Tuesday 25 September 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 刃

Today we are looking at one of the Chinese characters created with Indicative or Ideographs method - 刃.
指事 zhǐshì: Indicatives, or ideographs, in which the character represents an abstract notion.
As you have probably noticed that it is very close to what we have learned "刀". Before you can guess out its meaning, we check its evolution history first (image get from http://www.vividict.com):
刃, Ideograph created with 刀

 and the evolution history of 刀 as well:
From above comparison, we notice that 刃 has one extra as Indicator on one edge of "刀" - Knife. Now we know that it is to indicate the sharp edge of the knife to mean Blade.

We will see many more Chinese characters created with such a way in the coming topics.

Now let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy art with "刃" inside:
十年磨一剑,霜刃未曾试;今日把示君,谁为不平事

Monday 13 August 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "分"


As what we have learned in the topic for "八", 

"分" means Divide.

Anyway, let us check "分" evolution history still (image get from http://www.vividict.com/
分 evolution history
From its Oracle script  , we can see clearly that  - "刀" was added into   to create this new character.

I guess you could have a basic understanding of what "會意/会意 huìyì: Logical aggregates" means as one of the method used to create Chinese characters.

Now let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy art with "分" inside:
三分王业隆中对

Sunday 12 August 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "八"


Today we shall examine another Chinese character "八". As mentioned in topic for "切", its Oracle script is . It was also created with "一", but unlike "七", this time "一" has been cut through to be divided into two parts. It is the subsequent result of Cutting (original meaning of number Seven "七") and thus was used to mean next number in sequence after Seven - "七". As "七" contains the meaning of "Cutting the cord", "八" is then to contain the meaning of "Baby is fully separated from its mother and becomes an independent person".

so "八" means Eight

Let us see its evolution history (image get from http://www.vividict.com):
Evolution History of 八

八 is borrowed from  , which means "divide" originally, to represent number Eight. Thus same as how Chinese ancestors has created "切", "刀" was added under "八" to mean Divide (with a knife) - by a new Chinese character "分".

As usual, now let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy art with "八" inside:
八月湖水平, 涵虚混太清

Monday 6 August 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "切"


When we check Chinese character "七", we got to know the meaning of "切" already.

"切" means Cut

It is still good to know its evolution history (Image get from http://www.vividict.com):
切 evolution history
We now know that "七" was created to have meaning of "Cutting through 一", try to guess the meaning of "八", whose Oracle script is  ?

Now let us enjoy a Chinese Calligraphy art with "切" inside:

博学而笃志, 切问而近思

Saturday 4 August 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "七"


Today, let us examine Chinese character "七". As what we have mentioned in our last topic for "刀", it means Seven. The question is why Chinese ancestors used "七" to mean Seven.

As usual, let us check "七" evolution history first (image get from http://www.vividict.com ): 
Evolution History of "七"
In our previous lessons, we have known that "六" is created from its original meaning of "re-produce and multiply", while 六's Oracle Script has also kind of the shape of the belly of a pregnant woman.

So after Six - "六" (pregnancy) next stage is to deliver the baby. The most important moment is to cut the cord.

Look at its Oracle script -of "七" , it is to mean cutting the cord ("一") with a knife.

When time passes,  becomes too similar to Chinese number Ten "十", at age of Bronze script, the bottom of the  was bended to get , to differentiate it from "十". And after bending,  becomes , since then it looks like exactly a reaping hook.

As you can see that "七" contains the meaning of Cut, to differentiate the Cut with number Seven, Chinese ancestors added "刀" to "七" to mean Cut (with a knife) to create a new Chinese character - "切".

Now we know "七" means Seven.

Let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with "七" inside:
右十七帖一卷


Sunday 22 July 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "刀"


We have learnt Chinese numbers from One to Six as "一","二", “三”, "四","五", "六". Before we jump to Seven, it is better to know another Chinese character first - "刀".

You might wonder what is the meaning of "刀", and how is it related to Seven?

Anyway, let us check "刀" evolution history first:
Chinese Character "刀"
Chinese character 刀
"刀" it is a Pictograph character. Its Oracle script was straightforward to show an image of following object:
刀 - Knife

Chinese ancestors cleverly leave the sharp edge of invisible to actually show its  sharpest edge of the weapon.



"刀" Seal scripthas curved the handle shape, as it evolved to , the upper part of the knife handle is simplified out.  is quite close to what we are using now: "刀".

so "刀" means Knife. It is a cold weapon. 

As usual, let us end this topic with a Chinese calligraphy art with "刀" inside.
饮马渡秋水,水寒风似刀

And you might still wonder why Knife is related to Chinese number Seven - "七". You will understand it after knowing the way how "七" is created.

Saturday 24 March 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "手"

Today we check another new Chinese character - "手", which is drawing of a part of a human body.
Before you can do a wild guess, let us see its evolution history as usual first - (image get fromhttp://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "手"
Oracle script of  "手" is still missing, its Bronze script  is the Pictograph of a Hand with all fingers fully open, as the picture below -
Have to admit that you need very good imagination ability to predict that  refers to Hand. Oracle script might be much closer to the picture above. But the basic idea is still there.

Seal script  followed the path of  and eventually evolved to current "手".

Now it is time to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with "手" inside:
慈母手中线, 游子身上衣
Look at the poem "慈母手中线", as we have learnt "中", so meaning of 手中 here is "inside the hand".

Sunday 18 March 2012

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "马"

"马" is the simplified Chinese character as "" is the Traditional character. It is probably kind of hard to guess its meaning from its currently way of writing, let us check its evolution history - (image get from http://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - "马"
 Oracle script of "马" - is a drawing of "an animal with long face, big eyes, flying mane, long tail with hoof". I rotated the original picture by 90 degrees -which is more clear to above description. When we imagine an animal running fast with mane flying, the first jump into our mind is definitely - Horse, as the picture below.

"马" or "  
Bronze script simplified the writing but with an empathize on Horse's major characteristics - Flying Mane, Seal script  and Clerical script followed the path of Bronze script and eventually we have what we are using now as Traditional Chinese character . During Regular script, also emerged and is now adopted as Simplified Chinese character.

"马" or "" now specifically means Horse. However when it is used as part of a " 会意 huìyì: Logical aggregates" character, it refers to its most primitive meaning "an animal with long face, big eyes, flying mane, long tail with hoof", like "驴" (Donkey,) which is an animal looks like "马" and works besides a house ("户").

There is a very famous painter in China whose name is 徐悲鸿 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Beihong). He is well known of his wonderful Chinese Ink Painting of Horses. Below is one of his artworks.
马 - 徐悲鸿 
As usual, let us end our learning today with a Chinese Calligraphy with "马" or "" inside -
卧马居