Lesson 1

Chinese Studies Classroom: The original meaning of the character “學” (xué) is “awakening.” In bronze script, the component “子” (zǐ) represents a child, while “冖” (mì) signifies a state of ignorance. “臼” (jiù) is a phonetic component, representing the sound of the character in ancient times. Because a child is ignorant, they need to learn.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the left side of “好” is “女,” which can represent a woman or a mother, and the right side is “子,” which can represent a child or a male. One interpretation is that in matrilineal societies, women were highly respected, partly due to their ability to bear and raise children. The meaning of “好” as “good” or “beautiful” likely stems from this association with women’s role in reproduction and child-rearing. In ancient times, the act of women giving birth and raising children was regarded as a virtue, which led to the extension of the meaning of “good” or “beautiful.”

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

Chinese Studies Classroom: The character “朋” (péng) originally depicted two shells side by side and historically represented a “pair” or “set,” as shells were used as currency in ancient China. This pairing concept extended to mean “friends” or “companions,” as it implies two individuals linked closely, much like a pair.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the character “中” resembles an upright flag, with two flag tassels at the top and bottom fluttering in the wind. The “口” in the middle of the two tassels represents the meaning of “center.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the character “文” resembles the figure of a standing person. Its original meaning referred to “tattoos” and was later extended to signify patterns and textures. Over time, it further evolved to encompass meanings such as writing, adornment, civil and military matters, astronomy, and more.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The original meaning of the character “我” in oracle bone script referred to a deadly weapon used in slave society for executions and butchering livestock. From this original meaning, it extended to signify “wielding a large axe while shouting and demonstrating power.” However, by the Warring States period, the weapon represented by the original meaning of “我” had been replaced by more advanced weapons. As a result, the character “我” came to be widely used as a first-person pronoun.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the character “美” resembles a person standing while wearing a headdress. Its original meaning refers to beauty or being attractive.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The original form of the character “國” (guó) was “或” (huò). In Shang dynasty oracle bone script, the character “國”(guó) is composed of the symbol for a weapon, “戈” (gē), and the symbol for a boundary, “囗” (wéi). Together, they convey the idea that a country is a land defended by weapons.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The radical “阝” can appear on either the left or the right side of a Chinese character. When it is on the left, it is derived from the character “阜” (fù). The original meaning of “阜” is a hill, so when “阝” appears on the left side of a character, the character’s meaning is often related to mountains or terrain, such as “险” (xiǎn, dangerous), “阴” (yīn, shade), and “阳” (yáng, sun).

Chinese Studies Classroom: The radical “阝” can appear on either the left or the right side of a Chinese character. When it is on the right side, it is derived from the character “邑” (yì), which is associated with cities. Therefore, when this radical appears on the right side, the character’s meaning is often related to towns or place names, such as “都” (dū, capital), “郊” (jiāo, suburb), “邦” (bāng, state).

Chinese Studies Classroom: One interpretation is that in the bronze script, the character “真” consists of “卜” (divination) on top and “鼎” (cauldron) on the bottom. The “鼎” represents a cooking vessel, symbolizing fire. Fire was used to heat tortoise shells for divination to determine truth or falsehood.

Chinese Studies Classroom: One explanation is that in the Bronze Script, the character “是” consists of a sundial on top and the character “正” (upright) below, with the basic meaning of upright and not skewed. It later extended to mean correctness and further evolved into a response word, expressing agreement or approval. After the Han dynasty, “是” was used as a copula to indicate judgment.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In Western Zhou Bronze Script, the upper right part of the character “有” represents a hand, while the lower left part depicts a piece of meat, resembling the cross-section of meat. It signifies having meat in hand, meaning “having“ food.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In Oracle Bone Script, the character “名” is composed of “口” (mouth) and “夕” (night). In ancient times, when people traveled at night and couldn’t see each other, they would call out their own names. Therefore, the meaning of “名” is name.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The “辶” radical, also known as “chuò” or “walking” radical, is associated with movement, walking, or travel. It is a simplified form of the character “辵,” which depicts a combination of “止” (a foot or stop) and a repeated “彳” (a step or walking action). When this radical appears in characters, it often conveys meanings related to movement, direction, paths, or travel. For example, 進/进 (jìn, to enter), 遠/远 (yuǎn, far), 送 (sòng, to send) or 道 (dào, path, way)

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the upper part of “喜” is “壴” (zhù), which resembles the shape of a drum. The lower part is “口,” representing a person. The combined meaning is: upon hearing the sound of drums, one would joyfully laugh with delight.

Chinese Studies Classroom: The original meaning of “歡” is “happiness” or “joy.” The component on the left, “雚,” in ancient times represented sound, while the component on the right is the radical “欠.” The shape of “欠” resembles a person opening their mouth to exhale.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script, the character “氣” is written as three horizontal lines, simulating the state of clouds or air floating in the sky. It later extended to mean “air” or “gas.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In oracle bone script and bronze script, the character “對” is formed to resemble holding something with hands. Its original meaning refers to responding or answering. From the interaction between the parties responding, it extended to mean opposition, and also came to represent pairs or matching. It further extended to mean verification. In modern Chinese, “对” also means correct, in contrast to incorrect.