Learn one Chinese Character a day - 关 | 關

Today we move on to another character related to 門 - 關, whose Simplified version is 关. What does it mean? Quite clueless here. Same as 开 | 開, we could probably get help from its ancient scripts, as shown below (image taken from http://vividict.com):

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 关 | 關

Bronze Script of 关 | 關 - is quite obviously a drawing of following picture:

關门

 So Bronze Script emphasises the state of the "door as closed but not locked or latched". Another version of Bronze Script emphasises the state of "door as locked or latched", by using a 串 we just learnt. A baris put through two bolt holesto lock the door properly.

Its Seal Script however added (which is ancient script of 丝, here probably refers to rope) to emphasise the meaning of using rope to lock the door. Modern form 關 is a continuation from , which is obviously composed of 門， （which is 丝 - rope） and (which is the drawing of locking system of the door).

Simplified version 关 should be created from its Cursive Script - .

So it is clear now that 关 | 關 originally means "closed door". From here, many meanings have been developed for 关 | 關.

关 | 關 means to close or to shut down or to stop.

As  is the drawing of closed door or gate, 关 | 關 can be used as noun to mean gate, or checkpoint or even customs. A typical city gate in ancient China:

城關

And while door is closed everybody inside cannot leave, thus 关 | 關 is extended to mean imprison or take into custody.

关 | 關 is also extended to mean relate as verb or relationship as noun, like 关系. I guess it is probably because of its Bronze Script , 串 under a 門 (note that 門 can also mean a family) contains the meaning of strong bounding of family members.

That is pretty much all for 关 | 關. Now it is time for us to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 关 | 關 inside:

雄关漫道真如铁；
而今迈步从头越。

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 串

Before we move on to 關 which is related to 門, let us examine another Chinese character first: 串. It is actually a very vivid drawing of something similar below:

Different 串 of stuffs

Yah, you are right that 串's original meaning is: "use a stick or string to link-up or to group many similar stuffs together"

We can also confirm our understanding by checking its ancient scripts (image taken from http://chinese-linguipedia.org/)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 串

Oracle Script of 串 has not been found yet. Its Bronze Script does be very similar as what we are writing now - 串. 

So when 串 is used as verb, it means: link-up or group similar stuffs together using sticks or strings.

While it is used as noun, it means: similar stuffs being linked-up or grouped by sticks or strings.

And while it is used as a Chinese Radical, 一串 means one group of similar stuffs linked-up or grouped by sticks or strings. for example: 一串烤肉

Chinese ancestors were so smart that they thought "what can 串 mean as well if the two rectangles of 串 are two mouths (口)?" That is why 串 was extended to mean "collusion", for example 串供.

With the same idea, two rectangles can be used to refer to two gates or places as well (we have known it while learning 路), so 串 can also be used to mean "visiting friends' homes one by one for social connections" or "visiting different places one by one for social connections", for example: 串门.

That is all for today. Now let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 串 inside:

建平辣串

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 开 | 開

Today we move on to another character related to 門 - 開, whose Simplified version is 开. 開 clearly demonstrates its relationship with 門.

What does 开 | 開 mean then? A bit hard with its current form. Let us see whether we can get some help from its ancient scripts:

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 开 | 開

From its Bronze script , we can see what the 闩 is being operated by two hands

, which is quite close to what we see in below picture:

開门

So  refers to open or to close the door? That is ambiguous from how it was written. Chinese ancestors tried to make it clearer with its Seal Script - "horizontal bar is separated by hands to open the door". Starting from its Clerical Script ,  was simplified to  for writing convenience.

Yes, 开 | 開 means "to open".

And as the drawing of  also contains the meaning of "start to open the door", 開 means "to start" too.

Since we need to operate 闩 to open the door, 開 contains the meaning of "to operate" as well.

That is pretty much all for 开 | 開, now it is time for us to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 开 | 開 inside:

精诚所至；
金石为开。

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 闩 | 閂

As we have learnt 门 and 户, we continue our journey with characters related to them. Today's 闩, whose Traditional version is 閂, clearly demonstrates the concept of adding a horizontal - to 门 or 門.

Its meaning shall be very clear as well if we know the lock system of Chinese style double door, as shown below:

Some examples of 门闩

That is right. 闩 | 閂 means "the horizontal bar(s) used to keep doors shut", as a noun.

And of course 闩 | 閂 can also be viewed as verb: "shutting door with horizontal bar(s)"

Let us remember the structure of Chinese  ancient style double door, it can help to explain lots of other characters like 開, 闗, 閉 and etc. We will get to them soonest.

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 户

Our character today is 户. Based on its current form, it is quite hard to believe that it has close relationship with 门 | 門. However with the help of its Oracle Script we should immediately know its original meaning. So let us examine its evolution history: (image taken from http://vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 户

Comparing to what we have just learnt  , Oracle Script of 户 -  is quite clear now: Half of a Double Door, or just Single Door. That is its original meaning.

Its Seal Script was added  to emphasise the fact that door is made by wood. I guess doors were made of other materials along the time,  was thus simplified back to , then slow change to  and then to 户 as of now.

Below is a photo of what a 户 looks like in China:

户 - Single Door

In ancient China, wealthy family would build a house with big double door painted in red colour:

門 - Double Door

While a poor or small family could only install a Single Door. That is why we say 小户人家.

That also explains the meaning of 门当户对：when getting married, if you have a double door house, then marry somebody living in a big house; if what you have is only a single door apartment, then you should marry somebody living in a small apartment as well.

As 门 | 門 is eventually dedicated to mean all types of doors, 户 is then used to mean Family or Household. But please do remember its original meaning while it is used as a Chinese Radical.

Now it is time for us to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 户 inside:

流水不腐，户枢不蠹

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 门 | 門

We have learnt enough characters inited from 皿. Today we are moving forward to our new character - 门 | 門, which is another example why Traditional version is a better choice for mastering the meaning of a Chinese character.

Referring to its Traditional version - 門, its meaning would be very obvious after viewing its actual object below:

门 | 門

So yes, 门 | 門 is another Pictograph (象形)  character， which is a pictorial drawing of a double door. 

To have a even better understanding of 門, let us examine its evolution history (image taken from http://vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 门 | 門

Oracle Script of 门 -  is almost same as our modern Traditional character 門, with two panels -  and . Current Simplified version 门 comes from its Cursive Script  obviously.

As clear as it is drawn, 门 | 門 means double door and is eventually used to mean door, and all the extended meaning the English word door has as well. We need to go through door to enter or leave a house, 门 | 門 also means Gateway.

For door turns around its vertical supporting frame while it is opening or closing, 门 | 門 is extended to mean valve as well.

And 门 | 門 is the entrance to a house where a family lives, it became a symbolic of a family or a household. A big family grows to form their own group of people sharing same interests and separate themselves from other families, thus 门 | 門 is extended to mean faction while referring to people or category while referring to things. Extended further from here, while 门 | 門 is used as Chinese Radical, it can be used to quantify a group of people or a category of something, like 一门忠烈 or 一门学科.

That is all for 門, it is now time for us to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 门 | 門 inside:

九门

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 盘 | 盤

Now we are fully prepared for reasoning the meaning of 盤 - a 皿 used to carry or move stuffs around. 

Its Simplified version 盘 uses 舟 instead of 般 comparing to its Traditional version 盤. Thus 盘 actually lost the correct context for its proper meaning. 

And it should be understandable that 盘 | 盤 is usually shallow and flat to make it easier to carry foods or other kitchenwares around. A typical 盘 is shown below:

盘 | 盤

And Some other 盘 | 盤 which is used to carry foods:

盘 | 盤

And we can confirm our observation from its evolution history: (image taken from http://vividict.com/)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 盘 | 盤

Its Bronze Script   is exactly composed of (which is 般) and (which is 皿).

Based on its original meaning, Chinese ancestors started to extend it to include more meanings.

盘 | 盤 is extended to refer to anything shallow and flat which is used to hold something else, like chess board - 棋盘.

盘 | 盤 is then used as a Chinese Classifier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_classifier) to describe number of dishes: 一盘菜, or anything else on a 盘 | 盤, like 一盘棋.

盘 | 盤 naturally has the meaning of 般, so 盘 | 盤 contains meaning of move. And from the meaning of move, 盘 | 盤 is extended to contain the meaning of "Count or Verify in details (by moving items one by one)"

While a person sits like following picture by crossing his legs, it is kind of forming a 盘 | 盤 to hold himself. So 盘 | 盤 eventually contains the meaning of "to cross or to wind"

盘膝而坐

That is pretty much all for the character 盘 | 盤. It is now time for us to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 盘 | 盤 inside:

严寒(识)盘松

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 搬

Answer revealed, 搬 was created in place of 般 for its original meaning: "move / transport (people or goods) by boat", by adding another hand (手 transformed to 扌as Chinese Radical) to 般. So now you would not be surprised that 搬 pronounces exactly the same as 般.

搬

Evolution history of 搬 has been shown below: (image taken from http://chinese-linguipedia.org)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 搬

Seal Script has the extra 手 added below 般, while its Clerical Script  has already changed to 扌which was put on the left side to 般.

So 搬 means to move (things around). And it is eventually extended to mean to move or stir up anything. For example: 搬弄是非 which means "stir up to sow discord among people".

That is it. Now time for us to enjoy its Chinese calligraphy:

运水搬柴皆是道，行住坐卧均为禅