Enjoy and Fun Learning Chinese Characters(Part 4)

*Formed from the combination of two or more pictograms

 

1. 男(nan)= man
   
   Word "man" in Chinese is the combination of two word. They are "tian" and "li". It means that ancient Chinese people think that man usually strong and work in rice field to earn money for their family.

1. 看(kan)= look
   
   Character "kan" is the combination of 手(hand) and 目(eye). Look some illustrations below to more undestand about this character
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   (1)                                                                                                    (2)
   
   The first illustration show what Chinese people thought when they wrote this word. While, the second illustration show the combination of these two characters.
   
2. 娘(niang)= mother
   
   This one is formed by character 女(woman) and 良(good, kind). Our mom is the woman who is very kind to us.
   
3. 東(dong)= east
   
   Word east was formed by combining two words, they are word(日) that means sun and木 that means wood (but in this word it used to illustrate tree meaning).
   
   Look the following illustrations below!
   
   (1)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   (2)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   (3)東
   
   ⁽¹⁾The first illustration describe the image of sun rises behind a tree. It's can logicaly be understood why Chinese write east character by combining word sun and tree. Cause it's a fact that sun always rises on the east direction.
   
   ⁽²⁾The second illustration show the word sun in Chinese character and tree(wood) in Chinese character. And then, the third illustration is the modern Chinese character for character east(the combination of word sun and tree/wood).
   
4. 楼(lou)= building
   
   Building is the combination of three characters, they are character 木(wood),米(rice),and 女(woman). The building in ancient China was a place that usually built from wood(木). The building was used to store the rice(米) for theirs family, especially for woman(女). Possibly theirs wife, child, and etc.
   
5. 古(gu)= old, ancient
   
   This character is formed by two elements. The first is (十) that means ten and the second is (口) that means mouth. The story which has recited from generation to the next generation till 10 generation, it already become an ancient or old story. Nowadays, this character means old or ancient.
   
6. 飛(fei)= fly
   
   This character is formed by tree elements, two of them is the same character. The fist is (升) that means up or going up and the second and third is the same character, that is(飞). In simplified Chinese it means fly, but in this character it used to illustrate the wing. So, fly is going up by using wings. Not just a wing, but two wings.
   
7. 林(lin)= forest
   
   Forest is the place where woods are growing. So, forest can be formed by combining 2 characters of character wood(木).
   
8. 迷(mi)= to be lost
   
   Firstly, please look this following illustration...
   
   
   
   In this picture we can see there are a man stand beside the eight directions. So, it is illustrating that the man is confuse and don't know where he must to go. To East direction, to West direction, to North direction, to South direction, or to where? So, it's obviously show the meaning of the 迷 characther. In the character we can see the ilustration by the combination of this element ⻌ that shows the man and 米 the eight directions.
9. 聰(chong)= smart
   
   It formed by the combination of character 耳(ear),心(heart), and(illustrate the thingking brain). So, the smart people is a good listener who use their brain to think and use theirs heart to do all the things.
   
10. 過(guo)= pass
    
    "Guo" formed by 3 elements, element
    (1)⻌
    
    (2)
    
    
    and(3)
    
    
     The first element looks like a man(1) who walk away pass over the building behind(2) and see the building in front of him(3).
11. 傘(shan)= umbrella
    
    Umbrella character is formed by two elements, they are
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    The first show the image of an umbrella that protect the second element(looks like four people stand together under the first element).
    
12. 好(hao)= good
    
    This caracther formed by 女(woman) and 子(child). Why? The caracther女 in this character points the mother meaning. Usually, mother will do all the best to her child So the combination formed "good" character.
    
13. 美(mei)= beauty, nice
    
    There are two characters formed this character, they are character 羊(goat) and 大(big). Before, this character meaning a good goat, a big goat is a good goat. But, nowadays this word hasn't meant a good goat anymore. Now, it means beauty.
    
14. 養(yang)= to make care
    
    "Yang" is the combination of character(yang) and 食(shi). Because, the most activity to make care of someone or a pet is giving them food. The Chinese character of food is 食. And than, to symbolize the meaning of pet them use character "yang".
    
15. 忍(ren)= patient
    
    This character is the combination of 刃(ren) and 心(xin). Ren means sword and Xin means heart. So, the people who can with heart use sword to make a good deeds is a patient people.
    
16. 忠(chong)= faithful
    
    It is the combination of 中(zhong) and 心(xin). The people who can concentrate and focus his heart is a faithful people.
    
17. 炎(yan)= hot
    
    This character formed by two same characters, they are 火(huo) that means fire. One fire make you feel warm, but two fires make you feel hot.
    
18. 家(jia)= house
    
    The caracther "house" is the combination of 宀 and caracther豕(shi) that means pig. These two caracthers combine and became caracther" 家". Because, in ancient China every families and every houses must have at least a pig.
19. 毒(du)= poison
    
    Word "poison" in Chinese character is the combination of two element.
    
    Look the illustration below!
    
    
    
    
    
    The poison in ancient China was made of green grass to hunt animals. The poison is usually smeared in the end of the arrow to kill animals.