Lesson 6

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “到” features a shape on the left resembling an arrow striking the ground, while the right side depicts a person. Together, they signify someone arriving swiftly, with a speed comparable to that of an arrow. Therefore, the original meaning of “到” is “to arrive.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “星 (xīng)” is a phono-semantic compound. The lower part, “生 (shēng),” serves as the phonetic component, indicating that “生” and “星” had similar pronunciations in ancient times. The upper part represents the shining objects in the night sky, symbolizing stars.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the character “前” depicts a foot at the top and a small boat at the bottom, symbolizing a person standing at the bow of a boat moving forward. Thus, the original meaning of “前” is “to advance.” Over time, it extended to mean “in front,” “previously,” “former,” and related concepts.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the lower part of the character “見” resembles a person kneeling, while the upper part depicts an unusually large eye, representing the meaning of “seeing.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In Oracle Bone Script, the character “面” (miàn) is depicted as the character “目” (eye) enclosed within a frame, representing the area of the face. Therefore, the original meaning of “面” is “face.” Over time, it extended to meanings such as “in person” and “surface.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: “多” is formed with “夕” (evening), indicating something that accumulates or grows in quantity.

Chinese Studies Classroom: “英” is a phono-semantic character. The top component, “艹,” serves as the semantic indicator, suggesting a connection to plants or herbs, while the bottom component, “央 (yāng),” acts as the phonetic indicator, reflecting the similar pronunciation of “英 (yīng)” and “央 (yāng)” in ancient times. The original meaning of “英” referred to flowers, and it later extended to signify outstanding talent or exceptional individuals.

Chinese Studies Classroom: “語 (yǔ)” is a phono-semantic character. The left component, “言 (yán),” serves as the semantic indicator, signifying its connection to language or speech. The right component, “吾 (wú),” functions as the phonetic indicator, reflecting the similar pronunciation of “吾 (wú)” and “語 (yǔ)” in ancient times. The radical “言 (yán)” resembles a horizontal line added to “tongue”, symbolizing words articulated through the tongue, thus representing “language.” Characters with the “言 (yán)” radical often relate to speech or language, such as 說 (shuō – speak), 話 (huà – word), 語 (yǔ – language), and 談 (tán – discuss).

Chinese Studies Classroom: “語 (yǔ)” is a phono-semantic character. The left component, “言 (yán),” serves as the semantic indicator, signifying its connection to language or speech. The right component, “吾 (wú),” functions as the phonetic indicator, reflecting the similar pronunciation of “吾 (wú)” and “語 (yǔ)” in ancient times. The radical “言 (yán)” resembles a horizontal line added to “tongue”, symbolizing words articulated through the tongue, thus representing “language.” Characters with the “言 (yán)” radical often relate to speech or language, such as 說 (shuō – speak), 話 (huà – word), 語 (yǔ – language), and 談 (tán – discuss).

Chinese Studies Classroom: One interpretation of the character “言” is that, in ancient scripts, it looks like a horizontal line added to “舌” (tongue), representing words spoken through the tongue, which means “language.” Characters that include the “言” radical are often related to speech or language, such as 說 (shuō-speak), 話 (huà-word), 語 (yǔ-language), 談 (tán-discuss), etc.

Chinese Studies Classroom: “語 (yǔ)” is a phono-semantic character. The left component, “言 (yán),” serves as the semantic indicator, signifying its connection to language or speech. The right component, “吾 (wú),” functions as the phonetic indicator, reflecting the similar pronunciation of “吾 (wú)” and “語 (yǔ)” in ancient times. The radical “言 (yán)” resembles a horizontal line added to “tongue”, symbolizing words articulated through the tongue, thus representing “language.” Characters with the “言 (yán)” radical often relate to speech or language, such as 說 (shuō – speak), 話 (huà – word), 語 (yǔ – language), and 談 (tán – discuss).

Chinese Studies Classroom: In Oracle Bone Script, the character “興” features a stretcher-like object in the center, with four hands at the corners, symbolizing the collective effort of lifting an object. Therefore, the original meaning of “興” is “to rise” or “to get up.” When used in an abstract sense, it signifies “to emerge” or “to arise.” Over time, it further extended to mean being in high spirits or feeling happy. When it specifically conveys the sense of “happiness,” the character is pronounced as “xìng.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “趣” consists of several symbolic elements. The upper left depicts a person running with outstretched arms, while the lower left shows a foot with visible toes, symbolizing the act of running. At the center is an enemy’s ear, and to its right is a hand, illustrating the act of swiftly pursuing enemies and cutting off their ears as trophies for rewards. Over time, this original meaning evolved to signify things that strongly attract or captivate, eventually extending to refer to intentions, hobbies, and interests.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The original meaning of “麻” refers to a general term for hemp plants. To process the fibers of these plants into materials for weaving, the fibers must be separated strand by strand, which gave rise to the extended meanings of “disorder” and “trouble.” When used as a verb, it means “numb” or “tingle.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “煩” (fán) consists of the radical for fire on the left and a human head on the right. Its original meaning referred to a fever accompanied by a headache. Over time, it evolved to convey extended meanings such as worry, distress, and annoyance.

Chinese Studies Classroom: One interpretation of the character “長” (cháng/zhǎng) is that in oracle bone script, it resembles an elderly person with long hair leaning on a walking stick. Therefore, the character carries meanings such as “older in age,” “grow,” and “long” (in terms of distance or time). When meaning “to grow” or “older in age”, it is pronounced zhǎng. When used as an adjective (meaning “long” in distance or time), it is pronounced cháng.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the character “水” resembles the shape of a river. Its original meaning is “river,” and later it extended to mean “water.” Additionally, from the concept of “water being still and level,” it evolved to represent “standard” or “level” in a broader sense.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The ancient form of the character “高” resembled a house on a high ground, symbolizing “height.” Later, this concept became more abstract, extending to mean high in terms of level or standard, and eventually evolved to represent nobility or virtue, signifying something or someone elevated above the ordinary.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In Oracle Bone Script, the character “上” consists of a long horizontal line representing a baseline and a short horizontal line above it, indicating a position above the baseline. Thus, the original meaning of “上” is “high” or “above.” By extension, it refers to higher ranks or superior quality. It can also function as a verb, meaning to ascend, move upward, or advance.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The character “課/课” has “言/讠” on the left as the semantic component, indicating its relation to speech or language. The right component, “果,” serves as the phonetic component, suggesting that in ancient times, the pronunciation of “課/课” was similar to that of “果.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In Oracle Bone Script, the character “時” (shí) is composed of “日” (rì, sun) at the bottom and “之” (zhī) at the top. “日” represents the sun, while “之” conveys the idea of movement and also serves as a phonetic component. Together, the two elements symbolize the movement of the sun. Ancient Chinese people measured time based on the sun’s position in the sky or its shadow on the ground. This character stands as a testament to how ancient Chinese civilization recorded time by observing the sun’s motion.

Chinese Studies Classroom: “間” is a compound character. In ancient script, it resembled the idea of moonlight shining through a door, symbolizing a gap or space. Therefore, the original meaning of “間” refers to a crack or gap. Later, it extended to meanings such as interval, middle, and space.