Learn one Chinese Character a day - 家

Today we are going to learn a new character - 家, it is composed of two parts we have learnt, upper part is 宀 (house) and lower part 豕 (pig).

Before we reveal the answer, let us check its evolution history first (image get from http://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 家

It is very obvious that Oracle Script showed the picture of a house having a pig inside.

In ancient China, pig was one of the most important asset of a family. People raised their pigs inside their house, where their family lives. Thus Chinese ancestors used to represent the meaning of home.

So 家 means home.
家 is also extended to mean a family, or a faction of people.
As 家 has the meaning of raising pigs at home, which was a skillful job in ancient time, 家 is thus used to mean a specialist or expert as well.

Now let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 家 inside:

家和万事兴