Learn one Chinese Character a day - 十

Chinese character 十 is a number after "九"，which means Ten. If you were the creator of Chinese characters, how would you create a character which means ten? To get more ideas, you can review our post "Learn one Chinese Character a day - 九" first.

Now let us examine 十's evolution history (image get fromhttp://www.vividict.com):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 十

It has been mentioned in our last lessons that  original meaning of number "九" is "baby crawling around to explore and feel the environment surrounding him". Capability of standing up (and begin to walk) is the next milestone of a baby after crawling as the baby can move around further in a 3 dimensional space. so Chinese ancestors used and  to mean "10" after  "九". 

Look at the Oracle Script , it is a simplified silhouette of a standing baby. When it evolved to Bronze Script, Chinese ancestors further emphasised that with a - which is a diaper wear by a baby.

For it was hard to draw circle or dot on to the bronze vessels, as time passes, circles were simplified to squares and  was eventually simplified to .

Here we have changed to 十 during later stage of Bronze Script which is very similar to how we write it today - "十", which means Ten.

Some examples of number in Chinese:
11 in Chinese is 一十一， 98 in Chinese is 九十八。

As usual, we end our today's learning with a Chinese Calligraphy:

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 十

And if you were going to create another Chinese character to mean Hundred, how would you create it along the logic path Chinese ancestors created 1 to 10?

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 究

Today let us look at a new Chinese character "究"， from its font, it consists of two parts, upper part is “穴”, and lower part is "九".

We have just learnt that "穴" means a "Cave" or "Hole" or "Burrow" and "九" has its original meaning as "crawling around to Explore or Search". So "究" was created with meaning of "Crawling in a cave to Explore or Search the unknown space". "穴" here is used to emphasize an unknown space that is being Explored or Searched.
so "究" means Explore or Search.

Below is the evolution history of "究". (image get fromhttp://www.vividict.com):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 究

In Oracle Script it was same as "九"， starting from Seal Script , Chinese Ancestors added  to differentiate it from "九", and it then slowly transformed to our current way of writing as "究".

At the end of our lesson today, let us enjoy a Chinese Calligraphy with "究" inside:

研究所

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 穴

In our last lesson, we learnt that "九", whose original meaning is "crawling around to explore unknown environment.", is used to mean number Nine now. Chinese ancestors then need to create a new one for the meaning of “Explore” as what they did for "七" and "八"。

Before that it is necessary to prepare ourselves with a new Chinese character "穴".

Let us see its evolution history first as usual (image get fromhttp://www.vividict.com):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 穴

Oracle Script , looks like the image , which is a Pictograph character. (象形 xiàngxíng: Pictographs, in which the character is a graphical depiction of the object it denotes. Examples: 人 "person", 日 "sun"). It means "Cave in a mountain".

Seal Script is still similar as Oracle Script , however when it evolved further to Clerical Script , it was simplified to what is using now - "穴".

"穴" means Cave,
It also has extended meanings, such as "Hole" or "Burrow"

It is now time to enjoy a Chinese Calligraphy with 穴 inside:

千里之堤，溃于蚁穴

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 九

We have learnt Chinese character from 1 to 8. Today we continue our learning of 9.

Let us check its evolution history as usual (image get fromhttp://www.vividict.com):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 九

As what we have stated in our previous post "Review Chinese numbers from one to nine"，OracleScript and Bronze Script demonstrates the meaning of that a baby who starts to crawling around to explore and feel the environment surrounding him. Capability of crawling is one big step for babies. Now they can move in a two dimensional area. Chinese ancestors considered it a vital moment of a person after the baby is delivered from its mother. The moment, when a baby is delivered, is used by Chinese ancestors to mean 8 (八), So and ， which is finally simplified as "九", is used to mean 9.


Now let us enjoy a Chinese Calligraphy with 九 inside:

为山九仞，功亏一篑

Review Chinese numbers from one to nine

So far we have explained the meaning of Chinese numbers from one to eight and how are they created based on ancient Chinese Philosophy with their unique perspective of the universe.

While reading the stories of creation of our world in Bible, I am thinking that we can also explain Chinese Numbers with Bible Stories. Hopefully it can help you to understand and memorise Numbers in Chinese Characters.

Let me draw them in a table that we can have a straightforward overview. Please click to enlarge the picture. I will update the picture if I can include more Chinese Numbers into the table or have better explanations.

Detailed explanation for each Chinese Number please referring to my blog posts or other online references.

Do let me know if you have any comments.

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:

刀

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

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

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

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

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