Chineasy - The new way to read Chinese (by Shaolan)

oneself odour

'
'

mutual tear

*~ mutual 1 5§ t ear 4

(xiang ) (lei )

Th is character once meant This charact er is a This character is a The traditional form of
'nose', but it now means com bination of 'oneself' combination of 'tree'
'oneself', because people and 'dog'. It originally this charact er, 5Jl is a
usually point to their face meant 'to smell', because and 'eye'. Its composition
(specifically their nose) a dog's nose is particularly alludes to the idea of combination of 'water' and
when they talk about sensitive. It has since 'perverse'. This simplified
t h e m se l ves. evolved to mean 'odour'. taking a close look or form is a combination of
observing. It has now been 'water' and 'eye'.

extended to mean 'mutual'
or 'i mage'.

• • 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 (shou3)

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.

................... ..._.; • ••••••••• · · ···········-·-··-·· ·-·· $" •••• 5 ...... • .......... ,.................... ....... .......... • ........ . .. 'R 1 -·· T I-IIIlS ITihQ .... -IIIIUI I Ill .. IIA'T Ill

100 HAND BUILDING BLOCK

to assist to dress up

to pat to plagiarize

~ to assist (fu2) ffi to dress up (ban4 ) This character is a fY to plagiarize
combination of 'hand' and
This character's This character is a 'white'. 'Hand' indicates the (chaol)
composition symbolizes a combination of 'hand' and meaning; 'white' indicates
man being supported by 'to divide'. The building pronunciation. This character is a
a helping hand. It can also block on the left indicates combination of 'hand' and
mean 'to support', 'to help', the meaning, while the 'little' (see p . 133). It means
'to protect' and ' to hold on'. compound on the right 'to plag iarize ~ or 'to copy' .
indicates pronunciation.

:J:1c~ handrail A~ manpower ~:f. to clap hands 'J"fY cheat sheet

(fu2 shou3) ( ren2 shou3) (pail shou3) (xiao3 cfldol)

to ass ist + hand persoh + hand to pat + hand small + to p lag iarize

......................... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .................................(..s..e-...e.....p.......1.3...2.....f·o··-·r·· ..'.s...m....a...l.l..').................

HAND COMPOUNDS A ND PHRASES 101

to steal to fasten

to tie together to seek

tJ\ to steal (pa2) tD to fasten (kou4 ) mJ to tie together This character is a
combination of 'hand' and
This character is a This character is a ( k u n3) 'weapon' (seep. 124), and
combination of 'hand' combination of 'hand' indicates a hand taking up
and the number eight. It and 'mouth'. It has many This character is a arms, perhaps to search for
originally meant 'to dig out', different meanings, combination of 'hand' an escaped prisoner.
'to crawl' or 'to crouch', including the verbs
but has been extended to 'rein', 'knock', 'strike', 'tap', m.and 'enclosure'
mean 'to steal'. Imagine a 'button', 'buckle', 'deduct',
thief crouching by you and 'detain', 'smash'. When used To remember it, imagine
digging out your wallet. as a noun, it means 'button'. a captive's hands tied
together.

• • • 0 . ~· • • • • u ·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • • u • • 0'4 • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • • ' ' ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .

102 HAND COMPOUNDS





rAAJ net (w ang 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' 7vR.. on the left.

indicatmg the materials,
and 'net/to deceive' ~

on the right, representing
the pronunciation and the

meaning.

... · ··· ·· · ~ · · ~· ··· ·· ···· · ······················ · ·············
c::c net (wang3)

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 This character is a This character is a This character is a
two 'dusk' building combination of 'dusk' combination of 'mountain'
blocks, suggesting the combination of 'woods' and and 'mouth'. It alludes and 'dusk'. It is the
accumulation of time. to parents calling their simplified form; the
Accumulation implies 'dusk'. It is the simplified children's names as traditional form is ~·
'many'. evening fell. The compound The most common usage
form; the traditional form also means 'famous'. of~ is to count a person's
~j> how much
~ is a combination of age; for example, - pj,

l t •'' u n c l e a r ' person' and means 'one year old'.

'dusk', and means 'unclear

illusion'.

(duo1 shao3 ) 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 ( ya n 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 (ji4 ) ~¥ detailed (xiang 2) The character is a
combination of 'to talk'
This character, which is a This character is a This character is a and 'myself' ~ · which is a
combination of 'person' combination of 'to talk' combination of 'to talk' and
and 'to talk', originally and the number ten, and 'sheep'. It means 'observe combination of the number
referred to 'people's means 'to calculate' or 'to carefully' when used as a five and 'mouth'. It means
speech', but has been count'. If you can count to verb, 'detailed' or' 'tiny! as 'language' or 'words'. The
extended to mean 'letter' ten, then you can calculate an adjective, or 'deta ils' or
or 'trust'. Do you trust basic maths. The simplified 'particulars' as a noun. The simplified form is '1!·
everything people tell you?
form is i.f. simplified form is iff·

~ 1"" self-confidence *~1g to believe B *~ Japanese ~~ official language
language ( ri 4 ben3 yu3 )
(zi4 xin4) (xiang1 xin4) Japan + language (guo2 yu3)
oneself + trust mutual +trust
country + language

......................... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

TO TALK COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES 109



a self (ji3)

The rope shape of th1s
character refers to 'self'.

... .' - ' . ' . ' ··-···············--·

oneself + self

·······················································-·--···································································································································........ ........ ... ·····································-········'

SELF BUI LDING BLOCK lll

L' walking (chuo4 )

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 'walking'.

.................. .. ........... ..... ....·····.....······............................................··········.............................······················...............................................................................................................

112 WALKING BUILDING BLOCK

to reach 'e

' to stroll

'

to compel this

This is the simplified form mto stroll (guang4) J'.6E. to compel (po4) i§ this (zhe4)
of the character, and is a
combination of 'walking' This character is a This is the simplified form The traditional form of this
and 'big', indicating combination of 'walking' of the character, and is a character is a combination
reaching a destination after combination of 'walking' of 'walking' and 'to talk'.
H.and 'crazy' which is a and 'white'. It .also means The simplified form ~'~ is
m:.a long walk. The traditional 'to approach' or 'to force', a combination of 'walking)
combination of 'dog' and and 'urgent' when used as
form is. 'king'. Some would think an adjeetive. Its traditional .and 'literature' Jt.
that strolling around with
no destination in mind is eform is.
a crazy waste of time. i§..

The simplified form is. ~.

JtsA. expert H~ mad dog

(da2 ren2) (g uang4 q uan3 )
crazy + dog
to reach + person

. .········· · ··········~· · ·············~································································································~···········~···· •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

This character is a This character is a ~ to sit ( zuo4) This character is a
combination of 'talent' combination of 'flesh' and combination of 'person'
'soil'. The stomach is where This character shows two and what resE:!mbles two
.:1 (cai2) and 'soil'. 'Talent' the fruits of the soil are people sit ting on the soil. ·~oil ' building blocks. It also
stored. This character has means 'good' or 'nice'.
indicates the pronunciation; an alternative pinyin: du3.
'soil' indicates the meaning
(see p. 11). Originally this
character meant 'to exist',
but it has been extended
to mean 'at', 'in' or 'on'.

tE~ unrestrained :;k~±T pregnant ~1£ to sit at 1i.A beautiful lady

(zi4 zai4 ) (da4 d u4 zi) (zuo4 zai4 ) (jia1 ren2)

oneself + at big + belly + son/child to sit + at fine + person

......................... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

SOIL COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES 115

± soldier (shi4 )

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.

.................. . .. ... '.. -····~····~············. . -

,±c,, determination

(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



-- -- from/due

thunder

helmet to explain

mthunder (lei2) S3 from/due (you2) lfl helmet (j ia3) $ to explain (shenl)

This character is a This is the character for Originally, this character In oracle-bone inscriptions,
combination of 'rain' 'field' with an extended depicted a cracked seed this character looked like
and 'field '. In oracle- upwards vertical stroke in a bud, and meant 'skin'. lightning in the rain, and
bone inscriptions, this in the middle, indicating On account of its similar meant 'lightning'.
character depicted thunder the road used to enter the pronunciation to 'armour',
(represented by a circle farmland. it now also means 'helmet'.
and dots) and lightning.

......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

FIELD COMPOUNDS 119

' rich
'

oil

male

)EB oi I (you2) This character is a ~ mile ( lj3) .J15 male (nan2)
combination of 'roof, the
This chqracter is a number one, 'mouth' and This character is a This character is a
combination of 'water' and 'field', and alludes to a combination of 'field' and combination of 'field' and
'field ~, and alludes to the wealthy fC1mily living in a 'soil', and means 'village'. 'power'. In ancient times
liquid made from minerals comfortable home full of Over time its meaning has men worked the fields. The
under the fields, oil. possessions. been extended to refer to character now refers to the
the stretch of ground that masculinity associated with
a village occupies. manual labour.

• • • 0 . ~ · • • • • u ·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . . . . . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • • u • • 0'4 • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 • • • • · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · • • • • ' ' ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . .._• • • • • , . . . . . . . .

120 FIELD COMPOUNDS

' )EB83 oil field
' (you2 tian2)

: oil field l oil + f ield = oil field
I•..•...................•..•......•...................•...•.....•..•••...•••.•.•.••••••..•....•.... ' .•..•....•....•...•.....•..•.:
)Ebr~ gas pedal/
oil field accelerator
(you2 men2)
'
' oil + door = [ literally]
oil door = gas pedal
.:. oil door ..:
1JO)EB to refuel
t 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 • (jia1 you2)

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
(fu4 jia1 nu3)

rich + home + woman =

girl from a rich family

gas pedal/accelerator

'
'

.. to add oil ...•
'0 u 0 o 0 0 o oo• 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 o-. t 0 0 o·o 0 .-o 0 o·o .-o oooo-.-o 0 , ,_-.-.-.-o-.-.-.-. o-. 0 .-o-.-. o-. 0 o-. o0 0" to o °. 0 0 0 o oo 0 0 o o t t t o o 0 o" 0 0 o0 0 0
t0o oo o o 0 0 to 0 00 0 o . o o0 o 0

to refuel

' ---

!

..• rich home woman ..••

•• ······················· ·· ·········~··············································· .••••.• ••••.•••• ·•••••••••·•··· ·•·· ·...•. ·······································••••o••················••o•••·····

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 (you3)

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 (biao1)

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 . . . . 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 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

126 TRIPLE ANIMAL COMPOUNDS

j¥ rank odour (shan1)

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 runnr.ng

(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 This character is a This character is a This character is a
combination of 'grass' and combination of 'grass' qnd combination of 'grass', combination of 'grass' and
'field', and refers to the a component that
'early' !f!. and means 'grass' buds that sprout in fields. resembles 'person' and 'o ld' ii. An old plant is not
'tree', and can be translated
or ' herbs'. as 'tea tree'. The original going to taste very good!
form of this character, ~' This character also means
meant 'bitter herb'. 'illness'.

......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

GRASS COMPOUNDS 129

•money

Tta:Sfriiplifiiill form Is Jl

to buy ' ---

to sell

poor to congratulate

This character is a This character is a This character is a ~ to congratulate
combination of 'net' and combination of 'scholar', combination of 'to divide' ( he4 )
'shell'. It alluded to using a 'net' qnd 'shell'. Originally and 'shell'. As shells were
net to collect shells, which it was a combination of once currency, dividing This character is a
you could use to buy 'to get out' and 'to buy', them would make you combination of 'to add!
things. The simplified form alluding to getting rid of poorer. The simplified and 'shell'. Congratulations
purchases by selling them. in China .are often given in
is~. The simplified form is ~. form is~. the form of money.
The simplified form is~ .

=ll"i!. ~- commerce ~::E customer ~ liD to buy back ~* buyer
(ma i3 zhu3) (mai3 hui2) (ma i3 j ia1)
(mai3 mai4)
to buy + master to buy + to retu rn to buy + home
to buy + to sell

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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 00 0 .....................................................................................................

132 SHELL BUILDING BLOCK

/\

little sharp

/\

I

grandchild

This character originally This character is a This character is a This character indicates
meant 'little', 'minus', 'few' combination of 'small' and combination of 'small' and E1 little child. This is the
or 'less', but has been 'big', and means 'sharp', 'soil'. This is the simplified simplified form; the
extended to also mean 'pointed' or 'acute'. Imagine form; the traditional form is traditional form is ~. a
'young'. It has an alternative a triangle that is big or combination of 'child' and
pinyin: shao4. wide at its base then tapers flj, a combination of 'deer' 'system' ~, indicating the
to a small, sharp point. and 'soil'. It alludes to the continuation of children.

dust kicked up when a herd

of deer run.

;J'A villain ( x ia o 3 ren 2 *'J' size (da4 xiao3) j1}~ granddaughter j1}.:;r grandson
) ( su nt nu3 ) (su n1 zl)
big + small
small + person grandchild + woman grandchild + son

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SHELL COMPOUNDSANDPHRASES 133

•

cat duck

+.+

i small cat I• ::. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .m.. . .o. .u. . .n. .t..a..i. n. .. cat . . . . . . .:i
:I
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••• ••••••• ••• ...... ......... .............. .. . .... .... ... . ............................

kitten lynx

This character is a This character is a ;J'ua kitten wm lynx
combination of 'raccoon' combination of 'helmet'
and 'bird'. A male mallard (xiao3 mao1) (shan1 mao1)
ft and 'bud'. Its simplified looks like it is wearing
a green helmet. The A very simple phrase; A lynx is a speeies of
form is Mit which Is a $implified form of this a small cat is a kitten. wildcat recognizable by
sma ll + cat= kitten its tufted ears. Lynx are
combination of 'dog' and charqcter is '~· normally found in high-
'bud'. altitude forests.
mountain + cat= lynx

~.±. Elvis Presley
(mao1 w ang2)
cat + king

• • • 0. ~ · • • • • u ·~ 0 • • • 0'! • • • • • • • • • • ._• • ~··- . ... . . . . . ~ • • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . ~·· • • • • • • • • • • • • u • • ,,. • • • · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · -· · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .· -· · • • • • ''! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' " ' · -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . .._. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

134 ADDITIONAL ANIMA L COMPOUNDS AND PH RASES



~ to wrap up (bao1)

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

In oracle-bone inscriptions, a~ of (de) 5J well distributed This character is a
this character was a combination of 'soi l' and
This character is a (yun2) 'well distributed/to divide'.
combination of 'rope' 4 combination of 'white' and It alludes to an even
and 'mouth'. Unlike i!Jr 'to wrap up'. It means 'of' This character can also division of land.
and is one of the most mean 'to divide'. The
(below), which usually frequently used Chinese combination of 'to wrap
refers to a specific sentence, characters. up' and the number two
this character tends to be alludes to treating two
used when counting (e.g. things equally.
'there are 10 sentences').

1:i.JT- sentence (ju4 zi) frr89 yes (hao3 de) i5.J>.J to distribute evenly

sentence + son good + of (jun1 yun2)

even + well distributed

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TO WRAP UP COMPOUNDS AND PHRASES 137

Jl how many (ji3)

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 ( j i 1
)

as adverb =almost (ji1)

as verb = reach/attain (ji1)

as pronoun = several (ji3 )

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••

This character is a
combination of 'tree'

and 'how many'. Its

traditional form is W.

.. .. . .. .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ... . . . ... . . .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . . .. . .. .. . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . ... . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . .. . .. .. . . . .. .. . .. .. . . .. .. . . . .. . . . .. . .. .. . .. .. . . .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .

138 HOW MANY BUILDING BLOCK

ordinary quantity of flowers

male phoenix female phoenix

J'L ordinary (fan2) 5R quantity of Jil. male phoenix ~ female phoenix
( huang2)
In oracle-bone and bronze flowers (d u o 3 (feng4)
scripts, this character ) This character is a
repr-esented building This character is a combination of 'how many',
apparatus. It originally This character is a combination of 'how many' 'white' and 'king ', and refers
meant 'mould for making combination of 'how many' and 'bird'. In Chinese to the female phoenix of
Qbjects', and then evolved and 'tree'. It refers to a unit, mythology, the phoenix Chinese mythology.
to mean 'ordinarY.'. such as a dozen flowers. is the king of birds and
Jl~it? means 'how symbolizes good fortune.
many flowers?' (ji3 duo3 The simplified form is ~
hua).

Jl~ several days Jl~? how many days? ~rJl several +Jl a dozen or so
(ji3 t ian1) (ji3 tian1) (hao3 ji3)
(sh i2 jl1)
how many + sky/day how many + sky/day good + how many/several
ten + how many/almost

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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: mou3.

.............................................................................. .4000000001tt•••••···················································~························4······················· .·········•••···•···•·•·••·••••·••·•·•····••·•·········•······ ..•·•

140 PRIVATE BUILDING BLOCK

public to go

pm. e platform

0 public (gong1) This character is a This character is a i:l' platform (tai2)
combination of 'private' combination of 'tree'
This character is a and 'soil'. It al ludes to a This character is a
combination of the number person leaving a place and 'public'. A different combination of 'private'
eight and 'private'. It also to go somewhere. character with the same and 'mouth'. Norma lly an
means 'grandfather' when pronunciation ~ can orator is the sole person
written i}i}, or 'male' mean 'to relax' and 'loose'. to stand on a platform and
when referring to animals. deliver their speech. The
other traditional form of

this character' is B.

0~ police (China) ~ ~ police (Taiwan) 0 .±. princess
(gong1 an1) (jing3 cha2)
pubIic + peaceful (gong1 zhu3)
police + to observe
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 (shi4)

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

.. society

a u spiCIOUS

god blessing

~ auspicious t± society (she4 ) This character is a This character is a
(xiang2) combination of 'to reveal' combination of 'to reveal'
This character is a and 'to explain'. God is the number one, 'mouth'
This character is a combination of 'to reveal' omnipotent and omniscient. qnd 'field', and also means
combination of 'to reveal' and 'soil', and originally He revea ls secrets. 'good fortune' or 'blessing'.
and 'sheep', and also referred to a place of It is commonly written on
means 'omen', 'good luck' worship. It has since red paper during Chinese
and 'happiness'. People evolved to mean 'society' New Year.
once sacrifrced sheep or 'company'.
for luck.

t$U shrine ~~~ serene
(an1 xiang2)
(shen2 she4)
peaceful + auspicious
god + society

......................... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

TO REVEAL COMPOUNDS AN D PHRASES 143



sweat flat

year

This character is a This character is a This character refers to This character is a
combination of 'water' and combination of 'shield' the time required for the
'shield/dry', and alludes to a and the number eight. earth to orbit the sun once, combination of 'shield' T ,
person being dry because It also means 'gentle', based on the Chinese
they have sweated out all 'equal' or 'level'. calendar. For example, the ±'soil' and 'to be' ".
their water. phrase-~ means 'one
year'. The character can Ironically, this character
also mean 'new year' or originally meant 'torture'.
'annual'.
Today it means 'fate' or
'good fortune'.

SJL~ safe :$'~&\ happiness
(ping2 an1) (xing4 fu2)
fate + blessing
flat/gentle + peaceful

......................... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

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 frozen

ICe

winter to gallop

This character is a This character is a This character is a ;,~ to gallop (feng 2)
combination of the building combination of 'ice' and
blocks 'ice' and 'water'. 'east'. The coast of China combination of 'slow' jz This character is a
indicating frozen water. lies to the east, and in ('slow' looks similar to the combination of 'ice' and
winter ieebergs would have charaeter for 'dusk', but has 'horse', and means 'to
JJ.I<l.!< means 'iced water'. come from the east. The an extended stroke) and gallop'. This character
'ice'. It translates literally is also a surname. The
)*.simplified form is as 'slow ice', which alludes simplified form is ~.
to ice building up slowly
over winter.

......... ....... ...... ... ·-····· .................................,. ~··························-············· .........' .......................................................................... ' .....................................-....................... ···-··· .................................

ICE COMPOUNDS 147

7:. to owe (qian4 )

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.

........ .. .. . ... .. .. ... . .. ..··- ·······························-·······-·· -····-·······-········-·································································································································································

148 TO OWE BUILDING BLOCK