Learn one Chinese Character a day - 出

By looking at current way of writing of 出, you might wonder whether it is to mean hills with combination of two 山 (hill), which we learnt before?

Actually not and it has nothing to do with hills. To know why, let us check its evolution history: (image get from http://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 出

Oracle Script of 出 is , it is to show the idea of "somebody steps () out of a gate ()". Another Oracle Script was added  to emphasize "walking along the street". Step away from a house is meant to move out.

出 is slowly simplified and transformed along the time from till current 出.

出 means out.

That is it. Let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 出 inside.

宝剑锋从磨砺出，梅花香自苦寒来。

Before leaving, we have one question for you: if it were you, how would you create a Chinese character to mean a guest? We will reveal the answer next.

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 足

Looking at 足, now we can be pretty sure that it is related to foot, as its bottom part 止 hints. What does its upper part - 口 mean here?

To understand it fully, we need to check its Oracle Script - , with the help of Oracle Script of 疋 - . Even Oracle Script of 正 - can help as well.

Compring Oracle Script of 疋 -  to that of 足 - , we can see that 足 is drawing of a ankle plus foot. For 止 is no longer used to mean foot, 足 is then used in place of 止. So 足 now means foot.

Comparing Oracle Script of 正 - with that of 足 - , they were so similar that some Chinese linguist argue that 足 and 正 used to be same character. For 正 has had its 口 part be simplified to a dash, 足 thus keeps 口 to differentiate it from 正.

There is more to get from drawing of 足. You might be surprised to know that 足 also has the meaning of enough. How can a foot be related to enough? Comparing Oracle Script of 足 - to that of 止  - again. We can see that 足 contains the meaning of walking towards a target place as 正 as well! Since 正 is to mean "marching to enemy place", 足 is then used to mean "marching back to hometown". A triumphant return means "the army has captured / plundered enough benefits", that is why 足 was also extended to mean enough. Make sense now?

Evolution history of a Chinese character can always be great help for our better understanding of it, as shown below. (Iamge take from www.vividict.com):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 足

Now we have finished our learning of 足, it is time to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy to end our lesson today.

知足常足，终身不辱。
知止常止，终身不耻。

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 征

征 is composed of 彳, with 正. From our past a few lessons we have prepared ourselves with sufficient knowledge to guess its meaning.

正 originally means "walking towards the target place", Chinese ancestors added 彳to emphasise the extra meaning as "along the road" and "in a straight line". Thus Chinese ancestors created 征 to describe the scene of  "an army marching in a straight line towards the target". So 征 was to mean campaign.

As 正 also contains the meaning of right, so 征 is normally used in cases of military campaign for righteousness and justice, its purpose is to correct the wrong-doings of the enemy. Comparing to 征, when the purpose of a war is purely for plunders, another character 伐 would be used, which we can get to later. 

Some linguists argue that 正 was created originally for the meaning of 征, however 正 was borrowed to mean right and straight, Chinese ancestors then added 彳to 正 to create 征.

正 is also the phonics part of 征 that we would not be surprised to know 征 pronounces zhēng， while 正 pronounces zhèng.

Examine its evolution history can always help our understanding of 征 properbly, even its subtle implications in different usage scenarios, as what we figured out above. (image taken from http://www.vividict.com/)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 征

Oracle Script of 征 denotes exactly what we discussed above.
And another character in the image - 徵, has the same meaning of 征. We can get back to it later when we are prepared.

And in preparation for a military campaign, solders need to be recruited or convened, 征 is extended to mean recruit or recruitment / convene as well.

Now it is time to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 征 inside:

征蓬出汉塞，归雁入胡天。

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 行

We have mentioned before while we were learning 从|從, 行 is drawing of a cross junction, as shown by its Oracle Script .

Examine its evolution history will give us a better understanding how 行 is eventually finalised as current form. (image get from http://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese character a day - 行

It is then very clear that 行 originally refers to a cross junction, which is a most important part of a road. Later Chinese ancestors borrowed it to mean walking along the road.

And while an army is marching along the street, they form a straight line. Chinese ancestors then borrowed the same 行 to represent the meaning of a straight line.

To differentiate them during daily conversations, we pronounce it "xínɡ" for its meaning of "walking", and "hánɡ" for its meaning of "straight line".

Both two parts of 行 - 彳 and 亍 are used as Radicals, to adding the meaning of walking or a road path,  to form many more Chinese characters.

Now let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 行 to end our lesson today.

天行健君子以自强不息，
地势坤君子以厚德载物。

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 正

Looking at this new Chinese character 正 carefully, you might have realized that it is composed of 一 and 止. So it must mean something related to foot? That is surprising, to be honest, I myself did not notice that before.

To gain a better idea, let us examine its evolution history first as usual: (image get from http://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 正

Oracle Script is drawing of foot () walking towards the gate / place (). It means to go straight to the target place.  That is the original meaning of it, eventually 正 was extended to mean straight (adj) or straightly (adv), for example 正南.

As we have already mentioned before, with pictures, it is not practical to draw it differently to represent adj or adv. Thus same Chinese character can be used as noun, verb, adj or adv depends on how it is used in a phrase.

Based on its initial meaning of being straight or straightly, 正 was extended to contain meanings as right, for example 正确. Since also contains the meaning of walking towards a target place, 正 also has meaning of in doing something. for example 正忙.

Now let us get back to the history on how 正 evolved along the path as Oracle Script ,, to Bronze Script  and Seal Script , we can see that during later stage of Oracle Script and Bronze Script, people found it easier to carve instead of on hard surface of shell or metal, when it came to writing on bamboo sticks, Chinese ancestors made it even easier to draw just a . I feel it is a common behavior of human being that we try our best to simplify the repeating routines as much as possible.

Now let us end our lesson today with a Chinese calligraphy of 正:

九万里风鹏正举

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 疋

We have shown you the Oracle Script of 疋, which is . It is quite obvious that 疋 is a drawing of a persons foot with his shank. Let us examine its evolution history to get a clear idea how it evolved. (image get from http://www.vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 疋

From above image, we can see clearly how it is slowly simplified from a complex drawing as till current 疋.

疋 is now no longer a standalone character, but a Radical.

Let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy of 疋:

疋

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 止

While we were learning character 辵, we have mentioned that Oracle Scriptand Bronze Scriptis a drawing of foot, to be more specific, it refers to left foot of a person. To understand why, we need to check its revolution history first (Screenshot taken from http://chinese-linguipedia.org):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 止

Oracle Script of 止-might looks very abstract to know what it refers to. We need the help of Oracle Script of another Chinese character 疋 - , which is a drawing of foot with leg. Now it is very clear that   is the drawing of a foot with its thumb at right hand side. So it does mean a left foot.

From Oracle Script  to Bronze Script , it transformed along the way till our current 止.

So 止 original meant Left Foot or just Foot.

Drawing of a foot can also mean that a person does not move, but standing still. 止 was then borrowed to mean Stop, Stand Still as verb, or Stopped at as adv.

For 止 was borrowed and did not mean foot any longer, Chinese ancestors created a new one to represent Foot, which we will learn soon.

止-is a very commonly used Radical in creation of thousands of other Chinese characters. Please do remember it. It can help us to understand other Chinese characters.

Before ending our lesson today, please enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 止 inside:

知足又知止，从此苦不吃。