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•
THE NEW WAY TO READ CHINESE
by S H AOLA N aj!i\_
with illustrations by NOMA BAR
...,
••
..•
HARPER
DESIGN
An Imprint ol Harper CollinsPublisheni
r
r~
For Mulan
caJI)
and MuAn (·~)
On the cover: The character for 'fire', *-..
(Illustration by Noma Bar; art direction by Crispin Jameson;
© Chineasy Ltd)
CHINEASY: THE NEW WAY TO READ CHINESE Copyright © 2014 Chineasy Ltd.
The story on pages 159-179 is based on Prokofiev's Peter and
the Wolf (1936)
Chineasy"" is a trademark of Chineasy Ltd, London
Published by arrangement with Thames & Hudson Ltd. London.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in
any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information
address Harper Design, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.
HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational, business. or
sales promotional use. For information please e-mail the Special Markets
Department at SPsales@harpercollins.com.
First published in North America in 2014 by
Harper Design
An Imprint ofHarperColtinsPublishers
10 East 53rd Street,
New York, NY 10022
Tel: (212) 207-7000, Fax: (212) 207-7654
harperdesign@harpercollins.com
www.harpercollins.com
Distributed in North America by
HarperCollinsPublishers
10 East 53rd Street,
New York, NY 10022
Fax: (212) 207-7654
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013951753
ISBN 9780062358028 CKF8)
Author and Concept: ShaoLan Hsueh Bi*Ji!.
Graphic Design: Brave New World Publishing Ltd
Art Director: Crispin Jameson
Principal Illustrator: Noma Bar
Digital conversion by booqlab
CONTENTS
1: INTRODUCTION
The Calligrapher's Daughter
How to Use the Book
2: THE BASICS
Building Blocks, Compounds, Phrases
Advanced Sentences
STORY
Peter and the Wolf
3: REFERENCE
Building Block Plates
Index of Characters and Phrases
Acknowledgments
•
•
8
The Calligrapher's
Daughter
I was born in Taipei, Taiwan, the daughter of a
Call me optimistic, but I see the melding of these
calligrapher and a ceramic artist, so I grew up
two cultures, East and West, as being instr:ument.al
immersed in art and with a deep appreciation of
in creating a more culturally literate world . I also
the beauty of the Chinese language. Speaking and
writing Chinese is an integral part of who I am and
think that the East and West must understand
each other in order for global economic growth to
how I see the world. But it was only when I had
be sustainable. There is, however, a giant roadblock
children of my own that I properly understood
preventing the East and West from communicating
what a difficult language Chinese is to learn.
effectively and connecting on a deep, cultural level:
the Great Wall of Chinese.
Being of Taiwanese descent while raising my
children in the UK has made me acutely aware of
The Chinese language has long been considered
the differences, but also the similarities, between
the most difficult major language to learn, largely
Eastern and Western cultures. The ultimate goal
on account of the vast number and complexity
of Chineasy is to help bridge the cultural gap by
of the characters. When I began to teach my
demystifying the Chinese language, which acts as
British-born children Chinese, I realized just how
a barrier to so many people- my children included!
challenging its characters are for a native English
speaker. It was like torture for my children! So
Chineasy is hugely personal to me. I have done
I spent many years looking for a fun and easy
many different things in my life. I consider myself
way to teach them how to read Chinese.
to be part geek, part entrepreneur, part dreamer,
and this project is a culmination of all these
After years of searching, I didn't think that any
elements. My experience in technology ventures
of the methods out there were engaging enough.
and my background as an entrepreneur with an
So I did what any entrepreneur would do: I created
artistic upbringing have given me the building
my own method to learn how to read Chinese
blocks to make Chineasy possible, but it is my
characters - Chineasy. And you know what? It works.
childhood and my children that have inspired me
to make Chineasy a reality. I am proud to share
Chineasy's goal is to allow people to learn to read
Chineasy with all who want to learn and appreciate
Chinese easily by recognizing characters through
the beauty of the Chinese language.
simple illustrations. The magical power of the
Chineasy method is that, by learning one small set
of building blocks (see p. 10), students can build
Why Chineasy?
many new characters and phrases. Master a few
China is home to ancient traditions, breathtaking
sets of building blocks, and your learning can be
artwork and what is currently one of the world's
accelerated to a whole new level.
strongest economies. It comes as no surprise to
me that recent years have seen a cultural trend
With very little effort, students can quickly learn
of Eastern migration by both young people and
to read several hundred Chinese characters and
business-minded individuals. Everyone is starting
phrases, and gain a deeper understanding of the
to pay more attention to China, Taiwan, Japan,
historical and cultural references of the vocabulary.
South Korea and other Asian countries as they
Even though there are tens of thousands of
become increasingly popular tourist destinations
Chinese characters, only a few hundred are actually
and increasingly important as cultural , financial
necessary to comprehend basic Chinese literature,
and industrial hubs .
and to begin to delve into Chinese culture and art.
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
THE CALLIGRAPHER'S DAUGHTER
9
How to Use the Book
.. .. ·...
:•····························-~·····························
:•
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•
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A quick overview
.
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Each character in this book is introduced in its
Chinese form, followed by its English translation
and then its pinyin (the approximate sound of
the character; see p. 13). Each building block and
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through a series of between roughly 180 and
215 radicals. These radicals are then used to form
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burning hot
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and simplified forms (see opposite) and its pinyin.
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fire
(building block)
unillu.strated phrases (e.g. see 'heart' on p. 87)
Chineasy, and provides you with its traditional
.· .:
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are learning the language. Also included are
that lists every character and phrase taught in
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that will help to expand your vocabulary.
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blazing (phrase)
the characters of the Chinese language. Chineasy
has broken down this c:;o llection of characters
into their most basic and recurring forms,
allowing students to learn fewer and simpler
radicals that we have ter:med 'building blocks'.
One building block (e.g. the character
:k
for 'fire',
see p. 28), or a specific compound form of the
building block (e.g."" 'fire', see p. 28), cah be
combined with one or more other characters to
make a compound character (e.g. ~'burning
hot', see p. 29). Two or more independent
characters can be placed next to one another to
make phrases (e.g. ~~'blazing', seep. 30).
In compounds, a whole new character is created;
in phrases, the placement of characters next
to one another gives a new meaning to the
collection of characters. This principle of building
blocks is what makes Chineasy so easy!
o •• a o
10
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oo o o u oo o oo o O'! o o o o o o o • o oo-oo
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HOW TO USE THE BOOK
oo •'- ooo o -o o o o.o oo o o o o ooo o-oo oo o o oo o o -oo o.o• oo oo oo ooo ••• ooooo o ...... ooo • o oo oo.o o o oo-o o •• o o oo oo-o oo o oo o o o o-o• o t oo 0'! o o o oo o o •• o ••• 0'!0 o-o o o "" o o oo oo ooooo o o o o t o • o •• o
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Traditional or simplified?
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Chineasy teaches mainly traditional Chinese, which
is the written language of Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Simplified Chinese was adopted in mainland China
in 1949, after the end of the Chinese Civil War
and the establishment of the People's Republic
of China. Both traditional and simplified forms
still share a great humber of characters. Chineasy
.
.
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simplified form is used instead of the traditional
traditional and simplified forms of the character
are the same.
The evolution of Chinese
As in the case of all languages, Chinese has
continuously evolved throughout the course of its
existence. Political change, geographic expansion
and philosophy have all influenced the stylistic
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'east' in traditional
Chinese
specifies in the character captions when the
form (e.g. 'to follow' ahd 'crowd' on p. 17). Where
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form of Chinese characters. Throughout the book,
you will see references to oracle-bone If!~ Jt
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.
(c. 1400 scE), bronze script ~Jt (c. 1000 scE),
seal script
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as logograms, and therefore do not usually indicate
how they should be pronounced (see p. 13). However,
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as the Chinese language became more sophisticated,
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'sun' in modern
Chinese
~
two or more building blocks were used to form new
characters; in this case, one of those building blocks
was chosen as the basis for the new character's
4
pronunciation. For example, account/bill ~ (zhang )
on p. 85 comprises the building block for 'shell'
(associated with wealth - see p. 130), indicating
the meaning of the compound character, and the
character for 'length' (chang2 ) , which influences
the pronunciation. (See also 'at' on p. 115.)
OO OOO OOOO OOO OO OOO O
~OOOOO
OOO OOOOOO .. OOOOO OOOO·OO O OOOOOO O•OO•ooo OOOOOO OOOO•O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO•OOO .. OOOOO ~ OOOOOO OOOO•o•o I OOOOOOOO O •OO O"OOO • • • OO 000 OO . . . . . 0000 00.0-4 0 00 OfOOOOOO.O.o-OO . .. . . . . . . . . 1 0 • • • 00 OO -OOO O
~OOOOO ~- ·
· -O OOOO .. OO +-O -O OOOO O o o • •·OOOO<t-O • • • • OOOO···· . .. . . . . . . . . . . ._. . . . . . ... . .. . . . . . . . ..
HOW TO USE THE BOOK
11
W riting 101
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Every child who studies Chinese has to go
through this exercise when they learn how to
write. Each character has to be drawn neatly
inside a square. You can see that a single tree fits
into a square the same size as the squares used
for 'two trees' and 'three trees'.
You should see a slight alteration of the shape
t
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the trees are shorter in order to fit into the square.
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tree
from the original 'tree': in order to fit two trees
side by side in the square, you must make thinner
trees. When three trees are stacked together, all
•
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compound 'group'
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under the main caption for the building block.
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two trees
1.*. Other examples of this
"fi:.
~ on p. 26 and 'fire' j(
on p. 28.
Such compound forms are indicated by a note
•
••
II
alternate character form can be seen in 'dog'
,
•
•
Even though there are several different spoken
Chinese dialects, such as Mandarin or Cantonese,
they all share the same written characters; it is
...
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form
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= wood
i
..................
See p. 35 for more information about
writing Chinese.
··....
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In Chinese, certain building-block characters have
On the right, you can see an example of this
in the 'person' A = 1 compound form in the
.....
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•
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:
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as part of a compound. These characters are
traditionally known as 'pianpang' 1i5!?
_.......................................................... .
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ii
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•••••••••••••••
\'
••••••••••••••••
group
only the pronunciation of these characters that
wi ll differ from one dialect to another- often
completely.
The 'pinyin' pronunciation guide used in this
book corresponds to Mandarin only, which is
the most widely used Chinese dialect and counts
over 960 million native speakers (out of a total
of over 1.2 billion Chinese speakers) - see
'Speaking 101' opposite for more information
about pronunciation .
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12
HOW TO USE THE BOOK
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Spacing 101
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When you see two people squeezed together
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characters. Chinese characters rarely appear alone;
it is often only in the context of a phrase that the
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construct many new 'words' by combining existing
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phrases is a giant but easy step towards improving
The beauty of the Chineasy method is that you can
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squares, then you know it's a phrase - for example,
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to fo llow
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or more characters spread across two or more
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'everyone'
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person
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your Chinese study.
everyone
Speaking 101
To teach Mandarin Chinese to non-native speakers,
most teachers use pinyin, the only standard
phonetic system for transcribing the sound
of Chinese characters in the romanized alphabet.
Chinese is a tonal language, so the pinyin system
uses a series of either numerals or glyphs to
represent tone. For instance, the pinyin for 'person'
2
can be written as either ren or ren. Chineasy
uses the numerical pinyin system. After every
English translation, you will see a word in brackets
followed by a number; this acts as a guide to the
pronunciation of the character. See, for example,
p. 16
A
person (ren
2
).
Tone 1 = high level tone
Tone 2 = high rising tone
Tone 3 =falling rising tone
Tone 4 = falling tone
No number = neutral tone
•••• •
• • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • 0 • . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .
~··· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-. . . ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . ~-··· . . .. . . . . . . . . ... . . . . ... . . . . . . ~ . . . . . .
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HOW TO USE TH E BOOK
13
THE BASICS
Building Blocks, Compounds, Phrases
Advanced Sentences
A
person (ren 2)
Hello. people! Our first
building block is 'person'.
This building block
traditionally depleted
a human in profile.
Today it looks like the
profile of a man walking .
.. .
1
............ --··
-
.............
.. .,
,
.,
....
person ( ren 2 )
This character is the
form of 'person' that is
used as a component in
certain compounds (see
explanation on p. 12).
It is known as ¥A.~.
which translates as 'single
person side-radical'. See
'group' on p. 29 for an
example of th1s character.
....... . ...............................................................-..-.............._........ -.....•..............................................•............................................................................................................
16
PERSON BU;LD I NG B L OCK
to follow
man
big
M to follow
(cong 2 )
f:A crowd
(zhong 4 )
This character comprises
'Two's company, three's
This character depicts a
'Man' is the compound
two building blocks for
'p erson'. One man leads, the
other follows close behind .
a crowd.' Three building
blocks for 'person' make a
crowd. This is the simplified
man stretching his arms
wide. Imagine that he is
saying, 'It WC!S this big.'
for 'big' with an extra
This is the simplified form;
the traditional form of this
form; the traditional form
of this character is ~.
character is ~ .
....... ... .. ... . ...... ...
·-···~·······
............. _........................................................................... '····to········ ................................... '!'" ...................... ' .....
line across the top of
the character, like wide
shoulders. This line
represents the pins in a
man 's topknot hairstyle.
04 · · -· · · . . . . . . . . ~· · . . . . . . . . . . ._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._. . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . ..
PERSO N COMPOUNDS
17
*.A.
adult
(da4 ren 2 )
Height doesn't always
indicate maturity, but.
in simple terms, an adult
is just a big person.
big + person = adult
l\.f:A
public
(da 4 zhong 4 )
The public is made up of
a large group of people.
'.•.••..•....•......... .....•••.. ..••••..••..••••••••.•••.•••••..•••.......•....................•....•..........•...••.............
••
big
person
••
•
crowd
l
person
.•
.•
'
adult
big + crowd = public
f:AA.
people
(zhong 4 ren 2 )
A crowd is made up of
many different people.
This phrase also means
'everybody'. crowd +
person = people
~A madam
1
(fu ren
2
)
l
big
~--·········•*••••········· · ···•··•·••·•••···•••••···•••·••·•••••·· · ···················~··········· ..••...•••.....••.....••.•.:
public
In ancient Ch ina. a woman
became her husband's
property after marriage;
she became her husband's
person. man + person
=madam
..•
crowd
....................... ···.
• ••••••
...... ···········--···----·--···--..........................................
-
people
man
person
.:••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
.:•
madam
...........................•..•.•..... ···· ········································~···································································································· ..·······~······································································
18
PERSON PHRASES
*. too much (tai
4
)
This compound comprises
'big' and a stroke under
the character, suggesting
something even bigger.
It also means 'extremely'
or 'excessively'.
4
*.*. Mrs (t ai tai
4
)
This is a strange phrase.
To have double too much
means 'Mrs' or 'wife'.
Do you t hink th is phrase
t oo much
is accurate? too much
+too much = Mrs
*.*.. too big
(tai 4 d a 4 )
A straightforward phrase:
if something is too big,
there is too much of it.
too much + big = too big
.
too much
too much
•
•
0
•• •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ._. . . . . . . . . . . .._• • • • • • • • • ._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . ..
. . . ..
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <00000 •
..........
.
.••
*..~ doctor
0
•
. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Mrs
(d ai4 fu)
This phrase has two
meanings. When
pronounced 'da~ + fu',
with a neutral and soft
tone, it means 'doctor'.
4
When pronounced 'da
+ fu1', it means 'senior
official' . Both are rather
archaic . big + man = doctor
•
0
:• • t • ' . . . . . . . .
big
too much
0 • • . . . • • • . . . • • • .... • . . . . • • • • . . . . . . . • ........ . . . . . . . . . . . • • • . . . •
• • • • • • • • •
• •••
•• • ••• ••• ••
...
,.
'
. ......................
0
•
••
~
0
too big
:•
•
big
man
!
0
..•••..•....•.....•...•............•...........•...•.....••......••.....••.•.•••..•••••••••••••.••.••••••.••••..•.•..........•.•
~
doctor
....................................................................... ......... .................................................................................................................. ....... ................................................. ......................
._
._
~
PERSON PHRASES
19
AA
everyone
(ren 2 ren 2 )
person + person =
everyone
~A heaven
(tian ren 2)
sky + person = [literally]
sky person = heaven or
1
person
I.•..•.•.............. ................
······•·
person
i
...................................................................................I
everyone
a person with universal
1nsight
~* extremely big
(tian 1 da 4 )
What could be a bigger
space than the heavens?
sky + big = [literally] big
as the sky = extremely b1g
~~every day
(tian 1 tian 1)
As we have already seen
:•
sky
person
:•
\,, ............................................................................................................................:
heaven
!
sky
big
i
sky/day
I•
'······-·············. .··············............. -+••·······-··········..···"···-- -··-···-··-··--··-·'
extremely big
l•
sky/day
·••·•··•••··•·•··•·•·••·•·· ····· ...... ·· ······· .................................................................................
every day
opposite, the character
for 'sky' also means 'day'.
day + day = every day
Depending on the size
of the building block, this
character means either
'mouth' (if it is small) or
'to surround' (if it is large).
•• · •••••• •· Oo ·• •t ·
••~o·
.. •••••·• •l · >fttu - uoo•· •••••· ••••" •••• · •••
Q to surround (wei 2)
Can you tell the difference
between these two
characters? It is nearly
impossible, but the
d ifference is usually made
evident by the meaning
of the compound . It's
useful to remember that
'to surround' never appears
alone, so if you see a standalone Q, it is the character
for 'mouth' .
......... ..... ......... ····· . ........ . ·············.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
-
22
MOUTH BU ILDING BLOCK
QQ
shout
shout
quality
to cause
to return
(xu an 1)
~ quality (pin
3
IBl
)
to return (hu?)
A mouth emits sound.
Imagine that each mouth
This character is a
This character is a
Two mouths emit even
more sound! This is a rare
character, so use it to show
is an opinion. The quality
of something is judged by
what people say about it.
combination of 'mouth'
and 'big'. It also means
'because of' and 'reason'.
combination of a small
'mouth' and 'to surround'.
Imagine that it depicts
off to your Chinese friends!
This character also means
'item', 'product' or 'grade'.
I like to remember it by
thinking that a big mouth
causes problems (although,
a swirling whirlpool,
continuously turning
back on itself.
in this case, r::l means 'to
surround') .
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
MOUTH COMPOUNDS
23
AD
population
( ren 2 kou 3 )
When w e start counting
how many mouths we
need to feed, we are
talking about population.
person + mouth =
population
A~ morality
(ren
2
••
:
mouth
..........................person
I•
•· · ...... ............. ... ' ·••·· ................................................................
p in 3 )
I
...
Remember, it is always
populat ion
wise to judge the quality
of a person on the basis
of their mora lity.
person + quality
= morality
§l A Hui people
( hui 2 ren 2 )
'Hu i' is used to refer to
Chinese speakers of
Muslim ancestry. They
are one of the fifty-six
recognized ethnic groups
!
person
·..................... ... ... ........... · ··· ·· ··· ·
in China. to return + person
= [literally] returned people
= Hui people
........... .•• ..
quality
i
person
:•
··········- ··············· .. . .................:
m orality
A.fl
m ermaid
(ren 2 yu 2 )
In ancient China, this
phrase referred to the
giant sa lamander. Today
it means 'mermaid'.
person + fish = [l iterally]
fish person = mermaid
i•
to return
••••••••••••••••
..
..
-
Hui peop le
l
person
•........................
-
·····-·
fish
m ermaid
•
···-········-··/
i•
··-·······-···-··
................ ... .... ... ...... ....................................... ..........._...........................................................................................................................................................................
-
24
PERSON PI IRASES
~fish (yu 2)
Traditionally a fish shape
in oracle-bone and seal
inscriptions, this character
originally referred to 'an
aquatic vertebrate', but
has since been extended
to mean ' fish'. Its simplified
form is
i!.
· · ····· ················ ····· ········ ······· ····· ·· ··· ··· ······ ··· ······· ··········· ···· ··· ········ · ······ ··· · · ···· ·········· ······· ····· ·· ·· · ···· · ·········· ··········· ·····~· ··· ··· ··4 ······· ········· ·········· ·· ···· ······ ···················· · ············· ....... .
FISH BUILDING BLOCK
25
lC dog (quan 3 )
The regular form of this
*
character is 'big'
with
an additional dot on the
upper right side. The
earliest form in oracle-bone
inscriptions was a drawing
of a dog, with the extra
stroke representing its tail.
...... . · ·· ·· ···~····
...•....•................................
~ dog (quan 3 )
This character is the
form of 'dog' that is
used as a component
in certain compounds.
See 'to stroll' on p. 113
for an example .
....... ..............................................
26
~.-~..._..
DOG BU IL D ING BLOCK
.................... ......................................................................................................................................................... .....................
~
to bark
to cry
utensil
This character is a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'dog'. When a dog
opens its mouth to emit
a sound, it is barking.
~to cry ( ku )
big
.:•··························-······-···-···-·····················
..... ......
to bark loudly
,
to bark
-· •· -· ••·- ·
'
:•
.
.. .,, ......................
This character is a
combination of 'dog'
and two 'mouth' building
blocks. As the crying
sound of a human sounds
similar to the whine of a
dog, this character means
'to cry'.
a utensil (qi
4
)
This character is a
combination of 'dog'
and four 'mouth' building
blocks. It can also mean
'instrument'.
i
big
to cry
l
....................... ..........··················· ...................... ·········'.... .. .... ····················
''
'
.
..,,
to cry out
:ko}t to
bark loudly
(da 4 fei 4 )
big + to bark = [literally]
big bark = to bark loudly
:k~ to cry out
(da 4 ku 1)
This phrase can also
mean 'to burst into tears'.
big + to cry = [literally]
big cry = to cry out
.••
big
utensil
....................... .... ...
· ·• -·
..
··············-···· ····achievement/generosity
'
..
.
-- ...........•......
•
•
-
*a achievement/
generosity (da4 q i4 )
This phrase can also mean
'great talent'. big + utensil
= [literally] big utensi I
= achievement
············· · ·· · ······ · ·········· · ······ · ··· · · · ··· ·· ··· ·· ······ · ····· ·· ································· · ·············· · ···· ···· ··········· · ···· · · · ·· · ·· · · · · · ········ ··· ···~· · ·· ·· ······· · ····· · ···· · ······················· · ········· · ·····················
DOG COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
..•.. .. ..•. ..
27
J<
fire (huo 3 )
The building block for
'fire' represents a central
flame with a smaller spark
on either side. It reminds
me of a campfire. I like to
remember this character
by thinking about a person
waving their arms, saying,
'Help! I'm on fire!'
·······················•·············••·····•············•·•·
·"" fire ( hu o
3
)
This character is the
form of 'fire' that is used
as a component in certain
compounds. When you
see a compound with this
character, it is normally
related to fire or something
hot. See 'lamb' on p. 41
for an example of this
character.
...................
28
...... .... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................... .
FIRE BUILDING BLOCK
~
burning hot
flames
* burning hot (yan 2)
"!K
#f.:k flames (yan 4 )
This compound comprises
The building block for
In ancient China, fires
two 'fire' building blocks
'fire' represents one flame.
Multiply that by three and
you have a roaring fire.
were used mainly for
cooking and for warmth.
When people gathered
This character is a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'fire'. It means 'to eat'
or ' mouthful'. Chinese
around the fire, they were
considered to be part of
the group.
food, especially food from
Sichuan Province, can be
very spicy, like a fire in
stacked on top of each
other. They are burning
twice as hot as before.
This character also means
'inflammation'.
your mouth as you eat.
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
FIRE COMPOUNDS
29
*:R."!R..
IJ.L
blazing
(yan 2 yan 2 )
A blazing fire burns with
incredible heat. You see
this character used to
describe weather, e.g.
'blazing summer' ~~
;t: S.
I
burning hot +
burning hot = blazing
~~ flames of fire
( yan 4 yan 4 )
This phrase might seem
redundant, but there are
different types of flame,
such as flames of passion.
!
·....
~-····
burning hot
burning hot
1
flames
::
.......................................·············.....................................................................:
blazing
flames + flames = flames
of fire
*.{X folks
(da 4 huo3 )
In ancient China, to light
the fire meant that it
was time to cook. People
who would gather around
the fire to eat together
were 'partners', 'mates'
or 'companions'.
big + group = folks
::
flames
• • • • 0 • • • • 0 . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ···• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 . .. . . . . . . . . . • • • • ·• . . . . . .... 0 • • • ._
. ......... 0 • • • • 0 • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • 0 • • • • 0 •• ••
flames of fire
...
:•
big
•·······················•· •...•....
group
,
.•••
......••.•................ ................ ...................••..••••.•••••••••••••••.••••••..•
folks
, · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • · , 0000000000000 . ,
30
000000000000 ooo•oo •••••oooooooooooo•••••~•••••••4ooooooo••••oooo4ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooootoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo••••••o••••••~4ooooooooo•••••••••••••••••••••••~•••••••••••••••••••••oooooooooooooooooo
FIRE PHRASES
A lesson in burning anger!
**angry
(huo3 da4)
Fire (X) is one of the five elements in traditional Chinese
medicine. Each person is born with a unique composition of all
When a person burns with
rage, we can assume that
five elements; it is this unique blend of elements that forms the
basis of your personality and constitution. The 'qi' (vital force)
they are angry. This is quite
an informal term. fire + big
=angry
of the five elements waxes and wanes in daily and seasonal
cycles. The theory behind Chinese medicine is that a person
becomes sick owing to an imbalance of these elements.
Practitioners of traditional medicine believe that when there
is an imbalance of the fire element, it results in a person
suffering from anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. So the
* * big fire
(da4 huo3)
A very simple phrase.
big + fire = big fire
element of fire is associated with a person's temper.
Theoretically, when a person's fire accumulates, so does
the person's temper. They become angry!
.l
•••••••••••• 0 •• • •
fire
big
::
• • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . 04- 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · - · . . . . . . . 0 • • 0 • • . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
angry
:•
big
fire
:
••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
big fire
...................................................................... ... ..... ..........................................................................................................................................................................................
.._
._
._
FIRE PHRASES
31
The building block for 'tree'
represents a tree trunk
with hanging branches.
When this character is
used as an adjective, it
refers to a wooden texture.
When it is used to describe
a person. it means 'clumsy',
'dumb' or 'numb' .
.. . . .. . . . .. . . .... ... ................................................................._............................................................................................................................................................................
.
32
-
, ,,
-
TREE BUILDING BLOCK
woods
forest
foundation
to come
Two trees together mC~ke
a wood, which is greater
than a single tree. This
character is also a common
surname, pronounced 'Lin'.
It's C!Ctually my mother's
~ forest (sen 1)
~ foundation (ben 3 )
Three trees make a forest,
The foundation of a
house is the first step
in its construction, and
traditionally foundations
which is greater than a tree
or a wood. When used as
an adjective, this character
means 'dense', just like a
thick cluster of trees.
surname.
were made of wood.
This chC~racter also
means 'origin'.
This character is a
combination of 'tree' and
two 'person' building
blocks. In ancient China,
'to come' was represented
by a character based on
wheat, which had been
brought to China from
Europe. The simplified
form is*·
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
......... ' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
TREE COMPOUNDS
33
'**
originally
(ben3 lai2)
origin + to come
= originally
.21-' A one's self
(ben3 ren2)
Remember: a person's
origin often influences
their sense of self.
origin + person = [literally]
person's origin = one's self
*A
messenger
(lai2 ren2)
!
foundation/origin
to come
l
~--·~······················~·········~·······~................................................................................ .
originally
Before the age of
electricity, all messages
had to be sent by person.
This is quite an oldfashioned or poetical
phrase. to come +
person = messenger
••
••
•
person
foundation/origin
•••
•
••
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . 0 0 . 0 • • • • • • • 0 • • . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • 0 . 0 • • 0 . 0 • • • • 0 • • • • 0 • • _, • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • 0 • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • •
one's self
:•
.. , 0000000000000000 ..
to come
person
l•
,,. 00000ooooooooo.-.oo-..~ooo.-,.ooo.-.oo•Y""Otoo.-•t•••·••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••ooooooooooooooooooooooooo•••••"
messenger
...............................• ··················································4···············~··························································································~~································~·······································
34
TREE PHRASES
apricot
idiot
not yet
end
~ apricot (xing 4 )
This character is a
combination of 'tree' and
'mouth'. I would wait under
a tree with my mouth
This character is another
In ancient inscriptions,
It looks as if the topmost
combination of <tree' and
'mouth'. Noth ing is more
idiotic that the thought
t his character depicted
a realistic tree, with leaves
and foliage indicating an
branches of this tree have
plateaued, Indicating that it
has ended its growth. Make
open to catch an apricot.
of a talking tree! The
ever-growing, living tree.
The character also means
'almond'.
character also means 'du ll'.
The character also means
'future'.
• •• 0. ~ · ••••
36
u
·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • •
TREE COMPOUN D S
u
• • 0'4
• • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • •
sure that the upper line is
longer than the lower one!
''! . . . . . .. . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
. . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .
* * future
(w ei4 lai2)
not yet + to come = future
@] * to come back
(hui2 lai2)
to return + to come =
[literally] to return from
•
•
1...................................................................................................
not yet
to come
i
...... ,................ t••·······
future
where you have come =
to come back
*@] round trip
(lai2 hui2)
to come +to return =
[literally] to return to
where you have come =
round trip
~-*' medical
industry ( xing4 lin2)
:.•
to return
to come
:
...........................
................ ........................................................ ..............····················.
•
._
.._
to come back
..
'
to come
0 ••••••• 0 0 •••• 0 ........... 0
Today it is easy t o forget
that all m edicine was
once derived from nature,
and made from products
from the forest. such as
fruits, herbs and leaves.
apricot +woods = source
of medicine = medical
industry
..•
................ ..-...................•
to return
"* • .-•••.• .-......... .-.-.-.-.......................................' ·••• •
..
0 0 •
...
'
round trip
apricot
woods
.l••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
.i
••••••••• ••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
medical industry
........................................................... ................ ......................................................................,.............................................................................. ..................... ............... -··········
._
._
TREEPHRASES
37
This character is a
combination of 'person'
and 'tree'. I like to
remember it by imagining
a person resting against
a tree.
This character is a
combination of 'person'
and 'foundation'. A person's
foundation is their body.
This is th e simplified form;
the traditional form is
rest
body
person
body
ft.
A -1:* human body
(ren2 t i3)
person + body =
human body
*-1* in general
(da4 ti3)
This phrase can be used
to mean ' in general',
'more or less' or 'basically'.
big + body = in general
.•••
•
.....0 .............................0
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • 0 . 0 . . . . . . . . . . 0 0 · -· • • • • • • 0 " . . . . . . . . . . . . -4 • .._• . • • • .._• • • • • 0 • • - - · · 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 0 . . . . . . . . .
.
••
••
human body
1
•
big
body
·············•········· .......
···-··· ........................................................................................
.1•
in general
·················· ·······································································································································································~······--··························~············································
38
TREE COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
II\\
beautiful
fresh
/1\\
bleating of sheep
lamb
~ beautifu l (mei 3)
~ b leating of sheep
(miel)
This character is a
This character is a
combination of 'sheep'
and 'big'. In ancient China,
sheep were considered
combination of 'fish' on
the left and 'sheep' on the
right. Original ly it referred
This character is E1
combination of 'sheep' and
'fire'. It represents a lamb
over a f ire, which in certain
auspicious. This compound
to a f ish breed, but today
parts of China would
is also an abbreviation for
the USA (see p. 79) .
has been extended to
mean 'f resh'.
have been how lamb was
prepared.
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'sheep', and refers to
the sound emitted from
a sheep's mouth - 'baa'.
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SHEEP COMPOU NDS
41
to get out
to cry out in anger
immortal
two mountains
~ to get ou t (chu 1)
In the past, the Emperor
sent people in exile beyond
the mountains. As a result,
this character used to
mean 'exit'. Today it means
'to get out'.
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
nm to cry out in anger
(duol)
This character is a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'mountain', and can
also mean 'noise of rage'.
~··························-·············
iili
immort al ( xian 1)
This character is E1
combination of 'person'
and 'mountain'. Remember
two mountains
(shenl)
111111
This compound can either
that a man who lives as
long as a mountain w ill
appear immortal to
be a surname or r-efer to
two mountains. It's another
rare cha~acter that you can
use to show off to your
other men.
Chinese friends .
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
MOUNTA IN COMPOUNDS
43
tB Q
exit
(chul kou3)
A mouth that tells you
where to get out is an exit.
to get out + mouth
tB
=exit
*
to come out
(chul lai2)
This is such an easy
phrase. to get out + to
come = to come out
tB ~ to publish
(chul pin3)
!
·....
~-····
to get out
mouth
1
to come
::
....................................... ·············.....................................................................:
exit
How do you get a
product out to the
people? You publish it.
of course! to get out +
product = to publish
::
to get out
• • • • 0 • • • • 0 . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ·· ·• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 . .. . . . . . . . . . • • • • ·• . . . . . .... 0 • • • ._
. ......... 0 • • • • 0 • • • • 0 ...... . . . . 0 • • • • 0 • • • • 0 • • • •
to come out
:•
to get out
quality/product
:•
•...•.... ······•·· ................. ......•......... ...................••..••••.•••••••••••.. •••.••• ,....•
•...........•......... ··•·
,
to publish
................................ ·•·•·•··••·•··•••••
44
······························4···············~··························································································~~································~·······································
MOUNTAIN PHRASES
X l.U
volcano
1
(huo 3 shan )
fire + mountain
volcano
X l.U [:::]
crater
3
1
(huo shan kou 3 )
volcano + mouth =
[literally] the mouth
of the volcano = crater
i*X l.U
·~····
:•
volcano
(xiu 1 huo3 shan 1)
..•
...................................................................................................................... ···········
volcano
fire
mountain
fire
mountain
dormant
rest + volcano = [ literal ly]
at rest volcano
volcano
mouth
= dormant
;•
• • • • 0 • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • " • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • 0 • • • • 0 • • • • • • • 0 • • 0 • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _._._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 0 0 ....... 0 .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • 0 • • • • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
crater
.•
•
•.
.
.
•.................................
............................................................................ ···········-······... ·················· ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
rest
fire
moutain
dormant volcano
........................................................... ................ ......................................................................,............................................................................. ..................... .........................
._
._
MOUNTAIN PHRASES
45
"J(. woman (nu3)
This character traditionally
depicted an outline of
a woman kneeling on
the floor, showing her
obedience to a man. I am
very frustrated by the
origin of this character!
When used as an adjective,
it means 'female' .
. ................ ............... ·•·•·•··••·•··•••••
46
······························4···············~··························································································~~································~·······································
WOMAN BUILDING BLOCK
Why two women together
means 'argument'
Sadly, it seems that when women are together, they quarrel.
1& argument
~r1~~2~ally,
two women
were believed to be unable
to be in the same room
without arguing.
The character showing two women together represents
'argument'. This meaning is a product of Chinese history.
In the old days, it was inevitable that women in Chinese
households ended up arguing. For hundreds of years, Chinese
married couples lived together with their parents-in-law and
the rest of their extended family. It was not unusual for four
generations to live under the same roof. And sometimes
mothers-in-law took revenge on their daughters-in-law for
'stealing' their sons. It was also common practice for wealthy
Chinese men to have several wives (for example, my greatgrandfather, who was a landlord in Taiwan, had three). To make
sure that their own sons would inherit the lion's share of their
husband's wealth, mistresses and wives sometimes ganged up
on the newest concubines that their husbands brought home.
No wonder that domestic conflict was often the norm!
~adultery
1
(jian )
Any man with three women
is cheating on someone.
By now you may have noticed that, in Chinese, a character rarely
appears by itself. You often need to add another character in
order to clarify the meaning in different contexts. Many phrases
are constructed by repeating a character. On the next page,
you will learn that !I* means 'younger sister'. In rea l life, you will
more frequently see 9*9* (where !I* is repeated) to express
'younger sister'. This is very common practice in the Chinese
language; see the example on p. 156. The meaning of the phrase
is made absolutely clear by repeating the character. Other
examples you will see in this book are A.A. ('everyone', p. 21),
~~('every day', p. 21), 8 8 ('in vain', p. 63), ~~ ('mama';
see 'mother', p. 77) and 00 ('grandfather'; see 'public', p. 141).
As in the case of many English words, a character may have
different meanings depending on whether it is used as a noun,
a verb or an adjective. For example, "9:.. is 'woman', but when
talking about 'a woman', you will more frequently see the phrase
"9:.. A (p. 49), where "9:.. is the adjective 'female' and A is the
noun 'person'.
Another example is 'forest'. The character~ on its own
means
'forest' (p. 33), but when we talk about 'a forest', we often use
the phrase~** (p. 156), where~ is the adjective 'forest-like'
used to describe the noun ** 'woods'.
A final example is 'tomorrow'. The character B~ can mean
'bright',
'brightness' or 'tomorrow' (p. 57). But you more frequently see
the phrase B~ S used to refer to 'tomorrow' (p. 59), where B~
is used as an adjective to describe the noun
•• 0 •
S
'day' .
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._• • • ._• • • • • ._• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • · · • .• • • • • ·· · • . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
WOMAN COMPOUNDS
47
to obey
younger sister
daught er
greed
~[] to obey ( r u2)
9* younger sister
This character is a
( m ei 4 )
combination of 'woman'
and 'mouth!. A woman in
ancient China didn't speak
her own opinions, she
obeyed . This compound
also means 'is like' (see
This character is a
combination of 'woman'
and 'not yet', so the literal
translation is 'not yet a
woman'. It is used to refer
to a younger sister.
p. 65) and 'if' (see 'to
forgive', p. 87) .
• • • 0 . ~· • • • •
48
u
·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • •
WOMAN COMPOUNDS
~ daught er (nanl)
This character is a
combination of 'woman'
and 'to surround'. Young
g irls were traditionally
kept in their fami ly homes,
surrounded by their family,
to protect their modesty
This character is a
combination of 'woods'
and 'woman'. It also means
'a great number ' or 'a lot'.
'A lot of woman' means
'greed' - that's so negative!
for their eventua l marriage.
u
• • 0'4
• • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • •
''! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
. . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .
1ili ti:. fairy (xianl
5~~ the mythical
immortals, fairies are most
associated with women.
immortal + woman = fairy
tz:..A. woman
(nu 3 ren 2)
A female person is a
woman. woman/female
+ person = woman
*11* eldest
1
immortal
woman
1
younger sister
( da4 mei 4 )
·........................................................~············ ..··························· ···············~·········~··~····
fairy
Family hierarchy was
extremely important in
ancient China. Authority
was based on age and
sex. Men ruled the family
hierarchy in age order,
continuing with the women
from eldest to youngest.
The second youngest
sister in the family wou ld
therefore be one above
the lowest-ranking
member of the fami ly.
big + younger sister =
[literally] big younger sist er
= eldest younger sister
woman/female
person
·i.......................................
.............................................................
..................................:j
.._
woman
••
big
............................................................................. ····%
younger sister
..•••
-····-····· ··············· ....................
eldest younger sister
...................................................................... .......... ...................... ......................................,............................................ ...............................................................................
.._
._
~
~
WOMAN PHRASES
49
In oracle-bone and
seal inscriptions, this
character dep icted a bird.
The modern character
represents a bird with four
talons and a hanging tail
feather. The simpl ified form
of this character is ~ .
..
..........................................................................................~········ ··················· ················•·•····•····•····•·················································································•·········•····•···········
50
BIRD BU ILDING BLOCK
~ feather (yu 3)
I think it IS obvious that
this character looks a lot
like a feather!
...·····...........................................................................·····...... .....•............................................ ..... ..... ........ ............................... .. .. ..
.. .
...
.. .
.. .
.
...
.
..................
'
................. ... .
FEATHER BUILDING BLOCK
'
51
B
sun (ri4)
In oracle-bone and seal
inscriptions, the character
for 'sun' was a circle with
a dot in the middle. It
has since evolved to look
very similar to a Western
window. This character also
means 'day'.
········ ...................................................................
52
SUN BUILDING BLOCK
~···········~········
..···································•·•····•····•····•·················································································•·········•····•···········
•
sunnse
sparkles
east
to check
~ sparkles
.§. sunrise
rrl.an4)
iFl1s is an easy compoun
d
to remember, as it depicts
the sun rising above the
line of the horizon.
fj.j~g~~ form of 'sparkles'
*
This character is a
The original meaning of
was written as three circles,
two on the bottom and one
on top, and meant 'brilliant'
combination of 'tree' and
'sun'. The sun rises in the
East, and a man would
this character was 'raft'.
To check and explore
what lies beyond the
or 'glittering'.
have first gl impsed the
sun through the trees.
horizon, you need a raft
of some sort.
The simplifi-e d form is
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~ to check (cha2)
east (e:Jongl)
~··························-·············
*·
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SUN COMPOUNDS
53
S ~ Japan
(ri4 ben3)
Japan is known as the
'land of the rising sun' in
English. Japan lies to the
east of China, which is
where the sun rises.
sun +origin = [literally]
origin of the sun = Japan
EJ~A.
Japanese person
(ri4 ben3 ren 2)
..•
..'•
sun
foundation/origin
.•..........................................................................
......................................................
Japan+ person =
Japanese person
-
Japan
EJ~~ A
Japanese woman
(ri 4 ben 3 nu 3
ren 2)
Japan + woman =
Japanese woman
l
sun
foundation/origin
•o 0 0 0 0 0 o o 0 0 0 t o 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 o 0 0 ,.. o 0 0 o o 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 o o o o o • o o o o o o o o o.-o o o o o o o o o.-_o.o ._._. o o ..._. o o ._._. o o o o o o o o .._. o o o o o o o o o 0 o o o 0 o 0 0 0 0 o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 o t
person
0 0
o
t 0 t 0
o0 ooI
t 0
o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 ._. o o o 0 0 o o o o.-o o -..o.o.o. 0 o • 0 o ._._.. 0 0 -.o 0 0 0 '"-* • 0 0 0
;
°•
Japanese person
••
..••
foundation/origin
person
•
sun
woman
.
·.............................. ................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................•
,
Japanese woman
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••'"-•••--•••••••••••••••-"••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••·• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• . ,,,,,, ,.. ,,,,,, .• ,,,.,,,,,,,,o>oooo•••••
SUN PHRASES
55
.F.l
moon (yue4 )
The building block for
moon originally derived
from a pictogram of the
crescent moon. It has now
evolved to be a visual
counterpart to 'sun'.
This character also
means 'month'.
·······-·······················
~
= .F.l
..
...............
. . . .,
flesh (rou 4 )
The build1ng block for 'flesh'
(or 'meat') ~ looks almost
identical in its compound
form to 'moon'. Can you
tell the difference between
the two characters? It is
nearly impossible. but the
difference is usually made
evident by the meaning
of the compound . If you
see ~ or ~ as part of a
character on a restaurant
menu. it is likely to refer to
some part of an animal although not necessarily
a part that you would like
to eat.
....... ...................................................
56
~
.................................................................................................................................................... ..................... ...............................
MOON BUI LDING BLOCK
~
.ruJ
friend
bright
gall bladder
skin
friend (peng2)
In oracle-bone Inscriptions,
this character depicted two
bunches of shells, which
were used at the time as a
form of currency.
a~ bright ( m in g2)
When the sun and moon
shine together, it creates
a character meqning
'bright' or 'brightness'.
This character also
means 'tomorrow'; see
the explanation on p. 47.
0§. gall
bladder
(dan3)
This character is a
combination of 'flesh'
and 'sunrise'. This is
the simplified form; the
traditional form is Jlli.
Both forms can also
This character is a
combination of 'flesh'
and 'man'. A mqn 's
flesh is his skin. This is
the simplified form; the
traditional form is
Jl.
mean 'courage' .
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
MOON COMPOUNDS
57
~ tB to find out
(cha2 chul)
to check + to get out =
[literally] to check out =
to find out
~BJ3 to ascertain
(cha2 ming2)
to check + bright =
[literally] to clarify what
you check = to ascertain
*B
in the
comrng
.
i•
(j1~§Ji~ffii{g~l6ck
to check
to get out
i•
.............................. ·····························•··•·················································•······•········
to find out
for
'sun' can also double as
the character for 'day'.
to come + day
coming days
= in the
.:•
to check
bright
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 0 • .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., • 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 . . . . . 0 • • 0 • • • 0 . 0 • • • • • • 0 · -· . . . . . . . . .
·~· . . . . . . . . . . . . . ·
-·
:.
•
• • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • 0 00 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
to ascertain
to come
sun/day
1
.i························•••··
........ ····· ....................................................................................
in the coming days
·-············ ······ -···· ................ -·············...................................................................................................................................................... ..... ................................................................
'
58
SUN/MOOON PHRASES
._
._
BJ:}
S
tomorrow
(m ing 2 ri4 )
Remember, after a day and
a night comes tomorrow.
bright + day = tomorrow
*S
*F.l
today (ben 3
.4 )
8n~in + day= today
this month
(ben3 yu e 4 )
Just as the 'sun' bu ilding
••
•
••
bright
:
••
sun/day
• • • • • • 0 • • • . . . . . . . . . 0 • • 0 . 0 . · ·-· • • • • • 0 . · -• • ' ' " ' ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' • • • • • • • • •
• 0 •• ' ••••••••• '0.
···~-
•
0 0 . . . ..
tomorrow
block can also mean 'day',
so the 'moon' building
block can also mean
'month'. origin + month =
this month
:•
foundation/origin
sun/day
•' • • • · o•••••• ··••••• • •••••••o-. o oooooo·• ..-ooo•ca.oaa.oc&ooooloooooo o oooooooO-Ooooo o ooooooooooooooot •· Oo +·-·•••• -•ooooooooo
:•
•
••oooooooooooOa-•o'
today
foundation/origin
moon/month
:
I·.............................
:
........................................................ ·- .. .. .................. ··············
this month
······································································--······················································································································-·············- ·················
-····-· · •· ...... ······························
SUN/MOON PHRASES
59
.r. work (gongl)
In oracle-bone Inscriptions.
this character was
depicted as a tool shape,
and 1ts original meaning
was 'holding a tool' or
'carpenter's square'. Today
it has been extended to
mean 'work', 'labour' or
'skill'. Compounds that
use this character
Include:
a: left (zuol)
~ right (you4)
21 wizard (wul)
I A 1worker
2
(gong ren
)
work + person = [ literally]
working person = w o rker
or labourer
AI
artificial
( ren 2 gong 1)
•
::
person + work = [l iterally)
person's work = man-made
= artificial
work
person
l
.
················-········-········-·····..·······..···-················ --· ...................................................
worker
1z. I
female worker
(nu 3 g ong 1)
woman + work =
[literally] woman's work
or needlework = female
worker
•
••
••
•
*o 0 0 0
person
*0
work
0 0 o• 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o• 0 0 0 0 0 Oo-0 0 o· • o ·o ..._. • • 0 0 . 0 0 • •. • ._.. 0 oo o . 0 0 o o o 0 Oo o o 0 o o 0 o o o o 0 0 o 0 o o ,. 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0* ,. 0>
o0 0
•
l
................................••
.
artificial
•
•
i•
woman
..................... •·········· ............................ .............
work
.'
:
••
... .... . .. .. ··- .·······················.
'
female worker
················ · ······································································································· · ····· · · · ···········································~··············································
..... ·······..•.........•.....••....... ..... . ..
WORK PHRASES
61
white + white =
in vain/ for no purpose
8 A2 Caucasian
2
( bai ren
)
An alternative but
derogatory word for
Caucasian is 'gweilo',
which means 'ghost person'.
white + person = [literally]
white man = Caucasian
white
I
•
••................... ················ ·-···-···-····-· ···.............. ·· · ••• > ' - .•••••••. .
.
1n vam
.
white
..
--··
:
........................•
l
8 ~daytime
2
1
(bai tian
)
The character for 'sky'
can also mean 'heaven'
or 'day'. In this instance,
it means 'day'.
white + day = daytime
B 2 to learn/practise
(xi
)
This character is a
combination of 'feather'
and 'white'. It generally
refers to learning to fly.
Its simp lified form is
••
person
......................... ..................................................... .................. ······... . .... ...•..
I•
white
,
,
:s:.J.
:••
'
·
I o o0 U
•
o o I 04 o o I o.e 0 °
Caucasian
white
sky/day
::
.i...... ........................
·················-·· -····· ··· .. ..... .... ... ···· ••• ··· .. · ·· -·. ·· -· .. ..................
-
daytime
..........................•...........•........... .......................................................•..............•.•....•......•....•................................................................................................•..•...•..•...... ·•··· .....
WHITE CO MPOUNDS AND PHRASES
63
mtiger (hu3)
The buildmg block for
't iger' also means 'brave'
or 'fierce' .
...
.. . .. .
'.
-·---·. -··--····-···············-·······
Dht to scare (hu3)
Th1s character IS a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'tiger'. Imagine how
scared you would be to
hear a tiger roar in the
middle of the night .
. . .... . . .•.••....... ........
64
··································-·········--··-··-··-···-···-··-···-···························..·············..·················..........................................................................................
TIGER BUILDI NG BLOCK
Tiger idioms
1
•
sheep
to enter
tiger
mouth
!•
•••..•••.••..••••.••.••..••••••..•••••.••••..•..•••..•.•..•••••..•..•••..•....•••..•••..•••..•....•••••..•..••...•...•...••.••..•..•••..•••..•..•.•••..•••..•..••••.••.• ,...•••..•...••.....••..•....•..•••..•.•.••••....•..•.•..•..•••••..•••..•....•..•••. t··········
a lamb in a tiger's den
~ Am IJ is a famous Chinese idiom that means 'a lamb in a tiger's den'. The phrase is a warning against
entering a dangerous environment and becoming a victim as a result. You will notice that the second
character, A 'to enter' (ru 4 ) , looks similar, to A 'person', but its meaning is totally different. The slight
difference is in the length of the strokes. The right stroke of 'to enter' is longer than that of 'person'.
••
l
•
to obey
tiger
mouth
..••
··························~···················~·········~································~················································~··~·································--····~···········
as dangerous as a tiger's den
In this phrase, ~0 'to obey' means 'is like', while .J.1f, IJ means 'tiger's den'. The phrase means 'as
dangerous as a tiger's den'. If you see this phrase, keep your wits about you . An extension of this
phrase, ~~~~O m IJ 'the crossroad is like the tiger's den', is also seen at road crossings to remind
people to be careful when crossing the road .
•
• •
•
•• •
• .... •• •
•
•
• • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • •• • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '
•••••••
f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .· ·-· · .......... .-. . . . . . . . . . . ._, ........................... .
TIGER ID IOMS
65
r~ door (men
2
)
The building block for
'door' looks very similar
to a pair of saloon doors
from the Wild West. Saloon
doors may be a much more
recent invention, but the
resemblance is uncanny!
The simplified form is fl .
•·
........ -.- .... ........
66
'
'
... -······················· -........ .................................................................................................................................................................................................... .
DOOR BUILDING BLOCK
to dodge
to ask
space/room
leisure
~ to dodge (shan3 )
Imagine a person running
through a pair of saloon
doors. trying to dodge
arrest. This character
also means 'flash'. The
simplified form is j:AJ.
This character is a
combination of 'door' and
'mouth'. To ask a question
is the door to knowledge.
The simplified form is jE] .
~, space/room ( jian 1)
IJ.J,
This character is a
combination of 'door' and
'sun'. In seal script this
character was identical
to
' leisure', so it was
changed to prevent
confusion. The simplified
Before electricity, all work
stopped when darkness
fell and the moon rose.
This character also means
'idle', 'peaceful' or 'ca lm'.
Alternative forms are 1¥]
1m
form is
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
IBl .
and
leisure (xian 2 )
1*1·
......... ' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
DOOR COMPOUNDS
67
*r~
front gate
(da 4 men 2 )
big + door = [literally]
big door = front gate
P~
D
doorway
(men 2 kou 3 )
door + mouth = [literally]
door's mouth = doorway
l\.P~D mam
0
entrance
(da 4 men 2 kou 3 )
big
I
•
••.....••.....•....•................
big + doorway = [literally]
big doorway mam
entrance
.••••
door
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
front gate
0
.•••
door
•
.••
mouth
.....................................................0 ....................0 •
· -·
• • • • • • 0 " ..............
~-- . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
• 0 ......... 0 0 0 •
•
•• 0. 0 •
•
0 ... 0 •••••
doorway
..•
•
big
door
•••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ............
mouth
••
••
...... ·- ········· ..•.••.••••.•.••.••...••••...........................................•..•...........
.
main entrance
................................. ·················- ·······························~··· · ··························· ·· ···· · ·············································· · ······· ··· ······~ ····~·~· ·······~······························································
68
DOOR PHRASES
Are,
world
(ren 2 jian 1)
person + space = [literally]
the space for people = world
fMl A
idler
(xian 2 ren 2 )
leisu re + person
id ler
~A to sneak out
(shan 3 ren 2 )
.I••
person
space
•
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 •••••. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . .• • • 0 •••••• 0 •• 0 •••• •••••••••••• 0 0 •••• 0 •• ••••••••••••••••••••••••
to dodge + person
[ literally] person dodgi ng
to sneak out
world
j
leisure
person
j
................................. ~........ - ............................................................. ......................................J
idler
:
to d odge
person
.......................................................
.
............................................ -···························
••
I
to sneak out
............................................................. ..................................................................................,............................................................................... ····································· ..........
.._
DOOR PHRASES
69
foam
fountain
'7.X
.fl.J<
plain
~ fountain (quan2 )
WI'd e
expanse
of water (miao 3 )
This character is .a
combination of 'water' and
'end'. Just remember that
foam is the last form of
water as it crashes on to
the shore.
This character is a
combination of 'white'
and 'water:'. It also means
'spring'. Remember that
fresh spring water ofteh
comes from melting snow,
which is white.
This character is a
combination of 'water' and
'burning hot'. It also means
'light', 'bland', 'modest',
'essential' or 'tasteless'.
)I river (jiang1)
'-1-r
3
)x you ( ru)
5* to bathe (mu4 )
~
water + work
water + woman
water + t ree
This character comprises
three 'water' building
blocks. It is logical that
multiple waters would be
used to describe a large
amount of water.
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
2
to drip ( li n )
water + woods
......... ' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
WATER COMPOUNDS
71
71< ~ crystal
(shui 3 jing 1)
In this phrase, the 'water'
building block alludes to
the clear nature of water.
water + sparkles = crystal
D 7J< saliva
(kou 3 shui 3 )
mouth + water = saliva
:•
water
•
sparkles
i•
•
·······································································································~························
c rystal
)iii7J< fresh water
(dan 4 shui 3 )
This is also the name of
a town in the north of
Taipei County, Taiwan.
plain + water = fresh water
~.F.J quiet month
for business
(dan4 yue 4 )
A typical )~fi.l in China
is July, which is Ghost
Month in the Chinese
ca lendar. In Asia, Ghost
Month is an annua l month
of ancestor worship, w ith
some simi larities to the
Western Halloween.
light + month = [litera lly]
light month = slack month
= quiet month for business
:.•
mouth
water
:•
.
•·····•·•········· ...........................••...................................•....•.........••...•........................•
saliva
..•••
plain
••••••••••••••••••••
.:•
0
•••••••••
-
....
plain/light
..
.................... .-.................................-...................................•
fresh water
water
'
-
-
moon/month
;.
•
0 o o oOO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 o 0 0 00 0 ,_ oo ., 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 o ,. 0 oo o 0 , oo o 0 . o o o 0 0 oo o 0 o oo o IOooo 0 Oooo o oooa-0 o oooo o oo ..._.ooo 0 I_. I 6 6 Ill~ 0 I I I I 601 I I <Ia 6110 I I I 0 I I 6101°
quiet month for business
······························•··•··••···••••••••••
72
WATER PHRASES
······························~··············
..
··························································································~································~·······································
W-J 7_k scenery
(shan1 shui 3)
:I
mountain
water
····· · ········· · ··· · · ·· · ·· ·· ····· · ·· ·~ ···· ·· ·· · · ·· · ···· · ···· · ········ · ·· · ······ · ··············
::
The majority of scenery
comprises spectacular
mountains and vast rivers,
for example, Mount Fuji in
Japan, Mount Huangshan
in China or Ha Long Bay in
Vietnam, to name a few!
mountain + water =
scenery
...• .....•.........•...•.....•..•.
scenery
7..kP~ dam
(shui 3 men 2 )
••
••
•
water
door
. . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 .._ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .._• • • • • • • • 0 • • • • 0 • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • 0 . 0 • • • • • • 0 • • 0 • • • ,_, . 0 .
.••
.•
This phrase was used to
describe the Watergate
scandal ofthe1970s.
It is a literal translation
of the English name given
to the scandal that resulted
in President Nixon's
resignation.
water + door = [literally]
water gate = dam
., • 0 • • . • 0 0 0 • • 0 • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • •
dam
D 5* spit
(kou 3 mo4 )
mouth + foam = [literally]
mouth foam = spit
'
'
..
'
0
o o0 o t
5}t7_k spring water
(quan 2 shui3 )
spring+ water=
spring water
mouth
0
o. o 10 0 .. t
0 0 00 0 1 0 00 0 0
o00
0
.-o 0 o·o 00 o..-. 0
foam
0
o,.-.-.-o o-....-. oo-. 0 .-o 0 . o 0
0
o-. o 0
o• o 0
,_
00 1 0
•o o 0 o 0
000 0
....
..•
.... ''"' .................
spit
.••
•• • • • 101 • •
fountain/spring
......0...
•.
.
...... ·····.............................•
water
0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 ._• ._• • • • • ._._._,_..... 0 • • 0 . . • • • • • •
• • ••••• ' • • • • • 0 0 • ••• 0 0 '
spring water
............................................................................. . .......................................................................,..................................................... ................................................···············.......... .
.._
WATER PHRASES
73
~ cow (niu 2)
The original meaning of
th1s character was 'ox', but
since the clerical change in
writing styles it has meant
'cow'. If you see 'cow' in a
character, it tends to relate
to stubbornness.
'-.-.-
4=
...... -- ..... ······•····••••·••••••·••·•····•··········
cow (niu2)
This character is the form
of 'cow' that is used as
a component In certain
compounds.
0' ' ' 0 ' ' ' ' ' It ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 0 ' ' ' ' ' ' ' • ' • ' I t t • I I I f • I I U • I I I f • I I I I • l i l t 0 I I . . • 0 . . . 0 . . .
74
COW BUILDING BLOCK
oo -
0 I -
to I I I 0•4 0 - · I I t OO_ I _ I t l l ll t tl l t l l tl t l l tl t t t tl o l l l t t l t l t lt t I t t I I I I I I 1 • 110 o l i l t I l l I t t l t t o o I tO o o o 1 o o o I t O o o t oo o 01 oo o o 10 t oo to 0 0 o 0 Olo 0 0 01 o 1 1 0 0 0 1111 o 11 I t o 11 I l l 111 1 t i lt I t 111 1 111110 t t l o o
tf
7.}<
buffalo
(shui 3 niu 2)
The water buffalo with
a large crescent horn is
a major domestic animal
used in southern China
for paddy cultivation.
water + cow = [literally]
water cow = buffalo
~ tf longhorn beetle
(tian 1 niu 2 )
The longhorn beetle is
black with small white
spots resembling the
stars in a night sky.
sky + cow = [ literally] sky
cow= longhorn beetle
• •
i•
water
cow
l
•..•.•.•...............•...•........••.........••...•••........ ···•·········•· ..................... ·••· ....••••.••....•....•..•••
buffalo
• •
••
I
•
sky
...·-···-···········--·"'-···· ........ .....'"'......................... ..... .. .. ..
._
....
longhorn beetle
-
cow
••
••
.. . .....................•
................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................... -··········•· ...............................
._
COW PHRASES
75
~~ horse (ma3)
This building block
traditionally looked like a
horse on its side. Today
you can see only the
horse's torso. tail and legs.
The simplified form is
:Q;.
•
•
0 • • • • • • • • • •e
76
• • • • • • • • • • • • · • o o • • • • • 1000 ••ooo 0 ••oo 0 ·• • • • o • • • • • • • • • o - ........ o o oo -oooo o ooo 0 0 0 0 . . . .000000--000-0000eo•ooeoeooOOOOoOoOeooooooooooeooooeooooeo•o oeoooo OooooOo o o oeoo o o Oo o o o o o o o 0040 o o 0 00 o 0 OoOO oo o 0 o 00 o 0 o 0 o ••o I 0 Olo 0 0 0 Oo 0 0 o eo 0 0 o Oo oO 0 •ooO o IO 0 U
HORSE BUILDING BLOCK
IO aoo • • • • . . . . . . . o
question indicator
to blame
to charge in
mother
Dl question indicator
(ma 2 )
This character is a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'horse'. It is used at
the end of a sentence to
indicate that a 'yes' or 'no'
answer should follow. The
to blame ( ma4)
This character is a
combination of 'shout' and
'horse'. It means 'blame',
'abuse', 'curse' or 'scold'
when used as a verb. The
simplified form is~.
fll1
to charge in
(chuang 3 )
Pictog raphica II y, this
character represents a
horse charging through
a door. The simplified
form is I~.
9n~ mother (mal)
This character is a
combination of 'woman'
and 'horse'. 9191 means
'mama'. The simplified
form is '9E.J.
simplified form is n~ .
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
HORSE COMPOUNDS
77
.3S. jade (yu
4
)
Throughout Asian history,
jade has been more prized
than silver and gold both
monetarily and spiritually.
The building block for
'jade' comprises a bottom
stroke representmg earth,
a top stroke representing
heaven, and a middle
stroke representing
heaven's essence on earth.
lh simplified Chinese,
'jade' and 'kihg' are both
classified as radicals. In
some characters, the 'jade'
.3i building b lock does
not take the extra dot,
and so appears as 'king' ::E.
See 'whole' opposite for an
example.
•· .......... -
78
...... .....................................................- ..-.....................-..............................................................................................................................................................
JADE BUILDI NG BLOCK
king
countr y
master
whole
.± king (wang )
2
~whole (quan2)
Traditionally more prized
than si lver and gold, jade
was worn by kings and
nobles throughout Asian
history, and represented
the virtues of beauty, grace
and purity.
This character is .a
combination of 'jade' and
'to surround'. China is the
country of jade, so it is
logical that the country is
al luded to as the 'land of
jade'. This is the simplified
form; the traditional form
This character originally
meant 'wick' or 'torch'
but today means 'master',
'owner' or 'host'.
This character is a
combination of 'to enter'
A
and 'king' (in this
instance, actually 'jade').
It represents belongings
under a roof. It also means
'full' or 'treasure'.
is~ .
J;:.. J: queen (nu
woman+ king
3
wang
2
)
~ J: king (guo2 wang 2 )
country + king
J:~
kingdom
(wang 2 g uo 2 )
king + country
····················~···············~································································································~···········~····
~~
USA (mei 3 guo2 )
beautiful + country
.. •t·······················~·~·················································································
JADE COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
79
JII
river (chuan 1)
The oracle-bone
inscnption of this character
represented a river running
between two shores. Today
the character comprises
three vertical lines.
indtcating a flowing river.
It can also be used to refer
to the province of Sichuan,
known for its four rivers.
................ ... ·••·. '. ·····
- ····· ~ ~·· · ·"··················
1N state (zhoul)
Add three dots next to the
three lines of 'river' to form
the character for 'state'.
··-·-··
..
···-···-..
·-··-····-···-··"-·--······--···-··--·-·-·-··-··········-··-····0,'
...................................
········
................................................
·l.o.·-·-............_....................... ..............
80
RIVER BUILDING BLOCK
-.~
-J$1- boat (zhoul)
This charact er depict s
the shape of an ancient
Chinese w ooden vessel,
which looks si milar t o a
punt on a river.
· · ····················· ····· ············································································· ····· ···· ·········· ·············· ··································~·········~···························· ···· ······ ·································· ······ · ·
BOAT BUILDING BLOCK
81
ll!tii·~~
~-~r.wk
~~
~il
~~
£Sfld(~
~~~~
§Ytl
'~ --~'" ~
&-i~~
~~ttl
~ ljfflitijlJfl
tNt~~~
~
dDMfcBftf~
A
T tw~b~
-~~~It
'UJi~l+j~
-.~ra?Dtft~(ifm.
~ ftii~~~'tM~
~ ·~~~~ Jt•-~
This character was based
on the curled body of a
poisonous snake; you can
almost see the hood of a
cobra tn the character. It
also means 'worm'. If you
see this building block in
a compound character, it
tends to refer to some sort
of insect, reptile or shellfish
- for example, 'snake' ~ .
'frog' ~ and 'clam' ~· Its
traditional form is §I (see
p. 127).
········
.............. . .......
-·· ..... . ..... .. -···- ····································································································································-·········································································
84
BUG BUILDING BLOCK
-
'
.'
... .. ..
ft tall/length
2
(chang
)
The original form of this
character depicted a
person with very long hair,
indicating 'being long' or
the idea of length. The
simplified form is
*·
~ account/bill
(zhang 4 )
This character comprises
the building b lock
for 'shell' (see p. 130),
indicating the meaning,
and 'length', indicating the
pronunciation (see p. 11).
Shells are associated with
wealth, hence the meaning
of the character. The
simplified form is
IE·
........................................................... ................ .......................................................................,..............................................................················ ..................... ............... -··········
._
._
TALL/LENGTH BUILDING BLOCK
85
.
'L' heart (x1n
:\
1
)
This character originally
depicted a heart, but it
has since evolved to its
present form.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••
1' heart/vertical
core (xinl)
This character is the form
of 'heart' that is used as
a component in certain
compounds. It is known as
R'~'~. the 'vertical core'.
See 'fear' opposite for an
example of this character.
. ................ ............... ·•·•·•··••·•··•••••
86
······························4···············~··························································································~~································~·······································
HEART BUILDING BLOCK
must
bored
to forgive
fear
~must (bi 4 )
This character is a
combination of 'heart'
and a line () ). The
original form of the
compound comprised
/\ and ~. indicating
'using wood as a marker'.
r+-o :\.
3t 'l} contented ( an
1
1
xin )
peaceful + heart
(see p. 93 for 'peaceful')
This character comprises
'heart' inside 'door' . Imagine
that it syrtlbolizes a heart
that wishes to leave
because it is bored.
The simplified form Is~~.
J' Li' be careful ( xiao
1
1
small + heart
(see p. 132 for 'small')
3
1
xtn )
~ to forgive (shu 4 )
18 fear (pa
This character is a
combination of 'if' (see 'to
obey'. p. 48) and 'heart'.
You must often ask yourself
if your heart can forgive
a wrong. It's a slightly scary
image, however.
This character is a
combination of 'heart' and
'wh ite'. When someone is
scared or frightened, it is
often said that they have
gone white.
4)
~ 'L' whole-heartedly
(q uan2 xinlJ)
whole+ heart
········· · ··········~· · ·············~································································································~···········~····
.. •t··················· · ···~·~·········· · ······································································
HEART CO MPOUNDS AND PHRASES
87
to divide
to row
/1\\
to illuminate
talkative
~IJ to row (hu a
2
)
5.1"
to divide
1
( fen )
This character is a
combination of 'weapon'
(see p. 124) and 'knife'.
As well as 'to row'
(a boat), it can mean
'to pull' or 'to stroke'.
This character shows 'knife'
under the number eight,
and represents a knife
cutting something in two.
5J' 'G' to d istract
•o. BIR
(fen 1 xin1)
to divide + heart
q]J
talkative
~ to illuminate
1
(dao )
This cha racter is a
combination of 'mouth'
and 'knife', indicating
chatter or noise.
/_
~
2
1
This character is a
combination of 'knife',
'sun', 'mouth' and 'fire'.
It means 'illuminate' or
'light up' when used as
a verb, or 'bright' when
used as an adjective.
.3
7J :n clearly (fen1 ming 2)
7J J molecule (fen z1 )
to d ivide + bright
to divide + son
(see p. 96 for 'son')
···································· · ···········································~·····················~·····~······························································
(zhao 4 )
..········..··················································••·······•••····••·••··•••··••
KNIFE COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
89
power
to add
to construct
to d rive
1JD
This character originally
meant 'p lough'. Ploughs
requ ire powerfu l animals
to pull them. The meaning
has been extended to refer
to the power to pu ll the
plough.
to add
1
(jia )
This character is a
combination of 'power'
and 'mouth'. It also means
'increase'. This is also an
abbreviation of Calif ornia,
USA (see below).
~ to construct (jia
4
)
This character is a
combination of 'to add'
and 'tree'. It means
'construct', 'build up! or
'stand' when used as a verb,
and 'shed frame' when
used as a noun.
~ to drive (jia
4
)
Th is character is a
combination of 'to add'
and 'horse'. It also means
'to ride'. The simplified
form is ~.
1.10 1~1
California
(jia1 zhou 1)
Ca lifornia + state
• • • 0 . ~· • • • •
90
u
·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • •
u
•• 0'4
KNIFE COMPOU NDS AND PHRASES
• • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • •
''! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
. . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .
,..,.., roof (mian2)
The building block for
'roof' is hardly ever seen
independently of another
character. It is mostly used
as a component of many
characters relating to
habitation and architecture .
......................... ···············-··---·········---·················-·······························································--························································································
... ..... .. ........ ····· ........,
92
ROOF BUILDING BLOCK
peaceful
disaster
••
.
pnson
!J..!..
disaster
(zai1)
This character is a
combination of 'roof'
and 'fire'. I think anyone
with a burning roof would
consider it a disaster! This
is the simplified form; the
m,,
traditional form is
a combination of 'river'
and 'fire'.
.1]<j;z
flood (shui
3
1
zai )
water + disaster
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
home
3:( peaceful (an)
~ prison (liao 2 )
This is a more positive
compound featuring
the building block for
'woman'. Remember that,
traditionally, a peaceful
home was one run by
a woman.
Cows and buffalo were
used as beasts of burden.
The orig ina l meaning of this
compound was 'pen ', but
it has since been extended
to mean 'prison' when used
as a noun.
In ancient China, pigs
were raised indoors to
keep them safe. Pigs in
the house then became
associated with a bountiful
home. This cha~acter also
means 'family'.
' 1' m f.1re d .isaster
AX
~~ natural disaster
7\ ~
( huo 3 za i1) fire + disaster
(tian 1 zajl) sky + disaster
~
~··························-·············
1
everybody
(da4 jial) big + home
......... ' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
ROOF COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
93
mrain
(yu3)
This character depicts
water falling from the sky.
The top horizontal line( - )
represents the sky, while
the figure
represents
the space outside a city.
As a whole. the character
alludes to 'water scattered
outside the city' .
n
....•.....................•.............•....................
*m
rain shower
(da <~ YU 3)
1
•
big
ram
l•
················-········-······--································<···· --···············- ••···· ...,..........................
rain shower
big + rain = [litera ll y]
big rain = rain shower
m71< rainwater
(yU3 ShU13)
rain + water = rainwater
m~ rainforest
(yu3 lim)
rain + woods = rainforest
••
••
•
ram
water
:•
••
.............................................................. ....................... ........................... ............................
~
rainwater
rain
woods
::
.·i..................................................
.
. .............. ............. ·····•···· •·· .... . ........................
-
rainforest
················································································································································································~···································· •....•....•.....•.
··•·····•···•····•·•·· ··•···· ······
RAIN PHRASES
95
good
character
plum
twins
*
This character is a
combination of 'woman'
and 'son'. In ancient China,
the foremost requirement
of a good woman was
to bear a son in order to
continue her husband's
line. The chqracter Cqn
also mean 'such'.
T "tl..
3
offspring (zi nu
3
)
son/chi ld + woman
character (zi
4
*
)
plum (li
H
3
)
twins (zi1)
This compound is a
combination of 'roof' and
'son'. When boys are born
under a roof, it means a
growth of population, which
perpetuates civilization and
literature. So this means
'character' (or 'wo rd') in
Chinese literature.
This character is a
combination of 'tree'
and 'son' . Plums were
considered a symbol of
endurance in ancient China,
as their flowers bloomed
in winter. This is also a
very common surname,
translated as
Li or Lee.
•
This character comprises
two 'son' building blocks.
Twins were considered a
sign of either good luck
or bad luck, depending
on the region.
I :::Z..
.I. T
ST
-p:f1f) good intention
pnnce
(
wang
kihg + son
2
.3)
Zl
day ( ri
4
sun;/day + son
zi)
(hao3 xin1)
good + heart
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SON COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
97
§
eye (mu 4 )
Traditionally, in oraclebone inscriptions. this
character was eye-shaped.
but its form was treated as
straight lines in seal scnpt .
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
98
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .· · - - · · · - · · · - · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · • • • • • • • · - · · · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
EYE BUILDING BLOCK
oneself
odour
'
'
mutual
tear
*~
Th is character once meant
'nose', but it now means
'oneself', because people
usually point to their face
(specifically their nose)
when they t alk about
themselves.
•
This charact er is a
com bination of 'oneself'
and 'dog'. It originally
meant 'to smell', because
a dog's nose is particularly
sensitive. It has since
evolved to mean 'odour'.
mutua l
1
(xiang )
This character is a
combination of 'tree'
and 'eye'. Its composition
alludes to the idea of
taking a close look or
observing. It has now been
extended to mean ' mutual'
or 'i mage' .
5§
t ear (lei
4
)
The traditional form of
5Jl
this charact er,
is a
combinat ion of 'water' and
'perverse'. This simplified
form is a combination of
'water' and 'eye'.
• 0 • • 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 • • • 0 0 • • • 0 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • •.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 • • , • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . 0 • • • • 0 • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . .._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • 0
EYE COMPOUNDS
99
-=¥- hand (shou
3
)
In oracle-bone inscriptions,
the form of this character
was an abstract depiction
of five fingers w ith the
lower part of the arm•
......................." ....................................
1
hand (shou3)
This character Is the form
of 'hand' that Is used as
a component In certai n
compounds. It is known as
• • •• the ·utttng hand'.
See 'to assist' opl)oslte
for an exampte of this
character.
...................
100
..._ . ;
• •••••••••
· · ···········-·-··-··
HAND BUILDING BLOCK
·-··
$"
••••
5
......
• .......... ,.................... .......
..........
• ........ .
..
'R 1 - · · T
I-IIIlS
ITihQ . . . .
-IIIIUI
I I l l . . IIA'T
Ill
~ to assist (fu
2
to assist
to dress up
to pat
to plagiarize
)
ffi
to dress up (ban
4
fY
)
to plagiarize
(chaol)
This character's
composition symbolizes a
man being supported by
a helping hand. It can also
mean 'to support', 'to help',
'to protect' and ' to hold on'.
This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
'to divide'. The building
block on the left indicates
the meaning, while the
compound on the right
indicates pronunciation .
This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
'white'. 'Hand' indicates the
meaning; 'white' indicates
pronunciation .
:J:1c~ handrail
A~ manpower
~:f. to clap hands
'J"fY cheat
(fu2 shou3)
to ass ist + hand
( ren2 shou3)
(pail shou3)
(xiao3 cfldol)
persoh + hand
to pat + hand
small + to p lag iarize
(see p . 132 for 'small ')
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
'little' (see p . 133). It means
'to plag iarize ~ or 'to copy' .
sheet
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
HAND COMPOUNDS A ND PHRASES
101
tJ\
to steal (pa
2
to steal
to fasten
to tie together
to seek
)
This character is a
combination of 'hand'
and the number eight. It
originally meant 'to dig out',
'to crawl' or 'to crouch',
but has been extended to
mean 'to steal'. Imagine a
thief crouching by you and
digging out your wallet.
• • • 0 . ~· • • • •
102
u
tD
This character is a
combination of 'hand'
and 'mouth'. It has many
different meanings,
including the verbs
'rein', 'knock', 'strike', 'tap',
'button', 'buckle', 'deduct',
'detain', 'smash'. When used
as a noun, it means 'button' .
·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • •
HAND COMPOUNDS
to fasten (kou 4 )
u
•• 0'4
mJ
to tie together
(kun3)
This character is a
combination of 'hand'
m.
and 'enclosure'
To remember it, imagine
a captive's hands tied
together.
• • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • •
This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
'weapon' (seep. 124), and
indicates a hand taking up
arms, perhaps to search for
an escaped prisoner.
''! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
. . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .
rAAJ net (wang 3 )
This is the simplified form
of 'net'. The traditional
form ~ d1d not come into
being until the clerical
change. The traditional
form 1s a combmation
of 'silk' 7R
v.. on the left.
indicatmg the materials,
and 'net/to deceive' ~
on the right, representing
the pronunciation and the
meaning .
...
· ··· ·· · ~ · · ~· ··· ·· ···· · ······················ · ·············
c::c net (wang 3 )
This character is the form
of 'net' that is used as
a component in some
compounds. Sometimes,
owing to a person's
handwriting, this character
can look very similar to
the number four ll9. See
'to buy' on p. 131 for an
example of this character.
·······················································-·--···················································......~.-...l ....,......... ······················································ .... ' .. ·-·· . ··································•··········· ........ .
NET BUILDING BLOCK
105
many
dream
name
years
This character comprises
two 'dusk' building
blocks, suggesting the
accumulation of time.
Accumulation implies
'many'.
This character is a
combination of 'woods' and
'dusk'. It is the simplified
form; the traditional form
~ is a combination of
lt•'
'unclear'
person' and
'dusk', and means 'unclear
illusion'.
~j> how much
This character is a
combination of 'dusk'
and 'mouth '. It alludes
to parents calling their
children's names as
evening fell. The compound
also means 'famous'.
This character is a
combination of 'mountain'
and 'dusk'. It is the
simplified form; the
traditional form is ~·
The most common usage
of~ is to count a person's
age; for example, - pj,
means 'one year old'.
(duo1 shao 3 ) many + t oo little
( see p. l:P3 for 'little')
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
DUSK COMPOUN DS AN D PHRASES
107
-1=1
In oracle-bone and bronze
inscriptions, the fo rm of
this character was very
similar to the character ~ ·
which means 'tongue'. The
only difference was a short
horizontal stroke added
to the top o f the character,
indicating that the tongue
was in use. This character
also means 'speech' or
'to speak' .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
i.
t o t alk (yan 2)
This character is the
form of 'to talk' that is
used as a component in
certain simplified Chinese
compounds.
..................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................
~
108
TO TALK BUILDING BLOCK
letter/trust
to calculate
detailed
language
1~ letter/trust (xin 4 )
~t to calculate
This character, which is a
combination of 'person'
and 'to talk', originally
referred to 'people's
speech', but has been
extended to mean 'letter'
or 'trust'. Do you trust
everything people tell you?
This character is a
combination of 'to talk'
and the number ten, and
means 'to calculate' or 'to
count'. If you can count to
ten, then you can calculate
basic maths. The simplified
~ 1"" self-confidence
*~1g to believe
(zi4 xin 4 )
oneself + trust
(xiang1 xin4 )
mutual +trust
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
form is
i.f.
~··························-·············
(ji
4
)
~¥ detailed (xiang 2 )
This character is a
combination of 'to talk' and
'sheep'. It means 'observe
carefully' when used as a
verb, 'detailed' or' 'tiny! as
an adjective, or 'deta ils' or
'particulars' as a noun. The
simplified form is
The character is a
combination of 'to talk'
and 'myself' ~ · which is a
combination of the number
five and 'mouth'. It means
'language' or 'words'. The
simplified form is
B *~ Japanese
language ( ri 4 ben3 yu 3 )
~~ official language
(guo 2 yu 3 )
Japan + language
country + language
iff·
'1!·
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
TO TALK COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
109
a
self (ji 3 )
The rope shape of th1s
character refers to 'self'.
..
'
.
-
'
..
'
.'
··-···············--·
oneself + self
·······················································-·--··································································································································· ........
. ....... ... ·····································-········
SELF BUI LDING BLOCK
lll
'
L'
walking (chuo
4
)
You won't see this building
block appearing by itself.
If you recognize this as a
component of a character,
you will know that the
compound has something
to do with 'wa lking' .
........... .. .. . .. .... . .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ·····.....······ ............................................ ··········............................. ······················...............................................................................................................
.
112
.
WALKING BUILDING BLOCK
'e
to stroll
to reach
'
'
to compel
this
mto stroll
This is the simplified form
of the character, and is a
combination of 'walking'
and 'big', indicating
reaching a destination after
a long walk. The traditional
form is.
m:.
(guang 4 )
This character is a
combination of 'wa lking'
H.
which is a
and 'crazy'
combination of 'dog' and
'king'. Some would think
that strolling around with
no destination in mind is
a crazy waste of time.
The simplified form is.
'6
4
J.E. to compel (po )
i§
This is the simplified form
of the character, and is a
combination of 'walking'
and 'white'. It .also means
'to approach' or 'to force',
and 'urgent' when used as
an adjeetive. Its traditional
The traditional form of this
character is a combination
of 'wal king' and 'to talk'.
form is.
this (zhe4 )
'~
The simplified form ~ is
a combination of 'walking)
.and 'literature'
Jt.
e
i§..
~.
JtsA.
expert
H~ mad dog
(da2 ren 2 )
(g uang 4 q uan3 )
to reach + person
crazy + dog
········· · ··········~· · ·············~································································································~···········~····
.. •t··················· · ···~·~·········· · ······································································
WALKING CO MPOUNDS AND PHRASES
113
You can imagine the
bottom stroke is the
horizon, and the cross
towards the top is either
a plant or some man-made
structure. To differentiate
this character from 'soldier'
±
(see p. 116). just
remember that the horizon
must be longer than the
±
cross.
is also Earth. one
of the five basic elements.
When someone uses 'soil'
as an adJective, especially
in modern writing, it
implies something
Uhsophisticated .
..•.•..•.•.. ,.................•...........................................•....•....•....•.•..•....•.•..•.........•..•.....•...•...•.•......•.
114
SOIL BUILDING BLOCK
·······················~······················································
..•....•....••.••.•..•..........
to sit
fine
~ to sit ( zuo4 )
This character is a
combination of 'talent'
.:1 (cai
2
and 'soil'. 'Talent'
indicates the pronunciation ;
'soil' indicates the meaning
(see p. 11). Originally this
character meant 'to exist',
but it has been extended
to mean 'at', 'in' or 'on'.
)
This character is a
combination of 'flesh' and
'soil'. The stomach is where
the fruits of the soil are
stored. This character has
an alternative pinyin: du3.
This character shows two
people sit ting on the soil.
This character is a
combination of 'person'
and what resE:!mbles two
·~oil ' building blocks. It also
means 'good' or 'nice'.
~ tE unrestrained
:;k~±T pregnant
~1£ to sit at
1i.A
(zi 4 zai 4 )
(da4 d u4 zi)
(zuo 4 zai4 )
(jia1 ren 2 )
oneself + at
big + belly + son/child
to sit + at
fine + person
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
beautiful lady
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SOIL COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
115
±
soldier (shi 4 )
Tl1is character has many
meanings, including
'soldier' and 'scholar'. It
is a combination of the
numbers one - and ten
+.
indicating a man who
can do all things well from
beginning to end .
. . . . '..
-····~····~············.
... . -
.................
± determination
,c,,
(zhi'~)
This character is a
combination of 'soldier'
and 'heart'. When a
soldier or scholar sets his
heart to something, he is
determined - determined
to win, to teach. to succeed.
..•••......•.•.. •.•..... .......................................-·--·--·--·--·-·--·-··--··-···-·······················.............................................................................................................&-••••-········ .......
116
SOLDIER BUILDING BLOCK
± scholar
(sh1 4 )
In ancient China. it was
not unusual for military
leaders to be scholars too.
since Confucius taught that
leaders should be both
wise and decisive. This is
reflected in the character's
dual use.
·· ···· ···· ·· ·· ·············· · ··· · ···· · ·······~···············
This character is a
combination of 'scholar'
and 'mouth'. Scholars
were highly respected in
ancient China : they were
members of the highest
social hierarchy. When a
scholar opened his mouth.
his views were considered
aUSPICIOUS .
....................................................._.._........ -··............- ···-·-····-···-··················-···-......................................................................................................................······-······
SCHOLAR BU ILDING BLOCK
117
--
mthunder
--
thunder
from/due
helmet
to explain
(l ei 2)
This character is a
combination of 'rain'
and 'field '. In oraclebone inscriptions, this
character depicted thunder
(represented by a circle
and dots) and lightning .
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
S3
from/due (you2)
This is the character for
'field' with an extended
upwards vertical stroke
in the middle, indicating
the road used to enter the
farmland.
~··························-·············
lfl
helmet (j ia3)
Originally, this character
depicted a cracked seed
in a bud, and meant 'skin'.
On account of its similar
pronunciation to 'armour',
it now also means 'helmet'.
$ to explain (shenl)
In oracle-bone inscriptions,
this character looked like
lightning in the rain, and
meant 'lightning'.
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
FIELD COMPOUNDS
119
'
'
oil
rich
male
~
)EB oi I (you 2 )
This chqracter is a
combination of 'water' and
'field ~, and alludes to the
liquid made from minerals
under the fields, oil.
• •• 0. ~ · ••••
120
u
This character is a
combination of 'roof, the
number one, 'mouth' and
'field', and alludes to a
wealthy fC1mily living in a
comfortable home full of
possessions .
·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • •
FIELD COMPOUNDS
u
• • 0'4
mile ( lj3)
.J15 male (nan 2 )
This character is a
combination of 'field' and
'soil', and means 'village'.
Over time its meaning has
been extended to refer to
the stretch of ground that
a village occupies.
• • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • •
This character is a
combination of 'field' and
'power'. In ancient times
men worked the fields. The
character now refers to the
masculinity associated with
manual labour.
''! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
. . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .
)EB83 oil field
(you 2 tian 2)
'
oil + f ield = oil field
'
)Ebr~ gas pedal/
accelerator
(you 2 men 2 )
oil + door = [ literally]
oil door = gas pedal
:I
oil
field
l
•..•...................•..•......•...................•...•.....•..•••...•••.•.•.••••••..•....•.... .•..•....•....•...•.....•..•.:
'
oil field
1JO)EB to refuel
(jia 1 you 2 )
This phrase also means
'go on!' when used to cheer
someone to vi ctory.
to add + oil = [literally]
to add oil = to refuel
'
'
~~~ girl from
a rich family
(fu 4 jia 1 nu 3 )
.:.
oil
door
..:
o u o o o o o o o o u o o o o o o o .._, o o o "-' o o 0 o o o 0-0 o o o o o .._, o o o .._, o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o ,._, o o o o o o o o o o o o o o U o o o o o o o o o o ,_, o o o • ., 0 o o o ., o o o o I o o o o o 0 o o o 0 o o o o I o o •
t
rich + home + w oman =
girl from a rich family
gas pedal/accelerator
'
'
..
'
0
u
to add
0
o0
0
o o o• 0
0 01 0 0 0 00 0
o-. t
0 0
..•
.
oil
o·o 0 .-o 0 o·o .-o oooo-.-o 0 , ,_-.-.-.-o-.-.-.-. o-. 0 .-o-.-. o-. 0 o-. o 0
0" to o
t 0
o
oo o o 0 0 to 0
00 0
o .
o o0 o 0
.
00 0
o oo 0 0 o o t
t t
o o 0 o" 0
0
o0
00
°
to refuel
'
!
.••
--rich
••
.
.
.•······················· ·· ·········~··············································· .••••.•••••.•••• ·•••••••••·•··· ·•··· ...•. ·······································••••o••················••o•••·····
home
woman
girl from a rich family
•
0
o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 o o o o 0 o o o o o o o o 0 o o o o o o 0 o 0-00 o o o o o o • • o 0 0 o t-o• o o" 0 I 0 o 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o I o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0-0 o o o o 0 oo 0 0 0 o • 0 0 o 0-0-0 0 0 o o 0-0 o o 0 0 0 0 o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 I o o o • 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I ''' 0 0 • • •• • 0 0 0 oO o o o o - • I 0 o o o o o o o
FIELD PHRASES
121
This character originally
looked like a bow, but
has since evolved into its
current form, which looks
sim ilar to a bow m issing
its string .
••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This character is a
combination of two 'bow'
and two 'ice' (see p. 146)
building blocks, and
means 'weak' or 'brittle'.
.•..••••••••.•.•••..•..•...........................................................................••••.....••.•.•...•••..•••..•••...................•.......
122
BOW BUILDING BLOCK
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••
W wine
vessel (you 3 )
This character originally
took the shape of a Jar. and
meant 'w ine'. It has since
evolved to mean 'wine
vessel'. This building block
ts also used in characters
relating to the fermentation
of wine or food .
.... . ....
-
.... ............................................. .
This character is a
combination of 'water' and
'wine vessel'. If you prefer
white wine at a restaurant,
be sure to ask for
8 )lf .
.................................•....•.............·-----···-....____._...·-···-·...........................................-·..-·..-·· .-·..-·.. -··.-··..................................................................................·····-··....
WINE VESSEL BUILDING BLOCK
123
This character depicts a
type of weapon similar
to a dagger-axe. with a
horizontal blade at its head
and a long handle.
.. . . . . . . . - .............. .....••...•....•.... .•..............•
This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
'weapon', and means 'me'
or 'I'. It's one of the most
useful compounds of
'weapon' .
. . . . . .. . . . - ...................
124
'
.......
························-··········-····-··-··-·····--··-····-··········································-·················...........................................................................................
WEAPON BUILDING BLOCK
Three cows together
means 'to flee' or 'to run
fast'. Imagine a herd of
cows fleeing a predator.
The simplified form of this
character is ~-
~ whirlwind (biao 1)
Three dogs together means
'whirlwind'. Imagine a pack
of dogs running around
your legs.
•• ••
Three deers together
means 'rough', 'coarse'
or 'big'.
o .,, ··OO•. oooo o ·- o" o• •-oo o, . , ooo
126
. . . . oo .. .
.., ooo ., , •ooo • tooo oooto o oooooo oooooooooooooo0-ooooo I oo••oooooooooot oooo ooo ooo oo oooooooooooooooooooo o oo o oo oooto ot o too o ooo u
TRIPLE ANIMAL COMPOUNDS
otooooooo ooooo o oooo oo-o-oo oo..,ooo ,.._., oo ooooooo-oo ooooo ooooo oo oooo oooo Ott to 0 OOtoo oooo 01 ot ooootoooot •••• 0 • .... 0 0
j¥ rank odour (shan 1)
Three sheep or goats
together indicates 'rank
odour of sheep or goats'.
A group of farm animals is
never going to smell good.
.
a horses runnrng
(biao1)
Three horses together
means 'horses running'.
This is the traditional
form of 'worms' or 'bugs',
comprising three 'bug'
building blocks. It is the
more commonly used form
of 'bug' .$. in traditional
Chinese. This character
also means 'i nsects'.
········································································································································································································· ·- ··············· .. -·································-·········
TRIPLE ANIMAL COMPOUNDS
127
grass
bud
tea
bitter
This character is a
combination of 'grass' and
'early' !f!. and means 'grass'
or ' herbs'.
This character is a
combination of 'grass' qnd
'field', and refers to the
buds that sprout in f ields.
This character is a
combination of 'grass',
a component that
resembles 'person' and
'tree', and can be translated
as 'tea tree'. The original
This character is a
combination of 'grass' and
'o ld' ii. An old plant is not
going to taste very good!
This character also means
'illness'.
form of this character, ~'
meant 'bitter herb' .
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
GRASS COMPOUN DS
129
•money
Tta:Sfriiplifiiill form Is Jl
'
---
to buy
to sell
poor
to congratulate
~ to congratulate
This character is a
combination of 'net' and
'shell'. It alluded to using a
net to collect shells, which
you could use to buy
things. The simplified form
is~.
This character is a
combination of 'scholar',
'net' qnd 'shell'. Originally
it was a combination of
'to get out' and 'to buy',
alluding to getting rid of
purchases by selling them.
This character is a
combination of 'to divide'
and 'shell'. As shells were
once currency, dividing
them would make you
poorer. The simplified
( he4 )
This character is a
combination of 'to add!
and 'shell'. Congratulations
in China .are often given in
the form of money.
form is~.
The simplified form is~ .
~ liD
~* buyer
The simplified form is ~.
=ll"i!. ~
~::E customer
commerce
(mai 3 mai4 )
(ma i3 zhu 3 )
to buy + to sell
to buy + master
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
to buy back
(mai 3 hui 2 )
to buy + to retu rn
(ma i3 jia1)
to buy + home
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SHELL COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
131
While the character
*
'big'
depicts a man
stretching his arms out
wide, indicating his large
size. 'small' originally
depicted a man kneeling
with his arms by his side to
appear small.
0 •
o 0 o 0 0 0 0 o • 0 o • o • • , • o • , • • o • 0 o • o • • o I o 00 ot o o oot o 00 o o o • o o • o o • • • o • oo oo o o o oo o oo oo • ·• I oo o o o 00 .._.., 00 0 0 ooooo I U
132
SHELL BUILDING BLOCK
00 0
.....................................................................................................
/ \
sharp
little
/ \
I
grandchild
This character originally
meant 'little', 'minus', 'few'
or 'less', but has been
extended to also mean
'young'. It has an alternative
pinyin: shao 4 .
This character is a
combination of 'small' and
'big', and means 'sharp',
'pointed' or 'acute'. Imagine
a triangle that is big or
wide at its base then tapers
to a small, sharp point.
This character is a
combination of 'small' and
'soil'. This is the simplified
form; the traditional form is
villain (xiao 3 ren 2)
small + person
*'J'
j1}~
;J'A
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
4
size (da xiao
big + small
~··························-·············
3
)
flj, a combination of 'deer'
and 'soil'. It alludes to the
dust kicked up when a herd
of deer run.
This character indicates
E1 little child. This is the
simplified form; the
traditional form is ~. a
combination of 'child' and
'system' ~, indicating the
continuation of children.
j1}.:;r grandson
granddaughter
( su nt nu3 )
(su n1 zl)
grandchild + woman
grandchild + son
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SHELL COMPOUNDSANDPHRASES
133
•
cat
duck
+.+
small
i
:
cat
•
I
I
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••• ••••••• •••
::
mountain
lynx
;J'ua
ft and 'bud'.
Its simplified
form is Mit which Is a
combination of 'dog' and
'bud'.
i
......................................................................................................................:
kitten
This character is a
combination of 'raccoon'
cat
This character is a
combination of 'helmet'
and 'bird'. A male mallard
looks like it is wearing
a green helmet. The
$implified form of this
charqcter is '~·
kitten
(xiao3 mao1)
A very simple phrase;
a small cat is a kitten.
sma ll + cat= kitten
wm lynx
(shan 1 mao 1)
A lynx is a speeies of
wildcat recognizable by
its tufted ears. Lynx are
normally found in highaltitude forests.
mountain + cat= lynx
~.±. Elvis Presley
(mao1 w ang2 )
cat + king
••• 0. ~ · ••••
134
u
·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . ... . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • •
u
• • ,,. ••• · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .· -· · • • • • ''! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
ADDITIONAL ANIMA L COMPOUNDS AND PH RASES
. . . .._. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
~ to wrap up (bao 1)
This building block means
'to wrap up'. Its most
common form is
'22 .
• • • • • • • • • • ' • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • - · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
136
TO WRAP UP BUILDING BLOCK
sentence
of
well distributed
even
5J
a~ of (de)
In oracle-bone inscriptions,
this character was a
4
and 'mouth'. Unlike i!Jr
combination of 'rope'
(below), which usually
refers to a specific sentence,
this character tends to be
used when counting (e.g.
'there are 10 sentences').
sentence (ju 4 zi)
sentence + son
1:i.JT-
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
This character is a
combination of 'white' and
'to wrap up'. It means 'of'
and is one of the most
frequently used Chinese
characters.
yes (hao3 de)
good + of
frr89
~··························-·············
well distributed
(yu n 2 )
This character can also
mean 'to divide'. The
combination of 'to wrap
up' and the number two
alludes to treating two
things equally.
This character is a
combination of 'soi l' and
'well distributed/to divide'.
It alludes to an even
division of land.
i5.J>.J to distribute evenly
(jun 1 yun2 )
even + well distributed
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
TO WRAP UP COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
137
Jl how many (ji 3 )
This is the simplified
form of 'how many'; the
traditional form is •·
a combination of 'few'
~ and 'defence' fl. and
originally meant 'fine' or
'slight'. This character has
a number of alternative
pinyins and meanings:
as noun = bench (ji 1)
as adverb =almost (ji 1)
as verb = reach/attain (ji 1)
as pronoun = several (ji 3 )
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••
This character is a
combination of 'tree'
and 'how many'. Its
traditional form is W.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
138
HOW MANY BUILDING BLOCK
J'L ordinary (fan
2
ordinary
quantity of flowers
male phoenix
female phoenix
)
In oracle-bone and bronze
scripts, this character
repr-esented building
apparatus. It originally
meant 'mould for making
Qbjects', and then evolved
to mean 'ordinarY.'.
Jl~
(ji 3
several days
t ian 1)
how many + sky/day
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
5R
quantity of
flowers (duo 3 )
Jil. male phoenix
(feng 4 )
~
female phoenix
( huang 2 )
This character is a
combination of 'how many'
and 'tree'. It refers to a unit,
such as a dozen flowers.
Jl~it? means 'how
many flowers?' (ji3 duo3
hua).
This character is a
combination of 'how many'
and 'bird'. In Chinese
mythology, the phoenix
is the king of birds and
symbolizes good fortune.
The simplified form is ~
Jl~?
~r Jl several
+Jl a
(hao 3 ji 3 )
(sh i2 jl1)
good + how many/severa l
ten + how many/almost
how many days?
(ji 3 tian 1)
how many + sky/day
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'how many',
'white' and 'king ', and refers
to the female phoenix of
Chinese mythology.
dozen or so
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
HOW MANY COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
139
This character has looked
rather abstract throughout
its thousand years of
evolution, so I think this
illustration expresses
its meaning well. The
character has an alternative
pinyin: mou 3.
.............................................................................. 4000000001tt•••••···················································~························4·······················.. ·········•••···•···•·•·••·••••·••·•·•····••·•·········•······ .. •·•
140
PRIVATE BUILDING BLOCK
public
to go
.
pme
platform
i:l' platform
0 public (gong 1)
This character is a
combination of the number
eight and 'private'. It also
means 'grandfather' when
written i}i}, or 'male'
when referring to animals.
This character is a
combination of 'private'
and 'soil'. It al ludes to a
person leaving a place
to go somewhere.
This character is a
combination of 'tree'
and 'public'. A different
character with the same
pronunciation ~ can
mean 'to relax' and 'loose'.
(tai 2 )
This character is a
combination of 'private'
and 'mouth'. Norma lly an
orator is the sole person
to stand on a platform and
deliver their speech . The
other traditional form of
this character' is
0~
police (China)
(gong1 an1)
pub Iic + peaceful
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~ ~ police (Taiwan)
(jing3 cha 2 )
police + to observe
~··························-·············
B.
0 .±. princess
(gong 1 zhu 3 )
public + master
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
PRIVATE COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
141
~
to reveal (shi4)
This character originally
meant 'stone table for
sacrificial offenngs'. In
ancient times, sacrificial
ceremonies were intended
to demonstrate devotion
to the gods. Therefore. the
character 7F means 'to
reveal' or 'to show' .
.
................... .............. ......... ..... ............
f to reveal (shi 4 )
~
This character Is the
form of 'to reveal' that is
used as a component in
certain compounds. See
'auspicious' opposite for an
example of this character.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
142
TO REVEAL BUILDING BLOCK
. .
a u spiCIOUS
society
god
blessing
~ auspicious
(xiang 2 )
This character is a
combination of 'to reveal'
and 'sheep', and also
means 'omen', 'good luck'
and 'happiness' . People
once sacrifrced sheep
for luck.
t± society
(she
4
)
This character is a
combination of 'to reveal'
and 'soil', and originally
referred to a place of
worship. It has since
evolved to mean 'society'
or 'company'.
t$U shrine
~~~ serene
(shen 2 she 4 )
god + society
(an 1 xiang 2 )
peacefu l + auspicious
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'to reveal'
and 'to explain'. God is
omnipotent and omniscient.
He revea ls secrets.
This character is a
combination of 'to reveal'
the number one, 'mouth'
qnd 'field', and also means
'good fortune' or 'blessing'.
It is commonly written on
red paper during Chinese
New Year.
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
TO REVEAL COMPOUNDS AN D PHRASES
143
sweat
flat
year
This character is a
combination of 'water' and
'shield/dry', and alludes to a
person being dry because
they have sweated out all
their water.
This character is a
combination of 'shield'
and the number eight.
It also means 'gentle',
'equal' or 'level'.
This character refers to
the time required for the
earth to orbit the sun once,
based on the Chinese
calendar. For example, the
phrase-~ means 'one
year'. The character can
also mean 'new year' or
'annual'.
SJL~ safe
:$'~&\ happiness
(ping 2 an1)
flat/gentle + peaceful
(xing 4 fu 2 )
fate + blessing
......................... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'shield'
T,
±
'soil'
and 'to be' ".
Ironically, this character
originally meant 'torture'.
Today it means 'fate' or
'good fortune'.
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
SHEILD COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES
145
) ice (bingl)
This character rarely
appears by itself.
Instead, it is used as
part of a compound.
It is commonly called
JWa*. 'two dots
of water'.
······································~···········
146
..
······························································································~························~··································································· ···················
ICE BUILDING BLOCK
..···
0
ICe
frozen
winter
to gallop
;,~ to gallop (feng 2 )
This character is a
combination of the building
blocks 'ice' and 'water'.
indicating frozen water.
JJ.I<l.!< means 'iced water'.
This character is a
combination of 'ice' and
'east'. The coast of China
lies to the east, and in
winter ieebergs would have
come from the east. The
simplified form is
)*.
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'slow' jz
('slow' looks similar to the
charaeter for 'dusk', but has
an extended stroke) and
'ice'. It translates literally
as 'slow ice', which alludes
to ice building up slowly
over winter.
This character is a
combination of 'ice' and
'horse', and means 'to
gallop'. This character
is also a surname. The
simplified form is ~.
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
ICE COMPOUNDS
147
7:.
to owe (qian 4 )
The earliest form of this
character in oracle-bone
inscriptions deptcted a
person kneeling with a
wide-open mouth.
It is believed that this
represented a person in
the act of yawning,
because the meaning of
the character was 'to yawn'.
Since the clerical change,
the wide-open mouth is
no longer discernible in
this character. However,
characters with !R.. as
a component are often
related to opening the
mouth and exhaling. When
one yawns, it means one is
tired and short of energy.
Therefore, an extended
meaning of !R.. is 'to lack',
which is commonly used
in modern Chmese.
........ .. .. . ...TO
.. .. ... . . . ..··- ·······························-·······-··-····-·······-········-·································································································································································
OWE BUILDING BLOCK
148
to blow
to cook
sequence
Europe
This character is a
combination of 'mouth' and
'to owe'. In this case. 'to
owe' means 'to yawn'.
This character is a
combination of 'fire' and 'to
owe'. In this case. 'to owe'
means 'to blow', and refers
to blowing the embers to
cook your food.
This character is a
combination of 'ice' and 'to
owe'. It is used to refer to
the number of times that
something happens. For
example. the phrase
means 'twice'.
=lj:.:
This character is a
combination of 'area'
~and ' to owe'. This
character's pronunciation
sounds similar to the
English pronunciation of
'Europe'. The simplified
form is~ .
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
~··························-·············
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
TO OWE COMPOUNDS
149
to compare
t o transf orm
f inger
f lower
tt to compare (bi )
3
This character comprises
two 'dagger' building
bloeks, and symbolizes two
people wa lking in unison,
shou lder to shou lder. It
now means 'to compare'.
......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· ..................................,.
n
{lj
t o transf orm
(hua 4 )
This character is a
combination of 'person'
and 'dagger'. It is often
seen in words relating to
chemistry, especial ly when
referring to elements and
substances. It also means
'to melt' or 'to convert'.
~··························-·············
This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
'purpose' ~ , which is a
combination of 'dagger'
and 'sun'. Fingers are what
make your hands useful.
The character also means
'point' when used as a verb.
fl ower
1
(hua )
The character is a
combination of 'grass' and
'to transform '. Flowers
might look a b it li ke
transformed grass.
.........' ............................................................................ ' .....................................-......................... ···-··· .................................
DAGGER COMPOUNDS
151
Advanced Sentences
.••
.••
•
•
························ · ····· · ··~···· · ····· · ···· · ···················································~·······································~········· · ······· · ···································
Such a beautif ul princess
"Pf~ B'5J 0
.3:. (pages 97, 41, 137,
141)
t
:•
:•
················································· · ····························································· ·····~··············~····················································· · ··········
Such a long sentence
~r-& 8'51 1:!1 T- (pages 97, ss,
137)
.•••
• • • •.• • • • 0 0 0 •
0 . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . ... . 0 . . . . . . . 0 • • 0 • • ._• • • 0 0
.4.
.
0 0 • '"""" 0 . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • 0 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 .._._._. 0 . . . . . . 0 0 • • • • 0 . 0 0 0 0 • • 0 • • • • • • 0 •
0 • • • • •.._• • 0 • 0 . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . ... . 0 . . . . . . 0 ._. . . . 0 . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . 0 •
••
0- A- 0 0 0- 0 0 • 0 • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • • 0 0 0 • • 0 0 • 0 0 0 0 . . .
Sweat stinks
"Pf ~ ~ )f
(pages 97, 99, 137,
145)
.••
..
•
.•
•
··················································································································~··························~···········•••ooooooottt•••······················••o•
The instruction from God
fEI3 B'5J t~ ~ (pages 143, 137, 151,
142)
o oo o o u o o o o-oo oo o oo o "'! o o o o oo o o o oooo ooo o o o 0-0 oo o o o oo o o o oo o 0 oo o o o oo-o o o o o •• ooo o •ooo oo •• 0-00 ooo o o o oo o o o o o oo o oo oo o o •o o oo o o-oo oo o.oo·o 0-0• ooo o oo-oo o o oo ooo •••• oO..o o o o •• o oo •• oo oo--o oo o oo oo o •• o o o o o ooo oo oo o o o.o o oo o •<t• oo o o o~ o.o o oo o o oo o..o o o o oo o '! o o o o o-o-ooo o oo o o' o o o o o o o •• 00-0 o •o oo o o 0-0 o.oo o o o o o
152
ADVANCED SENTENCES
.•••
.•••
•
·····•···•···••···•·················•····••···•···•····••···•····•·
Blessed woman from Shandong Province
~fi 811 U.J *~A
·•····•·····················••····•·····•
(pages 145,143,137, s4)
I
.•
.
••
••
•
·········~·············~···························································································~· · ···········································································
Everybody be careful
"ft:..
* J\ {,\
1
(pages 93,
87)
L..-.----·---------·--·--·_.._..._.-·--·----·-·-.t-·---·---· ------..-·--·-·-·-·J
Beautiful teenage girl
~j) "!;{ (pages 41, 133,
46)
~
·" ''
..•
...........•...,....•.....•.•..•....•....•.•.......•....•.........•....•.........•............................••...............•.
•
1.
The fish is so fresh
~,-p:ffl (pages 25, 97,
41)
.
....... ....... . . . .0 •
• • • 0 • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • •• • • • • • • 0 • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 .
f ................ +1"• ••••••••••••••••
~·
•••• ~·· •••••• ~· . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . .- •••••••••• ._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADVANCED SENTENCES
153
..•
•
•
•• ••• •
•• •
• 0 ••••••••••••••••••
Ice-cold lad y
J7.J< UJ ~A
(pages 147, 42, 41, 16)
I
..•
..•
.•....................................................................................................................................................•
The lamb is going home
I
J\ $@]
*
(p ages 13 2, 40, 23,
93)
..•
.•.
.·····•••'"-""···............................................................................ ··- .. ········· ...........................--. ..........................••
'
Everyone is safe
A A 3fZ- ~ (pages 21,
14 5)
'' '' '' '' ''
,' ,, ,'
',,,,,
' '_,'
'
'
'
'
'
.
•
..•
•
..•
•........................•....................................•.....•..••••••••••••••••••••..•......•........................•.................
It rains too much
j§ij 7.}< fr.. ~
(pages 95. 19,
107)
0 • ooooooooOOoooo• oOOOOOOOOOOOOO• •000000000000000000
154
oOOOOOOOOOOOOO•o••••oo••oooooo4oO••ooooooooooo4ooooooooooooooOoo•ooooOOOOOOOOOIOIIO•oo000000000000000000000.0000000oOeOOOOOOOOeo•oe••oooo~4oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo~oooooooOOOOOOOOI0000.000000I00000000000
ADVANCED SENTENCES
.•••
.:•
•·~· · ·············· · ········· · · · ·············
•
The younger sister is going to Japan
· ····· · ········t· ·· · · · ··~·
P*:P* ~ f3 7-1-' (pages 48, 141, 55)
•
.••.
.•
•
•
•
. . . . ._. 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . 0 . . . . . 0 • • 0 ' . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . 0 ....... 0 • • 0 0 • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . ... . . . . . 0 . 0 0 . . . . . 0 0 . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . ... . 0 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . ··~ 0 0- . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 0 • 0 • 0 . . . . . . . . . ._.._• • 0 • • • 0 0 0 • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 0 • • • • 0-0 . . . . . . . . ....._• .. _ . 0 • • 0 0 0 0 • 0-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 ........ 0 • • .._....._. . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • •..._. 0 0
How much does this flower cost?
~1t
tb 9/?
(pages 113, 139, 1s1, 131, 101, 133)
•
.•
.••
•
•...........................~ · ···........................................................................................................................................................ .................................................................... ~~··································•
Grandfather returned from the forest
i}i}f~~~* §1
*
(traditional Chinese) ;
00M~*f\@H~
(simplified Chinese)
(pages 141, 17, 33, 37)
1i
••
.•.•
..••
.
········~······· ·······~· · ·········· · ··············~··························~·····~·· .. ···········~~············· ···················~· ·····················································•J••••••·································,······························· ··
Madam Lin is returning in May
**~A Ji .F.J §1 :i;:
(pages 33, 18, 82, 56, 23, 141)
•••• • oo~oooo~oooooo o ooooooo~oooooooo•••oooooooooooooooooooo o o~ooooo~oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o oooo o ooooooooooooo•o ooooooooooooooooooooooo o ooooooooooo o oooooooooooooooooooooo o oo~oooooo o oooooooooooooo~oooooooooooooo•••••••••••••oooo • • o
156
ADVANCED SENTENCES
•ooooooooooooooooooo o a o oooo•
.••
..
.••
••
........•...•.....•••.• ,...........•....•..••...••.........•
· · ~··· ······ ···· · ··············
Mama is pregnant
~~ ~~ J\ ~± T
(pages 77, 115)
••
••
............................... . ...............................................................................................................:
The brat is clapping his hands
l
•
•
~
J\ T tB =f.
1
(pages 132, 96, 101)
•
fE
'"'
.••••
i•
•
• • 0 • • 0 • • • • • • ..._• • • •.._. . . 0 . 0 .._. 0 •
. . . . . 0 .......... 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • 0 . ... . . . . . . 0 0 . . . . 0 . . . . . . ... . 0 0 . ... . 0 • • • • • • . . . . . . . . . . 0 4 • • • 0 • • . . . . . . . ... . 0 . . . . . . . . 0 0-0 • • • • •. . _ . 0 • • • • • • • • 0 • • • 0 0 • • • • 0 • • • 0 • • • • 0 ._._. . . . . .._._• • 0 • • • • 0 . 0 · -·
•
._. . . . 0 · - ·
. . . . . . ..._. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 •
• • • 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . · ·-·
. . . . . . 0 0 · ·-·
• • • • • • • • • • 0 ....... 0 • •
The mermaid princess burst into tears
fa
I \ ' -+- 0.1;1
/\.. '"' './4 .:E /\. 7<::
l
I
\
I
I
(pages 24, 141, 27)
n-
.
..•••
.l
'•••••,.••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••-••••U••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••u••••••••••••••oo,ooo•••••••••••••••••••,.••••••••••oo•••••••••U••••••••••"
The rich girl stinks
'i'~~ *~
(pages 121, 19, 99)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , ••••••• f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADVANCED SENTENCES
157
•••
••
. ,
The Story of Peter and the Wolf
'wolf'
IJil
Once upon a time, on the edge of a forest
clearing, there lived a boy named Peter.
Early one morning, Peter left his home to
go for a walk in the dark forest, leaving the
gate to his house open.
•••
••
162
•••
••
While t he duck was swimming, a bird flew
down beside it and mocked, ' What kind of
bird are you, if you can't fly?' To which the
duck indignantly replied , ' What kind of bird
are you, if you can't swim?'
,,,
A nearby du c k, noti c ing that the gate
w as open, d ecid ed t o go for a qu ick
swim in Peter's ya rd .
164
165
While the duck and the bird were arguing,
a sly cat crept slowly towards them. The
cat thought to itself, 'I wi II catch that Iittle
bird while it's arguing with the duck!' But,
before the cat could pounce, Peter warned
the bird, who flew to safety.
•
,,,,
167
Hearing Peter's call , his grandfather, who
hadn 't realized that Peter had left the
safety of the house, scolded him: 'Suppose
a wolf came out of the forest!' he chided .
straight towards them.
169
Hearing Peter's ca ll, his grandfather, who
hadn't realized that Peter had left the
safety of the house, scolded him : 'Suppose
a wolf came out of t he forest!' he c hided.
Peter scoffed, 'Boys like me are not afraid
of wolves!' But at that very moment,
unbeknown to them, a big, hungry grey
wolf w as stalking through the forest
straight towards them .
169
II
••
--
When Peter had returned to the safety of his
home, the hungry wolf slunk out of the forest. In a
flash, the bird flew up into the tallest tree, but the
duck, who could not fly, was no match for the
speed of the wolf. With one huge gulp, the wolf
caught the duck and swallowed it whole!
Seeing that his friends were in trouble,
Peter fetched a rope and climbed into
a nearby tree. As the bird distracted the
animal, Peter lowered a noose and caught
the wolf by its ta i I.
While the wolf struggled, the noose
became tighter and tighter until, at last,
the wolf could struggle no more. A nearby
hunter, who had been trying to track the
wolf, spied Peter in the tree and offered to
shoot the wolf, but Peter had another idea.
l
•
With the wolf safely tied up, Peter led the
hunter to a zoo in a nearby village, where
the wolf stayed for the rest of its days.
176
=
three
1
(san )
One plus two is three.
REFERENCE
Building Block Plates
Index of Characters and Phrases
Building Block Plates
~
"''
A
~
person (ren
2
3
/\. dog (quan )
)
16
26
40
~ feather (yu 3 )
182
22
51
BUI LDING BLOCK PLATES
Ill mountain (shan1)
42
j{_
woman (m/)
~ moon (yue
4
)
32
t'r bamboo (zhu
46
~~
bird (niao
56
I
work (gong )
3
2
)
39
50
)
1
60
•
•
a white ( bai2)
62
mtiger ( h u3)
64
r~ door (men2)
.tt=- cow ( n iu 2)
74
,~ horse ( ma3)
76
.3S. jade (y u 4 )
fit boat (zho ul)
81
-one (yi 1)
82-83
.$.bug (chong 2)
l}<
66
78
84
water (sh ui3)
70
JII river (chuanl)
80
~tall/length (chan g2)
85
86
n knife (dao l)
88
~pig (sh i3)
........., roof (mian2)
92
91
BUILDING BLOCK PLATES
183
'' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' ''
,,,,,,,,,
'''''''''
'' '' '' ' ' '' '' ''
'' '' '' ' '- '' '' ''
'' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' ''
'' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' ''
§
94
103
F
household ( hu
4
)
eye ( m u')
104
98
100
105
106
'• •
=
i:i
2
to talk (yan )
108
114
184
BUI LDING BLOCK PLATES
lll
110
± soldier ( sh i
4
)
116
± scholar
(sh i
117
4
)
'
L
4
walking (c huo )
112
83 field ( t ian
2
)
118
122
gj
wine vessel (you
128
'l to wrap up
3
)
123
~
1
-Xi weapon (g e )
124
132
130
JL how many Ci)
1
x(bao )
136
140
j l ghost ( g u i3 )
-
135
4
iJ' to reveal (sh i
)
142
138
144
125
146
!R. to owe ( q ian
4
150
)
148
BUILDING BLOCK PLATES
185
Index of Characters and Phrases
Chineasy teaches mainly traditional Chinese (see p. 11). Where the traditional and simplified forms of a
character are different, the traditional form is given first, followed by the simplified form. Where no distinction
between forms is noted, the traditional and simplified forms of the character are the same.
~ID!K
account/bill (zhang
*~
4
)
achievement/generosity
4
(da qi
:bD
to add
:*:A.
Ji
2
adult (da ren )
1
(jian )
adultery
**
~
3
4
angry (huo da )
apricot (xing
tk
4
)
2·
argument (nuan )
AI
artificial (ren
~a~
2
1
gong )
to ascertain (cha ming
2
to ask (wen )
to assist (fu
1±
at (zai
t~
2
)
4
)
auspicious (xiang
'rT
2
A
2
bank account (zhang hu )
to bark (fei
4
4
to bark loudly (da fei
4
)
4
be carefu I (x iao
beautiful (mei
1iA.
3
1
xin )
beautiful lady (jia ren
1
Jtt
*
**
~~~
belly (du )
CICI
,~
big (da
)
4
)
4
bird (n iao
bitter (ku
3
3
3
blazing (yan yan
47
~
burning hot (yan
2
blessing (fu
to blow
2
)
1
(chui )
)
1
(mie )
3
38
)
I
87
I
122
2
57
)
2
)
129
3
2
2
84, 127
2
29
)
67
buyer (mai jia )
101
~tltt
to calculate (ji
115
:bDtN
California (jia zhou
m~~~
cat (mao)
SA
Caucasian (bai ren
~
to cause (yin
~
character (zi
104
27
115
109
to buy (mai
3
131
)
3
to buy back (mai hui
3
2
)
131
1
131
4
109
)
1
1
)
90
1
134
2
1111/1~
2
63
)
1
)
23
4
97
)
to charge in (chuang
,J,r.P
3
77
)
3
1
101
cheat sheet (xiao chao )
~
2
53
to check (cha )
ta-¥
1
to clap hands (pai shou
:JJ' a,ij
1
*I*
~*~~*
l:lj *I l:lj
75
)
'Jti!R:.
'Jt ~I!*:.~
~ 1#.1'!*:. 1#.
*
cleqrly (fen ming
to come (lai
2
3
)
101
89
)
2
33
)
to come back (hu/ lai
1
'ltRI!R:.~
to come out (chu lai
tt
commerce (mai mai
3
2
2
37
)
44
)
131
4
3
)
1313.
to compare (bi
)
151
-~~
to compel (po )
113
M
to congratu late (he)
41
3C'G'
iX
to construct (jia
143
Ill~
77
bleating of sheep
INDEX
AI$.
129
)
2
ox
36
bug (chong)
50
)
to blame (ma )
1&
71<4
31
)
4
~
31
buffalo (shui niu
17
)
big fire (da huo
1:11:1
m
115
4
*1t$
:X.JJ.l..
186
2
4
.E:r
47
bud (miao
41
)
to believe (xiang xin
*I
a~
87
3
1
*t:J1s
18
bright (ming
71
to bathe (mu )
~
i:S
27
)
:;1\:lljt
'J''G'
90
bow (gong)
39
bamboo (zhu )
lljt
)if\
~~~~~
bored (men)
143
)
2
~FID!KF
Hl'f*
58
)
4
~
27
body (ti
61
2
rc~ll)j]
:J$T
)
4
81
85
4
1
( j ia )
l
boat (zhou)
30
4
4
1
1
to cook (chui )
country (guo )
90
)
contented (an xin
2
149
4
131
1
)
87
149
79
43
1
XJ.llr:l
1111-J:A
crowd (zhang )
~
to cry (ku)
*~
3
crater (huo shan kou )
4
1
4
1
to cry out (da ku )
to cry out in anger
71<~
crystal (s hui j ing )
~3::/~3::
customer (mai zhu
7J<r,t7J<n
fKI
f:f-T
3
3
dam (shu/ men
2
)
)
1
daughter (nan)
4
day (ri zi)
ft
deer (lu )
2
1
)
2
determination (zhi
4
43
72
~~~
Europe (ou)
131
~
even (jun
150
~*
every day (tian tian )
73
*~
everybody (da
48
A.A.
everY,one (ren ren )
~r:l
).jJls.J....
exit (chu kou
93
110
)
to distract (fen
1
1
xi n )
89
137
to distribute evenly
to divide (fen
89
4
19
!).';! I IA.l
7C
r,;n
to dodge (shan )
1*XJ.ll
3
tD
~
t8
2
)
4
end (mo )
4
to enter (ru )
65
1
149
1
)
137
1
1
1
21
1
jia )
4
2
93
2
21
3
44
)
2
2
expert (da ren )
to explain (shen
113
1
)
119
1
extremely big (tian da
4
21
)
4
eye (mu)
98
1
fairy (xian nu
3
)
49
4
102
to fasten (kou )
fate (xing
dog (quan)
2
door (men )
2
3
4
145
)
4
fear (pa )
87
~~~
:t?J
dream (meng )
5f*
to dress up (ban )
iU~
to drip (lin
·~~~·~
9
to drive (jia
duck (ya)
~~~
dusk (xi
4
)
4
)
1
1
)
2
dust (chen )
1
east (dong)
4
to eat (dan )
2
1
m
fine (jia )
*:k JJJ.I X 7k.
finger' (zhi
2
,.
115
3
fire (huo
3
151
)
28
)
1
)
93
25
139
fish (yu
107
five (wu
101
flames (yan )
)
3
82
)
4
29
4
71
SfL
flames of fire (yan yan
90
~~~
flat (ping
134
~
to flee (ben )
106
71< JJJ.I 71< 7k.
flesh (rou )
133
:(t
flood (shui zai )
53
mrt
flower (hua)
29
58
1
2
61
118
)
3
4
2
1
fire disaster (huo zai
2
139
)
3
66
1
2
female worker (nu gong )
{i
45
a dozen or so (shi ji )
female phoenix (huang
26
dormant volcano
+mt+JL
51
to find out (cha chu)
68
3
EE
feather (yu )
~~
doorway (men kou )
(xiu huo shan )
~I
134
36
field (tian
67
3
1
{ili~
~
1
)
doctor (dai fu)
r, r:~ ;n r:~
~*
1
Elvis Presley (mao wang
3
.
1
2)
( JUn yun
**-
)
*A
116
)
4
27
§
1
(zai )
dish (min
4
(da mei
$
49
eldest younger sister
~It~rti:
109
)
83
27
125
detailed (xiang
3
*P*
63
4
disaster
45
97
daytime (bai tian
lill
3
)
8~
~li¥
1
(duo )
1
3
dagger (bi
I\
17
Dlij
~
74
2
30
126
4
56
3
1
1
1
)
)
145
)
1
to fly (fei
4
93
151
103
INDEX
187
4
2*
foam (mo)
*1*
folks (da huo )
4
3
2
~/M.
to follow (cong )
~
forest (sen )
.
1
~
to forgive (shu
*
foundation (ben
jft_
fountain (quan
gg
four (si
f!¥.1~¥:
fresh (xi an
2
)
3
)
)
4
)
1
)
~7}<.
fresh water (dan shui
Jill
friend (peng
fE
from/due (you )
4
2
3
)
)
2
*-P~/J\:fl
'*/)*
**/**
mill~.
~~~~~
~
home (jia
17
~~~
horse (ma )
4
2
front gate (da men )
4
4
future (wei lai
2
76
33
m;JL
how many (ji
71
m~?IJLJZ? how many days? (ji3 tian 1)
139
82
:fbj>
how much (duo shao )
107
41
@]A_
Hui people (hui ren
72
A.RIA..f*
human body (ren ti
57
*A.**
I am furious
37
)
3
gall bladder (dan )
57
to gallop (feng )
147
gas pedal/accelerator
121
2
43
to get out (chu)
ghost (gui
4
3
1
3
~
(fu jia nu
135
)
fl1i
to go (qu )
121
)
1
127
horses running (biao )
4
3
104
138
)
1
3
2
2
2
3
3
)
24
)
38
35
2
3
4
(ben ren huo da )
141
2
god (shen )
143
3
97
P:J'L'
good Chao)
~/1/J\
good intention (hao xi n
~~/~J\~
grandch ild (sun )
~=fi~J\=f
granddaughter (sun nu )
-t+
grandson (sun zi)
1.!
grass (cao )
~
grass (cao)
1*
greed (lan )
-¥
group (huo )
~-¥
hand (shou )
~~
handrail (fu shou
'L'
happiness (xing fu
~A.
heart (xin
3
1
)
1
1
1
3
2
3
3
2
3
4
1
)
1
heaven (tian ren
*·•·• f'01 .- n
'*~
~jA./I*JA.
1m
1ili
'J'.5a
*-R!J\:1:*
2
)
3
97
2
)
146
1
147
ice (bing )
1
idiot (dai )
36
2
idler (xian ren
2
69
)
to illum inate (zhao
3
imp (xiao g ui
3
43
135
)
~
in vain (bai bai
B*
3
38
)
2
in the coming days (lai ri
2
2
1
it (ta )
4
4
3
B*itt
B*A.
Japanese language
55
)
109
n.4 b·en3 yu 3)
Japanese person
133
( .4
55
n b en 3 ren 2)
Japanese woman
.4
3
3
55
2
128
1113:/~ 3:
(n ben nu ren )
129
3:
king (guo wang
48
3:~/3:~
king (wang
29
IJ\11/IJ\~~
kingdom (wang guo
100
]]
kitten (xiao mao )
~
knife (dao )
145
$.fi3i
Rl=l
1=1
lamb (gao)
86
~131
language (yu )
21
58
78
)
B*~/
'"'
)
150
jade (yu
(
4
63
)
Japan (ri ben
B*~A.
89
)
1
*J3/* f3
as
4
immortal (xian )
133
101
)
1
ice (bing )
in general (da"' ti
133
3
•• " " ••• .-,. ,. -~ " " " ,... ~ ••, ...-... ,.., ., ,., ,. .,, ,. • o• •• , ,.,..,
I
3i
4
INDEX
3
household (hu )
147
frozen (dong )
girl from a rich family
P:1-
93
87
68
1
*~~~
1
)
•P IF
(you men)
:±1
119
)
\
2
188
30
119
2
5~P~ I5~fl
~
helmet (jia
33
4
3
71
2
2
2
79
)
79
)
2
3
1
2
)
79
134
1
88
1
41
3
to learn/practise (xi
109
2
)
63
•• • ,. , .,. " " " f' 01 .., -. r • • .-.• •,. , ., ~- " " " • • • • ooo • •• • • •,. • .,. ,. , ., ,...,. ,., -. • • • • • •,. n ~-- " ' " ,..,.,. .--o o ,. ,-,. , • • ,., ,..,,, " " " -~ • • • • " " 0 0 1 .-. .. ..-oo " oo o ••• ..._, ,.-,., • • • ,.., , ..-. ,. ...,., " " " • " " " "" .-,.., " " " " " " • • • l'oo •• • •O "' • ·•·• • • • o n • • • " """ " " " " ' " .., -. r oo • •• • Oo• ..-. • ••" h 1 f'O • o
3
tr.
left (zuo )
~,/~/1*1
leisure (xian
1~
letter/trust (xin
I ittle (shao
3
2
)
4
)
)
1
longhorn beetle (tian niu
lucky (ji
2
2
)
)
I.DU\/1-D~l
lynx (shan mao )
8/fJL
machine (ji )
H~
mad dog (guang quan )
1
1
1
4
3
4
~
odour (chou )
99
67
B'5J
of (de)
137
109
~~IOOi.if
official language (guo yu
133
T-"9:.
offspring (zi nu
75
)fij
oil (you
117
)fij 83
oil field (you tian
134
-
one (yi )
60
2
3
2
3
120
)
2
2
82
3
2
138
one's self (ben ren )
113
on·eself (zi
99
)
*~,Q/
main entrance
68
originally (ben lai
~
2
3
2
~
~
A.-¥
~
:3::
~
~**
A.i!!A.~
*A.I*A.
~
4
139
)
T
17
man (fu)
2
3
manpower (ren shou )
101
1
107
11'1any (duo)
3
79
master (zhu )
3
)
4
medical industry (xing lin
2
mermaid (ren yu
2
)
2
messenger (lai ren
mile (li
3
2
1
3
)
)
4
moon (yue)
2
morality ( ren pin
3
1
1
)
3
~'
*H
4
must (bi
4
~*
4
71
120
platform (tai
89
plum (li
56
police (China) (gong an
3
)
141
)
97
1
-~
1
)
3
141
ttl~
police (Taiwan) (jing cha
it.?I~F
poor (pin
A.l=l
poor household (pin hu
}J
population (reh kou
power (li
2
2
36
CJ
)
141
131
2
4
2
)
llll
48
2
)
tB&!
)
101
plain (dan
83
4
141
1
0
)
2
1
)
105
net (wang)
)
91
private (d)
1
)
2
)
:*:JJJ.I:*:i:J:.
3
to obey (ru )
3
93
~~~
3
1
34
99
1
not yet (wei
1
Province (shan dong ren
.b.
natural disaster (tian zai
~[]
54
prison (liao
~JJJ.I~'!k.
*
person frol1'1 Shandong
107
name (ming
nine (jiu
16
)
~
myself (zi ji
3
2
111
~a
18
person (ren )
)
1
)
2
to plagiarize (chao )
87
11'1utual (xiang
11
4
people (zhong ren )
:*:11±-T
.I:T0:3::
$
)
93
24
19
)
2
'f!fi A.!A A.
A.
1-D*-AI
1-D*A.
1
peaceful (an)
37
22
4
4
~
101
pine (song
42
mouth (kou)
148
)
pig (shi
77
mountain (shan
34
)
124
24
)
mother (11'1a )
Mrs (tai tai
)
2
to pat (pai )
I:X
)
molecule (fen zi
2
139
)
1
120
male phoenix (feng
me/1 (wo
4
to owe (qian
male (nan)
2
3
(da men kou)
34
4
ordinary (fan
4
121
)
1
18
:*:fll=l
109
97
madam (fu ren )
2
)
)
~A.
1
3
3
)
4
)
104
24
90
)
4
4
pregnant (da du zi)
115
.
(
pnnce
wang 2 z1.3).
97
1
princess (gong zhu
2
)
141
93
)
140
4
public (da zhong
public (gong
4
1
)
141
1
3
)
18
)
to publish (chu pin
quality (pin
3
3
)
44
23
INDEX
189
3
~
quantity of flowers (duo
~I
queen (nu wang )
D,~/0~
question indicator (ma
5JJ.i~
quiet month for business
3
2
)
139
79
2
)
4
4
(dan yue )
~
rain (yu
*~
rain shower (da yu
~**
rainforest (yu lin
)
4
3
~7]<
•
3
3
)
2
)
3
rainwater (yu shui
3
)
1
rank odour (shan)
/Jls
:IJD )fil
2
to reach (da )
to refuel (jia
1*
rest
@]
1
71'
==-
rich (fu
:l\:J51:l\:F
~
JII
2
4
.........
4
rich household (da hu
4
)
4
QQ
shout (xuan )
95
fltlt±
shrine (shen she
127
~
113
~a
71
92
1
rough (cu)
126
2
2
~IJ
round trip (lai hui
SJL~
to row Chua)
07]<
safe (ping an
Dffl
saliva (kou shui
Ill 7]<
to scare (hu )
±
scenery (shan shu i
t1t
scholar (shi
a
to seek (zhao )
El1~
self (j i
-~~
self-confidence (zi xin
1:!1
Jq]=f
to sell (mai
sentence (ju
IX
sentence (ju zi)
89
2
1
)
145
3
3
72
)
3
64
1
3
73
)
4
117
)
3
3
)
4
4
)
4
)
4
serene (an xiang
PT m1tff 1l
seven (qi )
sequence (ci
4
)
1
1
3
several (han ji
INDEX
*·•·• f'01 .- n
3
)
2
)
4
)
Jlfffjc
~
IJ'\
~A.!~ A.
t±
±
±
=f
ra~/IEl
E3
4
130
)
1
)
144
1
2
tO sit (ZUO
4
115
)
4
to sit at (zuo zai
six (liu
143
)
4
4
115
)
4
82
)
stze d a 4 xtao 3)
0
(
133
0
1
57
skin (fu)
sky (tian
1
)
small (xiao
20
3
132
)
3
society (she
soil (tu
143
)
3
114
)
soldier (shi
son (zi
69
4
4
116
)
3
96
)
1
space/room (jian )
67
1
sparkles (jing )
3
53
4
~7]<
spit (kou mo
1N
spring water (quan shui
tJ\
3R/
state (zhou )
*s
to stroll (guang )
73
)
2
I
2
to steal (pa )
73
113
4
39
)
4
lll
0
sunrise (dan
109
)f
to surround (wei
131
=-
~
sweat (han )
1.37
ll)J
to talk (yan )
137
ftliE:
talkative (dao )
149
~
tall/length (chang )
143
Jru5§
tea (cha )
83
+
tear (lei
52
)
4
53
)
2
22
)
4
145
2
108
1
89
2
2
ten (shi
)
102
4
stupid (beh
3
80
13.
1.39
2
to sneak out (shan ren )
aa
05*
23
sun (ri
102
~~
1::;
190
37
)
2
•• " " ••• .-,. ,. -~ " " " ,... ~ ••, ...-... ,.., ., ,., ,. .,,,. • o• •• , ,.,..,
104
80
1
)
40
)
95
60
)
2
*IT
120
)
roof (mian'2)
*@]/*@]
sheep (yang
133
shield (gan
142
)
4
river (j i ang
~
l\.IJ'\
54
1
95
23
)
river ( chuan ~)
)I
~
sharp (jian )
/'\
139
1
shell (bei
38
right (you
1
1
)
(shan dong)
~!.!n
c:t
l3ia
*I Ill *
94
121
1
(xiu )
to reveal (shi
Ill
Shandong Province
...J-
2
you )
to return (hui
m~Jll~
77
72
3
several days (j i tian
4
85
129
)
99
)
83
2
•• • ,. , .,. " " " f'01 .., -. r •• .-.• •,. ,., ~- " "" • •• • ooo • •• • • •,. • .,. ,. , ., ,...,. ,., -. • • • • • •,. n ~-- " ' " ,..,.,. .--oo ,. ,-,. , • • ,.,,..,, , " " " -~ ••• • " " 0 0 1 .-. .. ..-o o " oo o ••• ..._, ,.-,., • • • ,.., , ..-. ,. ...,., """ • " " " " " .-,.., """ " " " • • • l'o o •• • •O "' • ·•·• • • • on ••• " """ " " " " ' " .., -. roo • •• • Oo • ..-. • ••" h1 f'O • o
this (zhe4)
113
*.F.l
-
this month (ben3 yue4)
59
~
I
three (sanl)
82
I
e!§
thunder (lei2)
119
to tie together (kun3)
m
*s
woods (lin2)
33
work (gongl)
60
worker (gongl ren2)
61
.A.rs~/ .A.Il3J
world (ren2 jianl)
69
102
~
to wrap up (baol)
136
tiger (hu3)
64
1¥
year (nian2)
145
today (ben3 ri4)
59
IJ.!~
years (sui4)
107
tomorrow (ming2 ri4)
59
:tlfa'g
yes (hao3 de)
137
too big (tai4 da4)
19
Yk
you (ru3)
71
too much (tai4)
19
~
younger sister (mei4)
48
to transform (hua4)
151
tree (mu4)
32
twins (zil)
97
two (er4)
82
!lull
two mountains (shenl)
43
to argue (chao3 jia3)
164-65
~1±
~~
unrestrained (zi4 zai4)
115
J.ttl~
bird (niao3)
160
USA (mei3 guo2)
79
tD
button (kou4)
163
utensil (qi4)
27
frai~Ni
cat (maol)
161
villain (xiao3 ren2)
133
qtct
chirp (zil zil )
167
volcano (huo3 shanl)
45
,, , ,~
duck (yal)
160
walking (chuo4)
112
~
the end (zhongl)
179
water (shui3)
70
m~
grandfather (zu3 fu4)
160
weak (ruo4)
122
,~/."9.1
horse (ma3)
177
weapon (gel)
124
B.A.!~ A.
hunter (lie4 ren2)
161
~
wel l distributed (yun2)
137
a+!ft!Jl
miaow (miao3 miao3)
166
8
lit
whirlwind (biaol)
126
nJll nJll
quqck (gua3 gua3)
167
white (bai2)
62
T-
son/boy (zi3)
160
whole (quan2)
79
~
weapon (gel)
174
Whole-heartedly (quan2 xinl)
87
~R
wolf (lang2)
161
wide expqnse of Wqter
71
/~
I=El
ml
B~
S
**
*
1t
*
H~~~/~@!
s
IJ\A
X Ill
'
L
7.}<
~
~
~
'G'/it.'G'
~
)g3
(miao3)
~
wine (jiu3)
123
~
wine vessel (you3)
123
&
"9:.
winter (dongl)
147
wizard (wul)
60
P:..A.
lll*P:..A./
lll*"tl:..A.
woman (nu3)
46
woman (nu3 ren2)
49
woman from Shandong
54
.A.
Peter and the Wolf
Province (shanl dongl nu3 ren2)
INDEX
191
Acknowledgments
The entire Chineasy project started out of a desire to teach my own children, MuLan
(~.ll) and MuAn (~~)to read and appreciate the Chinese language and culture and
a personal curiosity to see if I could tackle the enormous task of deciphering the Chinese
language of my childhood.
Thanks to Bruno Giussani and Chris Ande.rson I was given the opportunity to share my
private project on the global TED stage with a much larger audience than I ever intended,
and I wish to thank Gary Sheinwald, Daria Pescador and Robert Leslie for their endless
encouragement, constructive criticism and support during the four-month preparation
leading up to my T ED talk.
To execute the project I enlisted the help of Crispin Jameson and his Brave New World
team, who have done a beautiful job. Throughout this process I also had the great
pleasure of working with Noma Bar, whose fascinating illustrations have made my
Chinese characters come to life. Isabella Schoepfer's assistance as project manager
has been vital. I also want to thank Dimple Nathwani who has be.en looking after me
for the past six years!
I very quickly realized that Chineasy was taking on a life of its own, and as more people
have come on board the project has grown even bigger. The endless discussions with
Crispin and Noma, designers Darren Perry and Carissa Chan and my research assistant,
Vanessa Lu ( 81~1Ji!). about each illustration and every single design detail have become
my daily routine and I still bring my 'homework' back to MuLan and MuAn for their
'approval '. It sometimes feels like standing in front of a pair of critical judges!
I would also like to thank Judith Greenbury, who is the reason why I first chose to write
a Chineasy book. She is turning 90 years old in February 2014 and I want to make sure
that I wish her a happy birthday here.
Throughout the whole project a number of people have continued to help and support
me: Myron Scholes, Susan Bird, Lulu Wang, Bi ll Gross, Chase Jarvis, Tim Ferriss, Stefan
Sagmeister, Phi lip Rowley and the Woo family- to all of you, thank you.
And last but not least, Lucas Dietrich of Thames & Hudson gave me the opportunity
to serve those who are willing to go on this incredible journey with me.
I left home at the age of 14, and have run around the world to try to understand myself,
and my place in the world, ever since. I have looked for meaning and answers while
walking barefoot through the Colombian Amazon, while sleeping in the Botswana desert
listening to lions and hyenas, and while pushing myself to the limits of my endurance in
some of the harshest, and coldest, climates in the world. After all the searching and fuss
I finally realized that the answer to my question could be found where I started- home.
I hope my calligrapher mothe.r Lin FangZi C~*~T-) and ceramic artist father Hsueh
RuiFang ( liflliij]5=) can finally stop worrying about me, their rebellious daughter, now that
I have found my place, and as I raise my own rebellious children.
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