Lesson 7

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: In oracle bone script, the upper part of the character “家” (宀) represents a roof, while the lower part (豕) resembles a pig. The original meaning of “家” was a house or dwelling, and it later extended to mean “family.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: The character “火” (huǒ) is a pictogram, and its oracle bone script form resembles the appearance of a burning flame.

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: In Oracle Bone Script, the character “買” (mǎi) is composed of two parts: the top element is “网” (wǎng; net), and the bottom is “貝” (bèi; shell). In ancient times, shells were used as currency and considered valuable items. Thus, the original meaning of “買” was to use a large net to gather wealth, symbolizing commercial transactions. Before the Han Dynasty, “買” encompassed both the meanings of buying and selling. However, during the Han Dynasty, its meaning became more specific, referring exclusively to “buying.” To indicate “selling,” the character was modified by adding “出” (out) to the top, forming “賣/卖” (mài).

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, “飛” (fēi) is a pictographic character. The upper part resembles a bird’s head, and the lower part depicts two wings. The meaning of this character is “to fly.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: The ancient form of the character “自” resembles a person’s nose, and later it was borrowed to represent the first-person pronoun, meaning “oneself.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “公” (gōng) depicts two arms embracing within, symbolizing possession or personal belongings. The strokes on the left and right sides represent equal division. Therefore, the earliest meaning of “公” was “to distribute equally,” which later extended to meanings such as “public” or “common.”

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “車” (chē) is a pictograph, resembling the shape of a horse-drawn carriage.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “車” (chē) is a pictograph, resembling the shape of a horse-drawn carriage.

Chinese Studies Classroom: In ancient script, the character “典” resembled the image of hands holding bamboo slips. Therefore, the original meaning of “典” referred to important documents. Later, it extended to meanings such as ceremony, allusion, and dictionary.

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: 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.”