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