys the characters meaning -

quiet, still, peaceful. Sound symbolism of this nature

exists in all Chinese characters and meditating on the

sound form of a character can help fully understand its


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meaning, and, conversely, to accurately understand its

intoned form.

Chinese characters are intoned in one of five different

tones which make their sound form symbolic to a

greater degree allowing the meaning to evolve from

the movement of intoned sound as well.

First tone, (,literal meaning: yin level) a

steady, high sound as in(kng). Second tone, (,literal meaning: yang level)

sound rises from mid-level to high as in(rn).

Third tone (, literal meaning: up tone) the

pitch falls a little and then rises as in (ho).

Fourth tone, falling tone (, literal meaning:

leaving tone) as in (rn), where the pitch

descends sharply from high to low.

Fifth tone or zeroth tone (, literal

meaning: light tone), - intoned with a neutral

sound as in(de).

Figure 2. In the ancient form of, (ci) combines with (t) 'land' to form (zi). The place where theactivityis happening at, in, on.

A component of a character is called phonetic if its

pronunciation hints at the pronunciation of the

character as (ci) does in (zi). A phonetic

component lends to the symbolism of the character

through its sound-form. Not all characters have a

phonetic component, and, in the majority of cases, the

phonetic component is signific as a visual form as well.


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How to use this book

Chinese, contrary to popular belief, is the simplest

language to learn. It has no complex grammar, the words

are simple ideograms, each carrying an inherent visual

logic which makes its meaning apparent from its written

form, and the symbolic sound-forms allow for the

pronunciation to be easily internalized. This completely

obviates the need for rote memorization often needed

when mastering the vocabulary of a new language.

If taught scientifically, the student can pick up a

vocabulary of over 3000 characters, enough to read

most newspapers with a reasonable level of

comprehension, in two to three months time.

Learning to write Chinese requires focused effort and

practice, and is beyond the scope of this book. The

author is of the opinion that learning to write is best

postponed till the student has had a reasonable level of

familiarity with the language. Chinese can easily be

input in a word editor, through tools such as Microsofts

IME for Chinese, by entering in English the pronunciation

of the character.

Organization of each page

On each page is given a character, its ancient forms, its

pronunciation and an explanation of how the ideogram

symbolizes its meaning.

The ancient forms

The three boxes on the right show the ancient forms of

the character.

The top-most box shows how the character was written

around 1800 B.C. 1100 B.C. Samples of writing from

this era have come down to us through engravings on

tortoise shells and ox scapulas used during divination

ceremonies. Parallel rows of holes would be bored in

the bone, the question would be raised to the oracle,

and a heated bronze rod applied at each hole. From the

crack patterns formed on the shell by heat, the oraclesanswer would be divined. Both the question and the

answer would later be engraved on reverse side the

bone used. For this reason, writing of this era is often

referred to as the oracle bone script.

The box in the middle-right of the page carries samples

of the character as written around 1100 B.C. 200 B.C.


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Samples of this writing, referred to as the bronze

script, reached us through thousands of bronze vessels

and articles with inscriptions of major events.

At the bottom-right are given samples of seal script

writing dating from around 200 B.C to 200 A.D.

While the surface forms of characters have undergone

considerable evolution, the idea behind them, what the

characters symbolize, has, for most part, remained the

same.

Some changes in forms reflect enriched thought; others

are the result of corruptions that set in over time. A

major of set of corruptions occurred when a tyrant

ordered a burning of all manuscripts in early 3rd

century

B.C. A standardization of the script followed shortly,

ironically, under supervision of the minister who had

instigated the king to burn the manuscripts. Attempts at

rectification in the later centuries, the most ambitious

among which was the etymological dictionary Shuo

Wen of 2nd

century A.D., were partly successful.

Archeological data, a lot of which emerged in the 20th

century, presented here among the bronze script and

oracle bone script forms, enable us to see how the

characters were originally formed. Seal script forms

include characters which followed the standardization of

3rdcentury B.C. In this book the seal script forms

presented are carefully chosen and the corrupted

variants are avoided, unless they serve a pedagogical

purpose.

An account of the languages evolution can be found in

Karlgrens Sound and Symbol in Chinese.

Studying a character

The reader is urged to actively engage himself in thelearning process. When learning a character, start by

reading its ideographic interpretation. Then, explore the

ancient forms given, paying attention to how the

ideographic interpretation applies to the ancient forms,

and how the visual form evolved with time. Actively

analyzing this would be sufficient to imprint the

character in your memory. When learning, there is little

need to try to memorize the modern written form it

would be sufficient to develop an understanding of how

the form symbolizes its meaning, and of how it evolved.

Each character can allow for different ideographic

interpretations, so actively explore the ancient forms,

and try to come up with your own interpretations.


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The sound of Chinese characters are symbolic. That is,

the sound evokes in the mind the meaning suggested by

the character. This symbolic quality can be leveraged to

effortlessly learn the pronunciation of the characters:

Intone each character, repeatedly, with a clam mind, till

you develop an intuitive feel for how the sound form

brings out the characters meaning. Attempt to

consciously perceive the sense conveyed by the sound.

Correlate the meaning you perceive evolving from the

sound form, with the meaning evolving from the visual

form. When the same character has multiple

pronunciations, they are symbolic layers over two closelyrelated concepts symbolized by the visual form.

The pronunciation of each character is given in Pinyin, a

system for writing Chinese characters in the Roman

alphabet. The reader who is not familiar with the system

is urged to avail any one of the several free multimedia

resources available online, or interact with a Chinese

speaker to understand tones and the pinyin system.

A system of color codes is used in the book to help you

remember the tones. Characters in the first tone, a high

metallic tone, are shown in a metallic silver color. For the

second tone, the color of fire, yellow-orange is used - the

sound rises in it as flames do. Third tone characters are

shown in green, the color of plants, of wood as the

sound bends, as wood does, in the third tone. For the

fourth tone, a falling tone, a heavy, deep shade of blue is

used. The fifth tone or the neutral tone is colorless.

Visualizing the characters in their corresponding tone-

color, as you learn them, would help retain the tone in

memory.

Different characters having the same pinyin

phoneticization often differ subtly in the way they are

actually pronounced, in factors such as the stress given

to a particular sound. The same character when carryingdifferent shades of meanings are intoned in ways that

slightly differ to bring out the meaning through intoned

sound. The reader will develop a natural intuition for the

right way to pronounce the characters, and of the role

played by the tones, as he progresses in study, through

the method outlined here.

Recommended resources

The electronic dictionary Wenlin is one of the best

available resources for a student of Chinese and is highly

recommended.


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Essential for internalizing a vocabulary is seeing the

words used in various contexts. Once the reader has

gained a basic vocabulary, he is encouraged to start

reading Chinese texts with Wenlins mouse-over

translation facility.

For an introduction to the language and an outline of

grammar, the book Teach Yourself Chinese published

by McGraw Hill is recommended.

To learn to write Chinese characters, Johan Bjrkstns

"Learn to Write Chinese Characters" is recommended,together with Wenlins Stroke Box tool, which animates

the stroke order of each character.


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Sh:Family, a clan, suffix used after surnames. Zh: The name of a tribe.

The term YuZh referred to the nomadic people living in centralAsia.

A floating plant, without roots, that ramifies and grows, like the

Nymphaea, so common in China, Euryale ferox and others, that spring

up from a grain, float first, then fix themselves and acquire in a short

time a prodigious development. By extension, development,

multiplication; a wandering horde of primitive times, a clan, a family. -

Wieger . The modern form shows the leaves of Nymphaea which overlap

each other.

sh

zh


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mnPeople, humanity, the masses.

A form resembling. A proliferous plant, producing multiple offshoots;

the modern form is a derivative of the ancient pictorial

representation(), says the Shuo Wen.

A particular ancient form of the character shows an eye above a

symbol similar to the ancient form of ( , a symbol of expanse in all

directions). The role of the eye here seems similar to the Egyptian Eye of

Horus - an all seeign eye, symbolic of divine protection; of gods

overlooking human affairs.


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shnExpand, stretch out, express, explain, state, explicate, the ninth of the

Twelve Terrestrial Branches.

The ancient form of the symbol shows two alternatively expanding cosmic

forces. A causational mechanism behind natural changes. Note how the

various meanings evolve from the idea of expansion, of extension.

Later, the picture of two hands stretching a rope was used to symbolize the

idea. By the time of the Shuo Wen, the rope in the middle of the character

was interpreted as a man standing, girding himself with both hands.


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yRain. : Rain water.Picture of raindrops falling from the sky. When occurring as a

component, is abbreviated to, as in(din, lightning).


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yngSheep.

Picture of a sheep, as seen from above. The horns, the head, the body

the four legs and tail are shown. Other ancient forms, such as , seem

to show a sheeps head.

Sheep is associated with goodness, as its nature is to be meek, to

conform. Ancient Chinese traditions hold that a good person is one who

conforms to the ways of nature, to the standards of conduct laid out by

Heavens.


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miBeautiful, pretty.

Fromand. Immense Goodness: Beauty.

Note that when occurring as a component, is often written, with

the tail left out.

Among the several variants of the character seen in seal script writing is: . A

surface quality that fades with time. However, the concept symbolized

by , of surface beauty, is different from what (mi) symbolizes.


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fLaw, way, method, the Dharma in Buddhist traditions.

is the picture of a celestial deer. Used here to indicate that the Law

cannot be directly touched, according to traditional interpretations.

.

The flow, a fundamental principle, which all celestial phenomenon

follow( the sense here, conveyed by flowing water and together, is go

along with) a Cosmic Law. Another interpretation: To go along with()

the celestial flowis the Law.

Note:{+}[], says the

Shuo Wen, describing. ( ) is described by the Shuo Wen as a single horned

animal, resembling a mountain deer.


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qHe, she, it, they; his, her, its, their. Used for reasons of euphony, and to expand a

single-syllable word to a two-syllable word.(qt) : Others ;(yuq): Especially.The character is the image of a winnowing basket. The symbol was later borrowed to

represent pronouns. Winnowing basket is now written(j), with the radical for bamboo

added on top. Certain ancient forms, such as , show a person working with a

winnowing pan. The pronunciation might be related to the sound made when rice is

winnowed.

isused to expand a single-syllable word or for euphony, as it does not modify the sense

of the character thus expanded. A winnow does not affect the quality of the rice

processed in it, but merely serves to remove the chaff. contains the energy of the word

or the phrase it modifies. When used as a pronoun, it carries the energy of the noun

referred to.

Note: The reader might find it helpful to think of the character as a winnow working on the energy of the

adjacent words. In, the character refines the energy of.


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cThis.

To stop and turn sideways to observe something. Here, this.


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shSolid, full, tangible, substantial, real, practical.

shows a string of holed copper coins. A string of cash under a

roof substantial, solid.

Notes: here represents money and commodities(), according to the Shuo Wen.

. Shuo Wen. The character, by itself, is described by the Shuo

Wen as the image of a string of copper coins. (gun) now carries

the meanings: thread for stringing holed copper coins, thread together, pass through, etc.

Shuo Wen gives the meaning(f; wealth, affluence) for the character . Bronze script

forms suggest that the component in that has now come to resemble(gun) might have

evolved from the image of a( dng) with above it the fieldof influenceof ahousehold a measure of their wealth or affluence. See the explanation of, later on in

this volume, where the symbolism behind is also touched upon.


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fu

p

No, negate, deny.: whether. P: bad; inferior.Words produced by the mouth which express negation..

Pronounced(p), the character refers to words expressing

negation arising from a sense of contempt, or words made in

reference to something of undesirable nature. The hexagram

(obstruction), composed of over, is called(p).


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zuMost, used to form superlatives.

(, mo) is a type of hat. The two linesshow decorationson it, according to the Shuo Wen.

A:To (q, take/ pick) the top-most of A. Hence: most, a

superlative. E.g.:(zu)(nn, difficult): most difficult.


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yngAppearance, shape, form, pattern, model.

(m, wood) suggests a framework, a model, a pattern. The component on

the right is , (, yng, flowing of water). is composed of

(yang, phonetic and also indicating calm, uniform, un-turbidflow) and(yng, endless flow) . In this character, is phonetic, and signific, in that

it symbolizes the flow of fundamental energies in nature which give rise to

the manifoldforms. Wieger gives the meanings uniformity, model, pattern

for. Remember that the sheep symbolizes goodness, calm conformance

to higher forces.

As a mnemonic: Picture of a sheep drinking from a stream running

through the woods a scenery by extension: appearance, form, etc.


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gnTasty, sweet, pleasant, satisfactory. As an adverb: willing, of

one's own accord.

. (y, one ) here conveys the sensewhole,

harmonious, pleasant.(ku, a mouth) coveys the sense taste.

Something of sweet taste, symbolized as , held in the mouth.

Note: Sweetness of something held in the mouth; good, sweet, by

extension, satisfaction, affection, according to Wieger.


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yIdea, meaning, intent, wish, suggestion, hint

Thoughts emerging from the heart. An intent, emerging from theheart. The meaning one associates with a word is what it evokes in

the heart.

"The sound in the heart," says Karlgren.


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hnVery, quite, awfully.

A person adamantly sticking to a coursea word serving asan intensifier for the idea it modifies - very.

To attempt to movea forthright individual a verydifficult

task.


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hiBlack, dark, shady.

On the top of the character is the ancient symbol for a window.

The black specks of soot that form on a window near a fire

place.


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zhn

To occupy, to usurp, to take.

The oracle was consulted before military or business endeavors.

Hence, a person taking a stance for his gain, based on a

divination.


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dinDot, a little, a bit, a speck.

The specks of soot which fly when turtle shells are exposed to

heat in a prognostication ceremony.


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sFour.

. Form of the character indicates the divisibility of

number four, according to the Shuo Wen.

"Four. Numerical sign. Even number, which is easily divided into

two halves. The old form graphically represents the division of

into halves" - Wieger.


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nThat, then, in that case.

From( y) 'city' and, a kind of clothing made of hemp.

was once the name of a city and the character was later borrowed

for the meaning that. As a mnemonic: Thatplace where people

wear clothes of hemp.


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nA question particle: Which, where, what. The exact meaning of

the character is to be understood from context.

Here, indicates a spoken question and (n) is phonetic

indicates the sound of the question particle.


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jiIncrease, augment, add, append

. From and. Words which support, which

add strength. By extension: augment, append, add.

Alternate Interpretation: To put in further effort, or apply further

strength, to within a region to augment.


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minFace, surface, a side, an aspect.

Picture of a human face, with an eye prominently shown.


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dngCalm, stabled, tranquil, settled, fixed, certain, for sure.

A roof under which there is rectitude calm, stable.

A house, or a region, where everything is righteous is

tranquil, is stable.


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dnCinnabar, red.

A red speck of cinnabar in a "crucible of the Taoist alchemists,"

according to Wieger. Cinnabar is a bright red crystalline mineral

Mercuric Sulfide. References to Cinnabar abound in Chinese

alchemical texts. In many ancient traditions, Mercury is considered

symbolic of the Feminine energies and Sulphur of Masculine

energies. Cinnabar could thus have been an allegorical reference

to the interaction of Yin and Yang forces, in cosmic alchemy.


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qngFeeling, emotion, sentiment.

An tender heart(, xn) sentiments, emotions. Or, that

which is born from the human heart feelings, emotions.


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huReturn, circle, turn around.: go back;:come"Image of an object (clouds, volutes of the smoke) that turns, that

rolls, that revolves;Abstract notion of revolving, of

return." -Wieger.

A character with very similar meaning is(hu) from movement

and .


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mngBright, clear, illuminate. (mngbai): understand.From (r, sun) and (yu, moon) bright, clear.

Other ancient forms, such as , show the moon shining through

a window(jing, ).


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jinjinRoom, between, space. Jin: crevice, a space in between.

The sun shining through a space between the door leaves .

The sense evoked when one sees the sun shining through the

doors of space, of an expanse.

The character(xin) carried the meaning leisure one spends

time observing the moon, by the door, only during ones

leisure.


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Younger brother

A stick thats part of a bundle. here shows a thread that ties the bundle

together. Part of a group, a family hence, a younger brother.

Shuo Wen. An

ancient form of the character shows a bundle of leather sheets, with

the second sheet marked giving it predominance.

A thread that is wound on a spool, having a catch at the top and a winch at

the bottom, primitive instrument, reef and bobbin. Wieger. By extension,

succession of brothers, elder, younger; succession; younger brothers.

d


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dNumber, order, rank.(dy): first,(d-r): second.The position, the rank, the count, of an object or a person in a

group.may as well be a reference to the bamboo strips used

in ancient times for keeping written records hence, order,

numbering, position, etc.


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chnGive birth to, produce, product, manufacture.

From civilized and birth. The products of civilization.

shows a factory, the place where the products are brought to life

.


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qVapor, vital energy, spirit, vigor, anger.

The vapours which rise from rice as it cooks, carries its

essence, its qi.

Symbol shows Curling vapors rising...and forming clouds above,

according to Wieger.


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shTongue.

That by which you speak and differentiate flavors.

.

From and (gn, stem/trunk), according to the Shuo Wen.


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huSpeech, talk, conversation, words, sayings, story

From tongue and words speech.


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jTable, a small stool.( chj, tea table)Picture of a small table.


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bioDisplay, show, external, superficial.

A coat, made of fur on the outside. The old form has(mo)

which here symbolizesfur.


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From, due to, cause.

Here(tin, field) symbolizes interaction of yin and yang energies

within a region. shows a sprout, emerging from where the

vertical (symbolizing yang) and crosswise (symbolizing yin) lines

meet.

"It represents the germination of a fruit-stone, or a large grain;

represents the grain, on the top of which the germ is coming up;

,By extension, beginning, principle,

origin, starting point, cause, to produce, etc." -Wieger.

yu


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tIt.

was once the picture of a snake. The character was borrowed

as a phonetic loan for the pronoun it.As a mnemonic: How onewould refer to a snake - it.

Snake is now written(sh).


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qing is the left side of (m, tree), and shows a piece of wood split

in half. It occurs only as a component and indicates a strip, a flat

surface, etc.


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Jing: Shall, indicating future, about to, introducing the object of a verb.

A strip of meat kept on a table. About to be taken as meal. Shuo

Wen says the character is from and reduced. played a

phonetic role, according to the Shuo Wen. The character , not present incurrent dictionaries, show wine and meat on a table .

Jing: A general, a commander-in-chief, whose meal was predominantly

wine and meat.

Qing : Invite, request. The table laid out with wine and meat - inviting

guests for dinner.

jing

jing

qing


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huChange, transform, convert.

The modern form is from() and (hu). A person, a

Daoist seated in meditation, transforming himself to an

immortal.

The most ancient forms depict a person and another upside-down.

A person turning-around, changing. To turn around; to change

completely.


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The number five.

"" Ancient Chinese traditions

hold that a world emerges from a primordial unity as two opposing yet

mutually complementary forces - the yin and the yang. From the

interaction of yin and yang emerge five movements of energy, the five

elements, which interact to form all matter that exists in that world.

symbolizes the Heaven ( yang) and Earth( yin). The character shows

the interaction of yin and yang begetting thefive elements.

Note: The term for five elements in Chinese is(wxng). Literally five

movements. Five patterns of movement of more fundamental energies.

The are given the names: metal, wood, water, fire, earth.

w


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yA piece of wood with a sharp end. A wooden stake. A kind of arrow

with a trailing string, used for hunting birds.


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diRepresent, take the place of.

From and. A stakemarks or represents a position.


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huMagnificent, glory, splendor.

The vernal expansion of flowers on a branch. The form(, in

seal script writing) here suggests an upward expansion of energy (see(y)). are the buds evolving to flowers.


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The number nine.

, according to the Shuo

Wen.

The number nine is said to symbolize yang energy having reached its peak.

The characters form shows a wavy movement of the arm. The wavy movement

symbolizes an exhaustion of forces, upon having reached the maximum strength

it can expend. The arm symbolizes strength, of yang, masculine, nature. An

ancient form of the character shows nine distinct segments: .

Pythagorean philosopher Iamblichus, commenting on the nature of number 9,

says: greatest of numbers within the decad an unsurpassable limit.

ji


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Show, manifest.

, the ancient form of, symbolizes the Heavens. A

manifestation from the Heavens. Energy manifesting downward

from the Heavens.

The three lines show the sun, the moon, and the stars, says theShuo Wen. Karlgren interprets the symbol as an altar.

As a component, is reduced to. Distinguish from, the

reduction of(y, clothing), which has one additional stroke.

sh


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shA society, an organized body, agency, society, club.

From and(t, earth). The formation and existence of a

society is the result of a heavenly phenomenon manifesting at aplace.

"Altar to the spirits of the land; sacrifice to the spirits of the

land; tutelary deity, village, society -- the religious rites for

the land" --Karlgren.


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bTo compare, to be comparable to, draw analogy.

Two people, facing the same direction, compared side-by-side to

draw a parallel between, draw analogy, compare, relatively.

"Two ( reversed) men placed together" - Karlgren.

Name of the hexagram (Support),Water over Earth.


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niInside, interior.

Having entered a region within, inside.


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lStand, to erect, establish, set up.

Picture of a person standing erect on the ground. By extension:

to erect, establish, set up.


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Position, place, location, status, condition . A polite measure

word for people.

Where a person(, rn) stands(l) his position, as at a

court.

"Position, place, office; seat, throne; respected person -- aman

standing: position (at court)." Karlgren

The place where aman is standing erect; the place assigned,

according to his dignity, to each official.- Wieger

wi


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A component, referred to as the.The picture of a wrap, a cover.


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boA bag, wrap, bundle, envelope, surround. A measure word for

bundles.

A fetus in a womb. By extension: To cover, wrap, surround,

encircle, a bundle.


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chCar, vehicle with wheels, a wheeled machine.

As a component, often conveys a sense ofmomentum, of

energy in motion.


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jnArmy, military, troops.

, according to the Shuo Wen. From and reduced.

Picture of a military chariot with men surrounding it. Bronze

script forms seem to show(l, strength) distorted to a form

similar to. The same form conveys a sense of strength in

motion.

Alternate explanation: A chariot with reinforcements a

militarychariot.


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shMake, cause to, send as envoy, employ, use.

A written command given by an officer(l, official) to a person.


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wiHave not, did not, have not yet.

A tree with branches and leaves, that has not yetborne fruit.


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97

zhMake, manufacture, create, formulate, restrict, control.

(wi) shows a tree with its branches. To cut wood down for

manufacturing purposes. In certain ancient forms, such as , the logs cut

down are depicted as parallel lines next to the tree.

To trimthe branches of a tree restrict, control. To whittle wood

with a knife- make, manufacture, create.

A cognate word, now used interchangeably with is: [ ].

The sense applied to(y, clothing). Cut out (as a dress), fashion;

prepare, make; invent, compose Karlgren.


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98

A degree, an extent, to save.

From(gung, house),( nin, twenty, composed of two tens: ),

and(yu, hand). "To have in one's hand (twenty:) all the inhabitants of

the house: rule, regulate Karlgren. To measure, a rule, a degree A hand

which counts or measures a quantity, according to Wieger.

,according to the Shuo Wen. From and(sh,

numerous) reduced ().

The character(sh, the ancient forms of which include:

) shows All the inhabitants of a dwelling, gathered around the hearth

[]; among the ancients, the hearth gave heat and light. By extension, the

familial flock, .. the human herd, the people, according to Wieger. When

occurring as a component, often coveys the meaning gather together.

d


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bngAnd, equally, truly, simultaneously, on the same level with.

. Two people, of the same height, standing together.

A closely related character is(bng, combine/merge). Fromand

. A person bringing together, two things. In, conveys

the sense compatible, comparable, hence, merge-able.


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100

huLiving, alive, vivid.

To have wateron ones tongue to be alive.

Shuo Wen says the component onthe right was not(sh,

tongue) but a now obsolete character, made of( jue, root of a

plant/ the foundation) , on top of(ku, mouth), with the

meaning to-fill-in, to contain.


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102

gSkeleton, framework.

The frame of bones(gu, picture of a skeleton) which supports

(ru, flesh).


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103

lA vase with flowers, used during ceremonies. Occurs as a

component.

"Sacrificial vessel -- picture of a vase with flowers" -Karlgren.


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104

tBody, system.

From(g, bone) and(l), a vase with flowers, symbolizing the

surface form . The frame and the surface form.


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105

Alarm, agitation.

The character( ,cng) was the picture of a chimney.Underneath is the character for heart. Bronze script forms show

a heart with a dark mark on it. An agitated heart not clear.

cng


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106

zngGeneral; sum together; overall

From(s, thread) tie up, summarize. conveys the sense

rough, overall, in general, and is also phonetic.


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107

Join, combine, be fitting, union, agreement.

Things brought together , to within an enclosure

combine.

Another interpretation is that indicates harmonious

assemblage and symbolizes speech . Etymologically, threemouths speaking together, according to Wieger.

"Picture of the lid of an opening -- analogous to," according to

Karlgren.

h


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108

giGive

From signifying a connection and suggesting concord,

agreement, coming together.


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109

shnshnVery, extreme, what.

Shn: "...Affection(gn, sweet) for the being that makes the pair (sexual)...

This affection being very great, says, the Glose, hence the extended meaning,

superlative, very, extremely, excessive...

" -Wieger.

Wieger explains(p, match/pair /male and female) as "Half of a whole. The

whole is represented by(s, four). A little more than the half ofwas kept,

so that the character is still recognisable;That

which, being joined with its like, forms a pair, a match. See the compound."

Shn: A question particle that seeks (the notion conveyed by and

together) something missing what?


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110

A person engaged in some field of activity; member; personnel; outer limits of land,

space, etc.

(dng, cauldron, ) is an ancient three-legged, round cooking vessel.

Ancient forms of(yun) show with a circle on top. In this character represents an

alchemical vessel and the circle above, the rim of the vessel: the outer limits of a field of

activity. Things within the circle are part of, or involved in, a field of activity.

Describing, Lindqvist says: "From being a cooking vessel for ordinary people, it became

a revered sacrificial vessel and a symbol of the power of the state. The largest ding yet

found weighs 226 kilos."

The modern form has come to resemble(bi, money) with on top.

yun


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112

chngConstant, invariable, ordinary.

From (shng, esteem/value) and(jn, cloth, ). A clothbanner or flag held up by advancing troops constant, invariable.

A banner used to head the troops; hence rule, constant way,

constantly Wieger

The meaning normal, ordinaryis sometimes interpreted as the

value or a piece of cloth. It seems more likely that the

meaning is an extension of the sense constant, always present.


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113

pSkin, leather, hide, wrapper, surface.

A hand flaying the skin off a dead animal.


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biBy, cover, quilt.

A cloth(, y) - that bywhich the skin or a surface is

covered.


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115

xWest.

The picture of a bird on a nest()- Shuo Wen.

When the sun is in the west, the birds return to their nests (

) .

Differentiate the character from(yu, wine vessel , )

which shows a wine container. will be explained in further detail later

on.


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116

qinLack, be short of, owe, inhale, blow out.

. An abstract representation of

mouth qi expanding. The image of a person drawing in or

blowing out air. A person gasping for air lacking.

"Short of breath...to yawn...to owe..." --Karlgren.


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117

cOccurrence, time, second, inferior

From and (qin, owe). conveys the sense secondary;,

a man gasping for air, the sense lacking. By extension: a

succession of occurrences.

Not the foremost, not vigorous..()- Shuo

Wen.

q


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118

jq: Period of time, phase, stage.

The phases of the moon(yu) tell time .(q) is phonetic. The

movement of rice, when being processed in a winnowing pan,resembles the rise and fall of tideshence signific ofperiod,

phase, the passage of time etc.

J : a complete period .(j nin) anniversary, a complete

year.


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gEach, every , different, all.

To walkup to a region and pause; to move slowly visiting

each of many regions. Or, to speak in clear manner slowly

, differentiating things.

[]

Shuo Wen

j


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120

jReach, come up to, and, as well as, continue, to extend, attain.

A hand reaching up to and taking hold of a person from behind

reaching to, reach, to attain.

- Shuo Wen.

ho


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121

shoFew, little.

From(xio ,small) and which is phonetic according to the

Shuo Wen. , a falling stroke, conveys the sense drop, go missing,

be absent.


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Documents

Volume 2. Learning Chinese Characters - An Ideographic Approach