You are on page 1of 376

ANALYSIS

OF

CHINESE CHARACTERS

G. D.

WILDER

AND

J.

H.

INGRAM

North China Union Language School

1922

4l*fe.

PL I17(
Wb7

W,

2^

liiJU^''

INTRODUCTION
TO

ANALYSIS OF CHINESE CHARACTERS.

The author

of the great Chinese English dictionary Mr. Giles, has

not hesitated to express most trenchantly his contempt of etymology as


has been applied to

Chinese

Wen

etymology of the Shuo

is

know

the only one of which

is

"Much
we can

Notwithstanding the ridicule heaped upon

aiiything.

it

of the

it,

pretend

scholars,

Chalmers, Chalfant, Wieger and others have continued to pursue the

like

fascinating study of the origin of these

These

interesting results.

character writing

we have
earliest

may

that

often

be and

symbols and have given us most

results are so convincing that in the teaching of

etymology of the
it

says that

the extreme", and that the

childish in

phonetic principle of combination


to

He

Characters.

unhesitatingly

adopted the principle that the

Chinese writers on the subject, childish though

fanciful,

is

yet superior to the numerous mnemonics

have been invented by foreign students to

assist

in the

of memorizing the forms of a few thousand characters.

may

of these pages

often

in

student

far fetched

but the following consid-

They are the products of Chinese


some extent show the workings of the

mind.

fancy and imagination and to

Chinese mind.

The

consider the etymology suggested fanciful

and the logic of the combinations


eration should be borne

difficult task

Therefore they interest us

who

are students of Chinese

may

only seem to be fanciful because we

are ignorant of the ancient customs

out of which they arise, or of the

thought.

Moreover they

forms of the

utensils of

often

which they are

nunciation in the different dialects.

If

pictures, or of the variations of pro-

any oue of us were entrusted with

the task of inventing written symbols for both concrete objects and abstract
ideas

we

it is

doubtful

tainly invests the

/
.

if

we would produce anything much

less fanciful

and

certainly could produce nothing of such rich historic interest, as cer-

3000 most

primitive characters.

Writing Chinese characters

insists

is

a task of memory.

on the value of logical or even

them in mind.

Those who try

fanciful links

'

Modern pedagogy

between ideas for

fixing

to learn Chinese characters almost in-

INTRODUCTION

Iv

variably grope for

by which

to hold

some

them

association of ideas,

at

already

by

invented

range than any

in-

by

that the groupings

a study of the ancient inscriptions of

the early seal writings and etymologies are

and wider

logic in the formation

We have no doubt

memory.

in

which have been arrived

some

memory

more

more

interesting,

logical,

system that has been or can be

the superficial study of the characters as written with the

modern Chinese

pen.

These etymological studies

enlist the interest

historic imagination to aid the dry-as-dust task of committing to

of the

memory

these curious symbols of the thought of three or four milleniums.

Missionaries in China have been spared the task

many places have had,' of reducing the language


The genealogy of Chinese characters takes
ing.
in

For an

years.

interesting

Wieger's introduction,
firmed

by

their brethren

of the people to writ-

us back neariy 4000

sketch the student

historical

of which we

which

here give a summary.

is

referred to

Tradition con-

induction ascribes the idea of writing to the

well grounded

mythical Emperor Fu^ Hsi' i)^^ and the systemization of written charac-

j^fg in the 27th century B.C. Emperor Huang^ Ti^


B.C. 2697-2598, had recorders trained in official schools under a zk.

'ters to Ts'ang' Chieh^

^^,

It t'ai" s/iiP or
acters

Grand Master. Bronzes of the i8th century B.C. with char-

on them are

the Confucian

The

extant.

Temple

others to the 9th century B.C.


imperial recorder

wen' or large
characters,

^ Chou''

seal,

(B.C.

stone

drums exhibited

Peking, referred

in

in

show

inscriptions

in the

ta* chumi''.

200)

^^^

k'o^

gateway of

to the 12th century,


in the

style

a catalog of characters called the

"^"^

used

by

by an

^^ Chou*

known as tadpole
because so many of the

Later they became


ton' tzu*,

penstrokes suggest the form of a tadpole.

of scribes

by some

Confucius, B.C. 500, complained,

who were dishonest and instead of leaving blanks when they


made new ones. These he called '^^ ck't^ tzu^ Or odd

forgot characters,
characters.

Li* Ssu^

Ch'in^ Shih'

Huang^

^^M.

213 B.C. had

his

prime minister

^%\ make a new catalog called the H;^ sai^ ts'ang}

It

contained

3300 characters which are known as the small seal /h^ hsiao^ ckuan*.
U? Ssu^-- invented no new symbols but combined the primitive picture
characters with

phonetics.

/Thus the

creation of

new

characters ceased

before 200 B.C. and probably long before that, as the phonetic principle,

which renders unnecessary the invention of new symbolic elements, was in


Li' Ssu' was deceived by the " odd characters " and as he
use in 800 B.C.

had not enough

ancient

documents

to

ascertain the

meaning of many

g
'

INTRODUCTION

^-/

We

symbols he fixed wrongly the meaning of many characters.


correct

some

Li^ Ssu*

of his mistakes.

many new

As

there were

many

and duplicate characters were formed.


seven times until

Hsi finished A.D.

use, leaving

little

that

and

Li* Ssu's

useless

was reedifed

catalog

The modern

useless doubles

4000

that are in

Kan

standard dictionary of

Of

has 40,000 characters.

17 17

these 34,000 are

2000 more are surnames and doubles of

common

use. \

Of

3000 are

these

all

need be studied for etymological purposes, although there are also


rare or obsolete characters that are of etymological and historical

some

interest. Importunately

the 3000 ancient primitives are

characters and anyone

who

will

with different

contained 7380 at the time of Christ and two hundred

it

years later over ten thousand.

monstrosities

I'terary centers

and no standard or center of control, c^pMtlesi

dialects prevailing

now

were invented by the easy process of

characters

phonetic combination.

can

In the period of literary enthusiasm following

gets a mastery of

have a magnificent vocabulary for

by the

fact that there are

Chinese English dictionaries but 14,000.

40,000

are 80,000

that there

The

in the dictiohary.

10,000 and the larger

One who

masters^'^QOO, will find

Dr. Goodrich

himself fairly well equipped for public speech.


is

Let
j

vocabularies of Goodrich and Soothill have but

decades of experience

their combiriations

departments of literat ure,

all

no one be appalled by the popular misstatement


characters or even

the most useful

still

them and

after his

4000

surprised that he can catalog but

many

colloquial

characters.

Besides the multiplication of characters there have been

many trans-"^

Many

formations for ease in writing or condensations for the sake of speed.


\

of these changes occurred as writing materials changed.


stylus, writing

Curves and

circles

were common.

caused, poor writing and

some

Then

still

the

At first

the metal

in all directions.-

pencil used

Finally

finfe

on

silk

pointed

power of shading^ and speed

the

modern |f

are reduced to straight lines and angles, and

or running hand which

still

^'ai^

i3u*,

in

which curves-^

the grass characters,

further obliterates the

^^
classi/!

forms.

Other transformations are due to abbreviation

'

in exe-

further distorts the shapes of the classic small seal characters.

The brush has produced


ts'ao* t0u*,

wooden

peculiar changes.

hair brushes used on paper gave great

cution but

on wood made uniform strokes equally easy

for securing

moro

space for inscriptions on small pieces of bone, shell or metal, as Mr.

J,

'

INTRODUCTION

VI

Mellon Menzies has pointed out, and these abbreviations have become

precedents for permanent forms.

About

(B.C. 86).

20 A.D. there was printed a posthumous work of Hsii' Shen

was the

It

mological studies.

first

publication of genuine archaeological

of Chinese archaeology had

This father

His great work

exteisively and studied Li' Ssu's catalog.

is

the

and

ety-

travelled

^%M^

10516 standard characters arranged


under 534 to 544 primitive symbols which are the^o:rigin of our 214
radicals.
All Chinese dictionaries claim to be based upon the Shuo Wen,

Shuo* Wen"" Chieh' Tzu*.

It

contains

show ignorance of it and few scholars to-day are acquainted with it.
Our Character Analysis is based upon Wieger's EtyOur
mological Lissons which is drawn largely from the Shuo Wen.
But
references usually m;an that our explanation is taken from Wieger.
it is not always so, for the
original Shuo Wen as well as the works of
Chalfant, Chalmers and others have been used. Original or at least modern

though they

often

made and

suggestions have been

Shuo

usually placed after

the reference to

In Wieger's Lessons will often be found the quotation trom the

Wieger.

Wen

in

Chinese justifying the explanation.

/^ We shall use a few technical

expressions which are best explained

All characters

the ancient classification of characters into six categories.


are divided into the

On

pound.

com-

two

classes are

each

The wen' or simple

characters

may

figures

the basis of form or composition the?e

divided into two other classes,

be either (i) pictures


of which there are

symbols

and the f^

t2u* or

simple

wen"' or

^^

125 of these.

364

i.

hsiang^ or imitative symbols,!

in the

Shuo

Wen

or they

-^I^

2.

The compound

(2) indicative

The Shuo

^ are divided

characters

A in which each

ksiang'^ hsing^,

may be

chiK" shih*, pointing to things, affairs.

combinations, '^M. ^^'^

Wen

hsing"'

Shuo Wen:

(2)

sheng^ (form and sound), also called

one part has a

significant

has

into (i) logical

component part of the character

has a meaning relevant to the meaning of the character as a whole.


are 1167 of these in the

by

meaning and the

phonetic

f^^

combinations^^

hsief^ sheng^,

rest points

There

in

which

out the pronuncia-

Of these the Shuo Wen explains 7697. We should note however that in many of these phonetic combinations the phonetic part was
chosen because its meaning had some suggestion of the meaning of the
tion only.

character so that they incline towards the logical combination class and

may be

called suggestive phonetics. e.g. f^ -wer^ to ask has P5 ^^n!-

door


INTRODUCTION
for the phonetic

mouth

and

k'ou>

mouth

to signify the meaning of ask, but a

a doorway certainly suggests asking.

in

vH

So too

hear, an ear at a crack in the door, the phonetic P^

is

in

|]fl

weif' to

suggestive.

We give the following examples of the four classes mentioned above,


1.

left

Imitative symbols or pictures such as

hand

and bottom

pins at top

as,

suspension from above or action of force

kutl' representing

downwards

from the meaning of

all

meaning to ask, under a

H. tan'', the

in

sun

above the

just

which the meaning of the character

the elements,

i^ charC

is

mouth

re-

k'oil,

///, a diviner or the lines on a tortoise shell,

[<

so the whole character means to


i.e.

suggesting the meaning of morning.

Logical combination,

3.

sults

Y"

for hinges.

or authority from above

horizon

hand

symbols, that suggest meaning often with the idea of

2. Indicative

motion

yi^, right

yj^

P^ mer^, door, of the Chinese two leaved style with projecting

consult the diviner or simply to divine,

to ask the tortoise shell lines.

Phonetic compounds, in which one part has to do with the mean-

4.

ing and the other with the sound only.


the water radical

i^H

shu?

\^

chart''

to suggest moisture

phonetic, to indicate the sound.

In

many

if

^ chan^ for the

cases the phonetic has

ness in sound to that of the character of which

pancies will be understood

to moisten, naturally ha^

and has the

it

forms a

little like-

Such

part.

discr^.

one remembers that the Chinese custom

requires that only the latter part of the sound of the phonetic shall be like
that of the character

whose sound

for^

sidered a perfect phonetic

pari^ for

p'atf' etc.

were invented

it

indicates.

t'ang^,

and

Thus '^ shang*


fung^ for

is,

con-

chung^,

Moreover many of the phonetic combinations

in parts of the

country where the dialect varies greatly from

that familiar to the student.

These four
acters.

classes are

The Shuo

Wen

based on the form or composition of the chardistinguishes

two more

classes of characters

based upon use.


5-

^'&

chuaii chu^,

more extended, or
figurative,

jnstance in

is

an acceptation of a character

in

a meaning

derived, generalized, metaphorical, analogous, adapted,

or even inverted and opposite to the original meaning.


[

For

pii the original meaning seems to be a horizontal and a per-

pendicular line from the lines appearing in a heated tortoise shell, that

what the diviner consults

then

by

extension

it

is,

meant the diviner or one

INTRODUCTION

VJii

who

consults the lines.

^ wan^

tension of the primitive meaning


late design

it

a picture of a fishing

is

means any network, cobweb or

These meanings are gotten by turnings

^ of

interpreta-

are usually extensions of meaning or turns of thought from the

"^ ^ /"

concrete characters.
therefore,' father,
6.

by

is

original

of authority,

stick

a metaphorical extension.

chluc'

-Igfa

a hand holding a

reticu-

Abstract ttr ns

Primitives are usually pictures of concrete objects.

tion.

ex-

to envelope or

also to catch with a net, to catch in general,

wrap, to gather.

By

net.

chieh^ or

character in a sensa which

borrowing, refers to the use of a

false

is

not

its

own

originally, either

by

(i) error,

by convention to debut which has


language
signate an object which has a name in the spoken
no written name. e.g. to take the character for some obsolete utensil arbiSee No.
trarily to stand for some new idea for which a symbol is wanted.
substituting

4-

it

yeK'.

ffl.'tf

the Analects

but

for another existing character

As an example of the former we have in the first


|^ now pronounced in other places sku(^ meaning

in this place

rejoice

is

or (2)

ahvays pronounced yueft*, meaning to

written \^, but a scribe once wrote

was not corrected out of respect

was taken by convention


Another

interesting

to

for 'f^

for the classical text.

mean

of

ksia*

below

tzil',

YHek to

mistake, and

it

to sing,

ko^,

elder brothers.

method of forming characters was by inverting

For example

the inversion of Jt shang^ above


Vi^, an inversion
ip t'a to go on, is only, jh
means an unnatural child

is

son,

to speak,

rejoice.

by

an old character to make a new one of opposite meaning.

'^

chapter of

chif^ to stop, turned

bottom up

pt^ walking

is

a combination of the

two preceding containing both stopping and going owing to the advancing
and stopping alternately of the

feet

in

walking.

jet^ inverted

is

{^

hua*, to change.

Some

characters are formed

by doubling and trebling other characters

either to emphasize the meaning, as

^ yao^ the

finest

thread,

yii^

an

almost invisible filament, or to express simple reduplication or multiplication as

and

y^'lir^

mouth and no hsuan clamor of many voices


forest,
sen many trees, green, many.

k^m('

^jc

This book explains a thousand characters.

ia

tree

After the student has

studied these he will have learned about 1400 useful characters.

commend

mu*

We

re-

he proceed then to read Wieger's Etymological lessons


order, and to learn to write all the list of " 340 -Characters selected
that

INTRODUCTION

from those Lessons which do not occur in the


Wieger's Phonetic

series, learning to

characters "

place

will

enabling him to

all

fX
First list."

Then

a study of

write the " second thousand selected

the student has learned in phonetic groups'

remember them much more

easily.

The study

of the

phonetic groups in Soothill's pocket dictionary or in Wieger throughout


the course will rapidly increase the numbers ot characters the student can
write.

-J5-

SUGGESTIONS TO THE BEGINNER


FOR WRITING CHARACTERS.
If the student begins

with the

first

character and studies

them

order he very soon comes to very complicated symbols.


ease his task

if

in

It will

he takes one or two lessons on simpler forms such as

the numerals and simple characters occurring early in the

designated below, in the suggested

book

as

lesson.

first

be found a pleasing diversion to practice under the


guidance of a teacher with a Chinese pen and the red copy forms
will

It

that schoolboys use.

In this

way one

will at the

order of the strokes which the Chinese follow.


to learn this order

ed by the hand

if

one wishes

From

memory.

this the

Mr.

order in writing.

Mandarin Primer

highly important

a great

is

The Language School also has a table

giving the order of strokes for the

book.

It is

as a regular habit form-

all,

making the strokes of each character

in

assistance to the

to write at

same time learn the

150 of the characters

first

in this

student can easily acquire the principles of


Bailer's suggestions in the Introduction to his

will also give the

same. P. xxv.

In writing with either pan or pencil, the following rules should

be observed
possible.

square

in order to secure as

follows

strokes

of proportion and style as

it

may

as nearly as possible a

with those above and below, no matter

space of equal size

how many

much

Each character should occupy

I.

contain.

2.

The

^'XTILL-i/J-

elemental strokes are as


3-

Where

space

is

en-

closed the perpendiculars slope inwards, making the space broader


at the top

than at the bottom,

4. Perpendiculars in

the middle of

the character should be absolutely upright, but the horizontals tend

upwards toward the reader's right hand.

to slope

We

suggest the following for the

FIRST LESSON.
,

J*

One, represents the primordial unity.

in the series
all

beings.

of numerals,
It is

the

first

In composition to

it

The

first

represents the source of

radical.

make up another

has the following symbolic meanings.

character

it

SUGGESTIONS TO THE BEGINNER FOR WRITING CHARACTERS.

1.

at the

i^

top of any character usually means

heaven, a roof or any cover as in

yi^

xi

t'ien,

heaven,

rain.

At

2.

the bottom

it

means the surface

^ peif

earth, a base, or foundation.

or base

H.

horizon.

ground,

3.

:ft

li^

to

stand,

^ shao^
makes a

Two, The number of


pair with heaven.

and feminine

principles

2,

sheep-skin

form of
e.g.

it.

yang^ and [^

yin}.

It is

has three uses.

it

it

the masculine

It signifies

i.

of two as in fn fet^, two men, love each

Two

extremes as in

wi^

shan^ above, or

shih^,

of

five

An old

hsia*

below.

a revelation from above.

head, that which

is

the top

H on man

^ ko^ a

3.

^.

stretched on a frame

J:,

a
P^

the earth, because

In composition

the 7th radical.

The meaning

pj(

ch'iao,

the breath.

Something contained, as

a spoon with something in

erk*

other.

4.

on the

-j^

"5^

as in

representing

shian^ a bolt to a door.


"~*

man

is

barrier or hindrance

breathing,

difficult

morning, the sun just above the

tar^,

the

of

trunk of a tree

7c

y'uan^,

JL.

san^ Three, the order of humanity coming after

tH^

heaven and earth.

wang'

The Chinese commonly

king, as the one

who

explain 3E

unites heaven, earth

and

man.

-|

shil^,

Ten.

The number

that includes all the rest

of the simple numbers, a symbol of separation, extent

two dimensions, and the

in

compass.

It is

cardinal

the 24th radical,

separating the kernels of grain ^>.

e.g.
It

points

-^

of the

ml'', is

-f-

means threshed

out grain br any such substance.

For the

rest

of the numerals study the following numbers in the

book, 29 to ZZ, inclusive, 58, 59. For more easy characters first
study No, 57, I, 5, 6, 14, IS, 35, 27, 19, 12, 2, 3, 4, after mastering
these one may as well begin with No, 7 and go on in the order
given in the book.

iVS cv

ANALYSIS OF CHINESE CHARACTERS, FROM, BALLER'S

MANDARIN PRIMER.
BASED MAINLY ON DR. t. WIEGER'S ETYMOLOGICAL
LESSONS AND THE SHUO WEN.
(W. with a nnmber and

letter refers to these lessons.

column means that

it

is

A comma

coilcqnial character.

after the Romanization in tbe first

The form given

at the right is

the seal writing of 100 A.D.)

BALLEE, LESSON
^fc

To have

*^"*>

/^

children

f^ mien^.

I.

tea*

under one's roof

Logicalfcomposition, to shelter,

to nurse, to bear. By extension it refers


to the characters produced or bom hj
combining the simple
wer?, into com-

pound characters,
f^

tztf,

W. 94

by

logical

A.)

The radicaliof the character, a picture o a


newborn child swathed so that its legs
are not visible.

'^

either

#M
M (See introduction, Page 6, in Wiener

also

^^ >^

^,

orjphonetic combination,

composition

the hair.

By

In an ancient form

exte:nsion it

means

it

has

disciple,

then sage or teacher because the emperors


honored the sages by calling them tzu^ or
sons.

It is the

39th

radical, reli^-ting to

(W. 94 A.)
mien^ Picture of a roof, a shelter, a house. It
is the 4dth radical of characters relating to
(W. 36 A.) Called
dwellings.
pao'
children.

^^^

f\

^m

4^

30^ Xm, wo',

"iXi,

n^.-^Y^

I,

Two

me.

wards each

other,

each other, and

ko\ pointing totwo rights opposing

spears,

1)3'-

my

extension

right,

me. (W. 71 Q.) -yi, is the radical.


grasping a
Williams says it is a hand
spear, defending my rights, therefore I.
Picture of a spear with a hook or crescent

%^ 7^^

ko^.

on top, a crosspiece below and a sword


knot at the handle the 62nd radical, of
characters relating to spears and weapons generally. (W. 71 F.)
;

ni\ You.

f>5t

Aien^ man

(picture)

9th radical,

is

the radical of n?.

^, TK

erW you,

^
o^

character for you.


equivalent to a

end

(At the

drawn
is

full

It is final expletive
"
stop, or " There now !

of a phrase the voice

ita

A pa',

separated,

is borrowed
and 35 L.)

He, the other, she,

t'a^,

radical, combined

it.

'til,

This character

utensil,

either

is

borrowed
(W, 107 B.)

vessel;

jPj

meti',

The
(W. 18

sent forth.
for

5''ou.)

A jet^, man is the

with j'e/i'',

the other man, he.


veA",

is

in Aju", and the reserve of breath

character
O,

81 the classic

a contraction of

is

also; therefore

(Man

also -&.)

a picture of an ancient
funnel

for. the

or a' drinking

conjunction, also.

Sign of plural in pronouns and other

words indicating
A,

called

:3r

A 5i

written ^ at the

jjcrsons.

The

or standing
left

radical

is

man when

of a character.

P^ BH

picture ot a

two-

gate turning on jjivots {hu* J3 being


a one-leaved door). (W.129C.) This may
have been taken to form the sign of the
plural because it is a door with two leaves.

mark

Target,

t/"*;*

0,

leavetl

fljg
'

radical l69, is

nien-, gate,

a par,

clear,

;-

Adjectival

true.

particle, sign of possessive.

white,

is

the radical,

daylight,

cf.

88 A.)

fi

3<t

paP

Chalmers says

The

106.

JSIo.

sun just appearing and

making white
t'ien\
(W.
the white

it is

cocoon.
V,

"P

shad',

ladle,

a spoon.

^ is

j)rimitive pic-

indicates

ture of a kind of spoon, and the


(W. 54 H.)
position for arrow.

t5",

ppj Pen, (made of hair with bamboo handle^


The
^^"^ bamboo is the radical, No. US.
seal writing represents the drooping whorl
of leaves, /^ the inverse of 9* ch'ei^, a
sprouting plant.
When written above
another character in composition it is

^.,

called Yi
yii*

stylus,

writing

^ m..

(W- 77 B.)
= a 3- hand holding a
lines on a
tablet.

pen

8^___.

From ^ ssu^, silk the radical, and


a
flat floating plant, the phonetic.
K
ssu^, Silk, a strong thread.
The upper part
represents two cocoons,
ya& the lower
part, fh is a primitive i-epresenting the
twisting of several threads into a big one,
the threads from two or more cocoions
twisted. It is the 120th radical of char-

chiti^.

Paper.

shrh*,

7^,

:it

acters relating to textile matters.

92

^, R

0^

A.)

surname. A family, clan, sect. Used


Originally
in married women's surnames.
a floating plant, that ramifies and
branches and finally fixes itself by a root

sbih*,

bottom and develops greatly.


Therefore by extension, development, multiplication a wandering horde of primitive times, a clan, family. It is the 83rd
radical, here used as a pure phonetic.
(W. 114 A.)
Silk was used for writing on before

to

the

hence the radical


paper was invented
^. The plant spreads out flat on the
water hence the fitness of this element
to form the character for paper.
;

^^

sht^f

pH LH

To

w^rite,

a writing, a book.

The
mouth P k^ou^ exhaling a breath or a
word therefore by extension, emanaA more ancient form
tion, exhalation.
exhibits the breath as forming a cloud
over the mouth (W. 73 A.)

jrueh^ to speak, is the radical. No. 73.

'|S

yu*

stylus (see No. 7).

While jueh

given as the radical by


Kang Hsi, yet the seal form shows that
historically it is but a contraction for
che^, phrase speech, document.
(See
No. 270. W, 159 B.)
A book
is the
emanation or speech El of a pen
is

10

;?a

cAe*, This, here, now;.

This at word

9 gods M.

^
|L.

W
Uj
^

cho*

the radical, No. 162, to run and to stop ;


from ?f ch'e\ to step with the left foot,
is

and

.ih chih^, to stop, which is a representation of a foot standing, heel at the left,
toes at ,the right, and ankle above. (W-

112 A and
ten

W^
^O

11

3J1J

J'en*.

In combination

E.)

x_, is called

M %. %.

The P

Words.

^writ-

mouth with words


149th radical (W.

k'oii^,

issuing fromj'iit.

73

C.)

na^, Where?, in third tone; there, in fourth

vT^

tone.

P_^ S

i*,

A city. The radical,


tion w^ritten

|5

No. 163, in combinaand always at the rights

The O
and the Q is
a seal or stamp
authority. (W*. 74 C.)
The i is a SKiodification of ^ by the

The P

seat of El chieh' authority.

represents the walled town,

^.^

scribes.

Tke

natne of

'^isrhole

city

character

wore furs
weak, And was borrowed
(W. 116 B.)
there, that.

inhabitatl'ts

12

B
^*-'

_B

'^ Q
rp

S|5

was

the

west of Szuchuari, whose

means
the meaning

It also

ifif.

for

shih*, Right, exact, to be, yes.


jihf,

the sun,

cheng*,

is

the radical. No.

from

i^,

one, limit

72,a

and

picture,

Jh cbil^ to

Stopping only at the proper limit set


beforehand, upright, correct. (W. 112 I.)
The sun B exactly IE on the meridian,
stop.

right, straight:;!:.

13

__
ch'ien''.

Money.

chiV, metal,
"

is

now, present,"

18.) db

^ chin^,

the radical, No. 167.

t'u^,

is

(See No-

phonetic.

earth, bearing in its

bosom

two nuggets r\o{ gold or metal. In earth


there are present -4* two nuggets ^' of
gold ^.

db

earth, is the

*''>

32nd

The earth
The top line

radical.

i that produces all things.

represents the surface, the low^er line the

rock or subsoil, and


the upright, the
things that it produces. (W. 81 A and 14
|

^
^

K.

T.)

To exterminate, to destroy. The common w^ork of two or many spears ^. (W.


71 R.) Most of the characters of which

chien^

fonns a part have the sense of small,


to ruin, as
cbien* cheap, Jg

this

mean or

chien* trample,

" ^,

f h 'y

wai*. Outside, foreign.


bsi^

Evening. The radical. No. 36 represents


the half moon which appears in the even;

One
moon.
ing.

p*

''.^

M
^ ch'iett shallow.

pu^,

line is

lejft

out of

yiieh, the

The 25th radical.


(W. 56 A and F.) The divination
is by looking at the veins appearing in a
heated tortoise shell, and the f pu* represents a perpendicular and horizontal vein.
^1- outside, is a diviner, b in the evening
:^ i. e,, a person must consult the diviner
outside of woi'king hours, before a new day.

sheng^.

soothsayer, to divine.

Grow, beget, produce.

100.

Radical No.

plant that grows more and more.

whorl was added to Z.. (W. 79 B, F.)


Otliers make it a combination of dt i'*
(c^arth) and ]/J cA'e* (grass).
That is, the
16

earth

produces

dfe

grass

iU.

63

^^C f^

yiid\ (l.oins, waist), to want, to wish.

^y^

written as a picture of a

Originall^'^

man, with

face ^,

two hands y, and

bust
taken for waist, that part

figure

enlarged

w^itli

marked

in

woman's

wo-

figure

It

($.

-was

being more

than

in

man's

but in this sense it is now written


with the H ^ 70H* radical added M. The
primitive meaning is nov\r lost, and the
character

S^ M

i,,

is

borrow^ed for the meaning to

want.

(W. 50 M.)
hsi\ West (radical No. 146) was taken arbitrarily by Kang Hsi as the radical for
of

classification

3C, rS,

\$.

woman,
radical.

character

in

his

(See No. 26.)

dictionary.
nu'-i

the

a picture character. The 38th


Originally
a wotnan standing

is

attitude, altered to /f for


" What China \srants
ease in w^riting
respectful

in

'

the Western
jnnemonic tor

so^i

jg)^

,J\.jen^

'^

ku^,

To make,

is

woma n "is

convenient

S-.

to act as.

the radical. No. 9.

Cause, purpose, old. Combined with K


man, we have man as cause, that is,
doing, making.

t^ ku", Ancient, that


ten

-f-

shih-,

is,

what has passed through

mouths or generations,

ri

(pictate of

k'oti^,

(W. 24

cal.)

J^j^^

p'a^

To

a mouth, 30th radi-

F.).

66th radical. From a.


29th radical) holding a h

tap, rap.

(hand,
pu* diviner's rod.

yu'^

18

ya^
iS>

Biefl*,

To

To

read, to chant.

picture in the seal writing.

'L^,hJ& hsiV, Heart,

think, to study.

61st radical.

It

shows the pericardium

opened, the lobes and the aoita below.


(W. 107 A.) In combination at the left
it is

't'

written

1'.

now, is made up of a triangle^, chi


meaning union, and T chP, an abbreviation of
meaning contact, up to, (W. 19
D.) (a hand
holding a man A). The

c/jiflS

combination is thus tautological. ( W. 14


K.) The idea of the character may be
that all past time unites in the present.
Therefore
to read or think, is to make

present 4* to the mind


19

jC?.

-r^

?P,S

puS Not, a negative. Primitively a bird


flying up to the sky" not able to get
there " for a mnemonic. The radical,
f
is often used as a limit, or the sky, at the
top of a character. (W. 1 B and 133 A.)
Jfi

20

&

hsiehl,

little,

some.

Sign of comparative,

several.

Jmj te'u^,

Originally it meant to
K on one's heel Jh. " This " is a

This,

turn

here.

borrowed
verted

112

A.)

ixieaning.

man A,

to

(3

pj^

turn.

is

(W.

an

in-

26 A

erb*.

Two.

The number of the earth because


Also the number
it is paired with heaven.
of the two principles i^ yin^ and ^ yan^,
(W. 2 A.) The radical of , the 7th.
The combination of
t'^a*, this, and Zl
erA*, two, means pointing to this and that,
jJfc

sign of plurality.

PpC

shuP,

Who ? who

any

one.

"a

j^en* is

the

radical, the 149th.

pE, i,

chuP^ Short-tailed birds (a picture), the

(W. 168 A.)

radical.

172nd

A pTionetic combi-

nation.
22

tun^. To understand. The radical is ^6, here


written
and c&,lled
shn >& As/n*, ver-

'f

tical heart, the

jj tvm^ To

61st radical.

lead or influence, to rule or lead peo-

on to right ways.
With j& heart meaning to
ple

influence the

mind, or to understand.
-H* t'sao', grass,

its radical.

picture, the

140th

It is written Pi

radical, is

when stand-

and -h- in composition.


chuTig*, Heavy, important.
Composed by
superimposing t^in^ i. upon fH tun^,

^ ^^

ing

aloire,

the

two

oblique strokes of the latter being

reduced to a horizontal stroke.


standing at his place
t^ing^ is a inan
on the earth j;, the earth denoting the

business of

life,

position.

The

positions

on the east of the thi-one were the more


important and honorable, hence the combination with "M. tun^, east, to mean
important or heavy. (W. 81 D.)

10

ys

A^,
23

-H-

The sun H shining through the trees,


?fc ma* i.e., on the horizon where it appears
in the morning, so, east.
(W. 120 K.)
^"*' Tree, a picture of trunk, roots and
branches, the 75th radical.
(W. 119 A.)
tang^,

tSi
,

Very, superlative,

shetP\

^ESJ

what ?

Before

read- sheri^.

99th radical is the radical,


from P k'ou^, mouth, and something held

'kan\ sweet, the

in

^,

it,

agreeable to the taste, sweet,

i.e.,

(W. 73 B.)

satisfaction.
p'i",

To

pair,

pair.

a half of the whole


by H ssu*. A little,

It is

which is represented
more than half of the character is retained
so as to be recognizable. (W. 42 A.)
Therefore

As

ift

means

affection for the mate.

this is the strongest affection, the char-

mean

acter comes to

superlative, very.

24;

l/jiljj

m&y An

a sort
also used, ironically. These are borrowed
meanings. The primitive meaning is small,,
delicate, from jSt tns? hemp fibre, and ^
(W. 90 A.)
yao^, the finest thread.
ma?, Hemp, hemp fibre, pockinarked
the
200th radical it is the radical of this
character. It is made up of the followma^,

interrogative particle,

ing:

paS to divide
/K p^an* To strfp hemp^ from
(12th radical) the fibres from the ^ ch'e*,
stalk.

doubled

(Distinguish firom
it

forms

>fc

mn*.)

p'ai*, textile

When
fibres.

When the stalks are soaked and stripped


off and brought under cover or stored in

11

a shed

r* J'en^ it

is

called

M mn%

prepar-

hemp or tow, kept tinder shelter. (W,


79 H.) In combination this character
has the idea of entanglement, troublesome.
ed

J^,

y^o^ The

finest thread as obtained from winding the filaments of only two cocoons
which are represented in the character.

By extension, any fine thread, tow, slender,


52nd

tender,
25

26

^.

MM

radical.

(W. 90 A.)

tung^, East.

Sun H shining through the trees,


:^ mu\ See No. 22. /Jc mu* is the radical,
the 75th.

The primitive writings picture a


bird settling on its nest. The birds go to
roost at sunset hence the use of the char-

hs?, West.

acter for west


27

%n.

hsien^.

First.

The

the 146th R.

(W. 41 D.)

radical is Jl jen\

a man.

sometimes means feet, support. The


10th radical. (W. 29 A.)
f-t, ^ci, Uc chib^ A small plant vp issuing from the ground
to grow; development, continuity, proIt

borrowed as the sign of the


(W. 79 B.) Accordingly the
combination
hsien^ means to a,dvance &.
on one's feet JL, to be first.
gress.

It is

possessive.

28

IBI
^5t

ko*.

^^
<^\

/J\

The culm of the bamboo, a joint of bamboo


with a knot and a whorl of leaves, in the
primitive writing. An article, a classifier.
(W. 77 A.) In the common form Kjer?
is

the radical, combined with the phonetic


ku*,

shut up, to

make

firm, foi-tified

12

composed of ,P weP, an enclosure, (the


31st radical) and ka^, ancient (see No.
17) as phonetic. Only when written with
the Wchu^, as radical has it the meaning
ot bamboo.

balijER, lesson

II.

29

kH,7r

An even number

Four.

ssu',

easily divided

by the A pa^, to divide all


around. The radical is O wePy No. 31,
used in words relating to enclosures. (W.
42 A. ) The old form represents the division into halves. For A see under No. 32.
into halves

JDL,

-^

written x being four Unes


then placed between
and a
heaven and earth, ss the dual powers
yin^ and iif yan^, begetting the five

wa^

At

Five.

first

center, or five

n
^

31

-j^ (Yn
^>, 7\;

*k:

elements, 3

The

is

radical

wv?. hsitig'.

(W. 39

A.).

the 7th.

The even number that comes after


four marked with a dot. Note that all
the even digits are written so as to show
their divisibility, H erh*, tw^o, and A
eight.
pa!^,
(W. 42 A.) The radical
is A, 12th.

/iV, Six.

32
"T^,

ch'?,

Seven

lines,

in

old

writing.

All the

digits are found written in this style in

with the nurfiber of


indicated by the digit.
(W. 33 A.).

old inscriptions,
lines

Radical

is

/*.

i.e.,

13..

An

to divide. The meaning is indicated by the form.


Also written with
eight lines in the angular form. The 12th

pa^, Eight

(W. 18 A.)

radical.

33

ii.^

chiu^, Nine.

numerical sign without other


An original writing contains
Radical is ZL i* a hook, the 5th.

meaning.
nine lines.

34
cbp,

Few,

The

^^ yad.
(See No. 24.)
It is a guard J^ sAu*, of soldiers on the

nearly.

frontier w^ho are

&

jv^.

is

watching the

movements and are


things

radical

slightest

attentive to the least

Therefore

to

examine,

subtle, hidden, small, few.

aK,

66

J'u\ has the mcxining of :5C ya& reinforced,

90 D.)

(W.

man

See No. 2.

(W.

(See No. 24.)

^>C uYL^^^' ^ guard


*

i.e.,

invisible.

very small, slender, almost

carrying a

ik^

the frontiers; from


ko^, 'spear.

25 D.)

PW

liang^.

Prl

Two.

An

ounce,

pair.

From a

a standing scale rtl the upper


stroke having been added in modern times
picture of

y\.,

/\

ju*,

to indicate the beam (or equilibrium). The


idea of a pair may have been suggested
by the balanced scale pans. (W. 35 H.)
is the radical, No. 11, meaning to enter, or
It
to put on either pan of the scales.
represents roots entering the ground
the opposite of {i} ch'u^ to go out, which
(W.
represents a plant growing up.

15 A.)

14

36

-^

The trunk of a

pen".

'^' '**

;^

mu\

The

tree.

line across

the

tree, represents the surface of the

ground, drawing attention to the part of


So
the tree below ground, the roots.
capital.
root, source, natural, native
Books. (W. 120 A.) TfC mn*, wood, is the
;

radical, No. 75.

37

3fl!

jen^,

To know
ledge.

well

h" ^

g^

to recognize

j'CK* tzu*

No. .149. Words and


(phonetic combination).

cal.
_

(He

iSi jetf. Patient, to bear, suffer,

harsh. j& hsin^

is

the

p^ang^

to acknoiwis

the radi-

i&jeti',

patient

endure, patience,

i-adical.

71-

jea\ a

cutting weapon, formed of 7J tao^, w^ith a


stain on the edge, Or something being cut

by

Tap^

it.

73 is

the 18th radical,

picture of the Chinese razor or cleaver.

heart vinder a knife-edge means to

W. 52

f)

suffer,

In composition at the right


73' is written (1.
A heart that has endured
the monotony of continual practise
(

B.)

knows
38

n^

|g]

^^, J^l

w^ell its

lesson

flS-

map, To buy.
Mencius says, " net |J^ the
market gains T^ ^j " better explained by
" to -wrap up a thing with its price in
cowries K in a net 1^." (W. 161 D.)
pei*, A cowrie shell.
These were used for
money in early times. The seal character
shows the feelers of the live shell. It is
;

^, "

the radical, No. 154, of things relating to


values and trade.

R^

wang'',

Net,

(W. 161 A.)

radical No.

ssu^ tzu* pu*

by the

122

(called

vvriters,

V^'-^U

because modi-

15

to look like a H szu*' when used at the


top of characters) in some it is written
or pg. To entangle. (W. 39 C.)
fiecl

X
39 331

shih^, chih*

gmr

^^,^

7^n^,
chih^

word

To

keep in mind, know, recognize.

the radical, No. 149.

is

sword,

office,

gather

to

clay

jjotters'

(now written

duty

official

M,).

Ancient chiefs or officials. These held a


:5c ko^, when they gathered the people ^

and announced

_ _
t3.

^y;V).

ed to

sound,

yiti^,

yetl^,

is

their will ^;

i*

(shorten-

(W. 71 HJ)

the 180th radical, formed of

"a

The is
the P mouth to- represent a word

placed in

a sound.

and

utterance,

or sound issuing and in the seal character


this line is the only difference between 'a
yeii^

the
of

and

ym\

people^" could

the

officials

(W. 73 E.) '^When


repeat the

words m

were said

thej"-

to

know." M40

Tea. Pf fsao^ tzu t^ou^ is the radical.


(See No. 22.)
like a tree, TJc
The plant
for man A- This taa.y do for a mnemonic, but the etymology is as follow^

ch'a',

^^ yir'

I,

me, in wen

tinguish,

and

bination the
acter

is

F^rom

li.

pa*, to dis-

-^ sAe* house, in wliich

P at

replaced

com-

the bottom of the char-

by the

7v pa^.

Chinese

custom requires any one entering a house


to call out and distinguish himself from
anj' other person bj^ saying, "It is I, so
and so, come for such and such a purpose."

Silence

renders

one

liable

to

16

J.

f5.

suspicion.
In
it is
a pure phonetic
combination, combination, c ontracted.
she* A shed, booth, house.
It is the joining
chp of n walls and of the thatch roof Y to

form a house.

(W. 14 C.)

To write. Primitively to set in order


the things in a house, *** raien^, is the
radical, 40th. By extension, to set in order

hsieh^,

one's ideas, to write.

a phonetic
yeh*

The lower pari is

only.

magpie.
It -is a modification of
with a special head given it.

niao^,

jfe

J^

a long-tailed bird, a picture, the


(W. 138 A. & C.) The
magpie is a bird of neat, trim appearance,
which may suggest the idea of order in
niao^) is

19'6th radical.

the combination.

42

wan^, Basin, cup, howl.

a piece of rock n fallen


from a cliff
Aaa* (27th' radical). It
forms
the
112th
.
radical.
(W. 59 D.)
j^
iSfo R vt'a/i* Good behavior ^e y'iiat^, in the house ^j
to comply with the demands of others,
therefore the derived meaning, to bend,
to cover yield.
Fuan' ^b> to turn in bed,
a curling up, dignity or modesty H chieh^,

^^ /o

shih^,

Stone.

It is

during the night, d^ bsi^ (See No. 14) " It


is not decent," says Cohfacius, " to lie
like

a corpse."

n* ia ju"

satJg^;)

" Stand, like


Sit like

a pine

bell

(^

(jfc

tso"^

iaju" it cbung^;) Lie like a bow (g\ jvo* in


/n" ^ kiia^ ;) Walk like the wind {^ tsot^
4n ju^ m. fengK")

These are models of

17

From modesty in l3'ing down,


comes by extension to mean good

behaviour.

yuat^,
behaviour in general.
ti,

chielf,

(W. 64 D.)
Some say the form where one

seal.

has slept. It is one half of the cliaracter


?^=5P ch'iag'^ or seal. One half of the seal
is kept at the yamen and the other given
4

to the individual concerned in the case.

(W. 55 A, B.) The phonetic


has the
idea of order, and bowls Wa are a means
to secure order in eating.

43

^,Pi

Tu^,

To

moon /I as
Some say the

it.

meant the phases


a hand covered
eclipse of the moon,

Primitively

have.

of the

it

if

with the same interpretation. To have,


is a borrowed ineaning.
(W. 46 H.) To
have the hand on the moon might_v.'eU be
called possession.

M ,^ yiieh*, the moon,

the radical, No. 74.

ture of the crescent


ble

y ,^, ^

yu^,

(compare

The right hand.

moon

hsi\ No. 14),


(W. 64 G.)
The fingers reduced to

three for ease in writing.

44

^
i^>

the

W
^

/*,

^t^

It is the

29th

(W. 43B.) It means also, again.


band returning repeatedly to

radical.

The

A pic-

completely visi-

right

mouth

in eating suggests " again."

Intention, thought.

hsiW, heart,

is

or mind
soitnds
it.

jC?

The heaii:
of the speaker is known by the

the radical. No. 61.

^ that

means

he utters.

extension

mind
words /^ of the

also the thought that the

of the.hearer gets from the


speaker.

By

(W. 73 E.)

18

^ yw\ A
iS^,

c^

To

ssu^,

the
B3,

^,

(See No. 39.)

sound.
think

radifcal,

The

the wish of the heart.


No. 61.

skull,

the vital fluid of the heai-t j&

acts on the brain

is

the cover of the brain (altered


to look like EH t'ien\ field). " When one

Asin*

thinks, S,

|I|. -"s,

j&

cA'u',

To go forth, to go out.

to

eject.

Shuo Wen.

hsin^."

\^

Primitively

Toissiie, tobeget,

it

represents stalks

growing out of the ground, the opposite


of A /V, No. 35. The *f small plant has
grown another pair of leaves. (W. 78 E.)
In combination often I'cduced to db.
The
radical is U /f'an*, a receptacle, the
47

17th.

^
^^

ch^i*,

air.

:Jft

ch'i*

mP

or fiunes rising from

rice

ether,

breath,

common use for


much use in philo-

It is substituted in

the radical

[i,

Vapor, the

fermenting

and

is in

sophy for the primal aura or vital fluid.


^
"^ ch^i*, vapor, is the radical. No. 84, meaning
curling vapors rising from the ground and
forming clouds. Ancient forms show the
sun 13 and ik. fire which cause the vapors.
Contracted into - ch'P it means to beg.
(W. 98 A.)
mP, Kice after it is hulled qther small grains
and things small like rice. It represents

four grains >; sepai-ated -p.

means separation toward


ters

The

tlie

+ often

four quar-

North, South, East and West.

122 A^

It is the

119th

radical.

(W.

19

48

nn

jS

companion, peer. Now composed of two jnoons but it has nothing


to do with ^ yiieh^, the radical of classification in Kang Hsi, but comes from an

P'^'^g'-< A- friend,

'Wf

ancient primitive

^ kng^, representing the


and

by extension
meaning the bird itself, now written JH.
The character ^ was then changed in
pronunciation to p'eng^, and taken to
tail of the phoenix,

mean

because the phoenix draw^s


it
or two birds
together, therefore friend, (Chalfant) JJ8|
p'eng^, was a fabulous bird, the roc, from
may have derived its prow^hich the
all

friend,

other birds after

(W. 64

nunciation ofp'ezJ^.
49

yu^.

Friend, associate.

acting in the same


the radical, No. 29.

I.)

From two hands

direction.

(W. 43 P.)

chien\ Classifier of many things,


part,
is the radical.

'f^

yu*, is

item,' a,

^.

/J?u-,

Cow,

ox.

The 93rd

radical,

a picture of

head, horns, legs and tail. This combination suggests any thing from a man to an
ox.
Thus it can be applied to almost
anything.

''ti.

/^O

i^.

145th
Clothes, especially upper garments.
radical of many characters relating to
clothing.

In composition

lowing forms

1.

when

-i-

bottom of the

has the

at the

fol-

left

of

cut into halves, the

2.
the cliaracter ^
and the
top
the
at
being
;

it

character.

^ being at the
(It

must not

then be confused with -^ the eighth Radical,


3.
at the bottom being the test)
the
both parts may be changed by fusion -with
other parts of the character when split,
It also is placed either at
e.g.,
the top or the bottom of a character unchanged. It pictures the sleeves, and the

MM^.

(W.

skirts hanging- belov^'.

"^^

-16 A.)

Clothes for the lower part of the


body. :^ is the radical (see No. 51.)
shang^, is a phonetic here. -^ is contracted to
'S'
when in composition, meaning a ropf
or a house, it represents the ridgepole and
sides of the house as in *** mien^, but has a
shang",

W,

window d added and a

A paf, divide, in-

dicating that the ridgepeople divides the

wind and water, or M. ^JC

ileng^

ridge raised at both ends


all,

and so the character

still,

is

shuP. This

placed last of

means to add

elevated, noble, superior.

to,

It is

suggestive phonetic as the clothing is

(W. 36 E.)

house or cover for the body.


pa^*^,

5ti

To

things

take hold

grasp, classifier of

held in the hand.

handle, pa^,

^,

of,

handful.

Read

"To

the radical, No. 64.

pa*,

clap E the

hand ^ on something."
vp shou^, The hand, handy, skill, workman.

a
a

It is

When

written at the
^ is the picture of a side view of the hand,
is the
full palm.
In the ancient writing the
represents the lines in the palm.
(W.
side exiled Ji

t'i'

sbot^.

48

A.)

21

A kind

pg JB pa*,

of boa, short and thick.

o presented raised

in the south
is

1m

T*,

^,

it also

means a

A chair. The

radical

It

It is reis

found

eaten and

its skin

pa*.

(W. 55

slap, clap.
is ?jc

ma*, the 75th.

(See No. 25.)

J
'

on

its flesh is

used to cover guitars,

L.)
51

its tail.

Unusual, strange, rare.


That which
causes men "K to exclaim in admiration nT.
Great, 37th radical, in combination
means man, representing head, arms and

"^J" ch'P,
~/\. ts^.

legs.

Pj,

JSr'o',

To

send forth a breathing of approbation 1 from the mouth n, to express


satisfaction, to be willing, permit, admire.

The
Logical combination (W. 58 I).
Chinese, being used to sitting on their
heels,

so

or flat on the A'ang-*, the chair seems

much more comfortable as

to be a sur-

prising or strange thing.


55

;je

chan^, To draw^ a bow,

stretch,

extend.

Classifier of things of extended surface.

^^ p Q kun^,

a.

bow,

is

the radical, No. 57.

pic-

forms also represent it


ture.
1^^
bent or vibrating. (W. 87 A.)
^_ -^ chaag-^ *, To grow, excel, senior.
gg ch'ang'^, Long. The primitive form represents
locks of hair so long that they must be
Ancient

'*'

and a hairpin Y. With


by a band
K, an inverted or changed man, added, it
means manhood, grown up so the hair is
long. By extension it means long in time
or space, to grow. The modern form is
tied

22

an ai-bitrfii-N- contraction.
(W. 113 A.)
cho\ Table,

>f^

yic

mu*

is

168th

radical.

(See No.

the radical.

25.)

^,

cAo', Surpassing, high elevated.

It represents

mast surmounted by a globe and a


flame, an ornament of which the Chinese
a

are fond.

It is

imitated in the yainen flag

(W. 143 P.) A table being high


as compared with chairs and stools, this
phonetic meaning high is selected approstaffs.

priately.

BALLBK, LESSON

Ff^

^^
-?

III.

cAuH^, The middle, among, in. C/ian^g*, to hit


the mark, attain, pass an examination.

The character represents a square target


The
pierced in the center by an arrow.
form of the target is lost in this modem
(W.
ivriting, but is retained in M yung."
225.'
109 A.)
See No.
kutf, A down stroke, a perpendicular, is the
radical. No. 2.
It has a symbolic signification in

many characters,

e.g.

the trunk

an arrow in 4* chung^; a
spindle running through tw^o objects in
ch^uan*, i.e., to string together a bow
string in ^1 yjn^, to draw a bow, to lead
a man standing in ^ shen^, to gird one's
(W. 6 A.)
self.
in i^ mn*, tree

58

WO
,

pai',

One hundred, many,

all.

represented

by

hundreds

is

Thef unity ot

i\

one,

and

23

paP, white. It Is purely a phonetic


combination, fi is the radical, 106th.
(See No. 6.)
(W. 88 A. and B.)
69

1^.4-

Thousand, very many. Ten


hundred (but the
pai^ is not here).
~r* shih^, Ten, symbol of extension in two dimensions, i the radical, No. 24.
The ^ at
the top of the character is the abbreviation for
jen^, which is phonetic in this
character.
(W.-24 D. and k.)
chVen^,

60

wan*, Ten thousand


an indefinite number,
wholly, emphatic particle. Written Ft! it is
the Indian swastika, symbol of Buddha's
;

The

meaning 10,000.

heart, dlso

radical

in Kang Hsi's dictionary is


t'sAo'^, but
the character has nothing to do with that
-f

radical

originally

scorpion,

65

--

it

being the picture of a

being the

feelers,

&

being the head, and tt\. Vl the legs and the


tail.
It was then pronounced ch'ai*, but
as there were other words for scorpion it
A!vas

61

borrowed

for the

meaning 10,000.

(W. 23 H.)

-^y

lin^, Small rain, or last drops of a shower,

fraction, residue.

the radical, the 173rd. It


sents drops of water
The law
is to come in drops or showers
deluges, thus this is an appropriate

yii^, rain, is

for a fraction.

^, 5

I' tig*,

(W. 14

It is

not in

symbol

I.)

law, an order, to

honored.

repreof rain

command, your

formed of

chP.

the

24

notion of union, assemblage, being the


joining of three lines (see No, 18), and P
Therefore
chieb^, a seal (see No. 42.)

an

order,

is

urdting -^

the

of the

written document and the P seal, ^i.e.,


the stamping of the order. (Note that
when CJ k'ou^, is added, we have ^ ming*,
an order or command by word of mouth,
and the decree of heaven). (W. 14 A. 1.)
62
iBjf

^"'^' '^*^

Is

return to or from

medan.

Moham-

a time.

turn or revolution.

It re-

presents an eddy (like the curling clouds

of smoke, or whirlpools in w^ater) or an


object that rolls, turns on an axis lience
the abstract idea of revolving, return.
;

we?

is

the

(See No. 28.)


63

^
jlPl

cAfng^,
yezi',

is

To

invite,

the

radical,

(W. 76 G.)

twice written.
Also written [g.

to request, to engage.

radical, the

149th.

(See No.

10.)
P9 fn

cA'/n^,The green of sprouting plants, also blue,


black, gray, white of an egg. The 174th
radical.
It is made up
of
sheng\
plants, and :W- tati^, their color (red).,' as if
the makers of the character were color
blind,
-p^ tan^ is cinnabar, a Ted mercury
ore, represented by -the for the ore in a
crucible /K where it was sublimed by the

alchemists in search of the philosophers'


stone for turning base metals to gold.

(W. 115 D.) p{ may be the Chinese stove


with the round hole red with fire.

25

64

To come

lap,

M.t;

The

in the future.

radical

is

formed of ;f\, a primitive representing a plant and M. or ears of grain


hanging from it a sort of bearded barley,
used as food in the Chou Dynasty. The
Shuo Wen says it means come, because the
gtain eaten by men conies from heaven.
It is more probably i borrowed meaning
without logical explanation. (W. 13 B.)
It is

jen^.

65

wen*,

To

mouth
in

The

ask, inquire.

P5

(radical No.

metP, door,

radical

30).

is

The

placed

a suitable character
and 9

is

for the meaning, t.o ask . (See Nos. 5

66

SkM

To

tso*,

The

sit

down, to

radical

is

M sitting on the
to talk.
67

-|^
jEfc,

rest,
t'u^,

k'ou^,

to place, to reign.

the 32nd.

earth

t'',

Two men

face to face

(W. 27 D.)

^U

"^

cb'ii*.

To

i ssu\ is the radical, the 28th.

go.

made, however, from a pictufe of an


empty vessel U ch'iii^ and its cover ;
hence the meaning of to empty, to remove,
leave, go, all being ideas connected with
the removing of the cover of a vessel and
The top resembles
t'u' in
its contents.
the modem writing, and iz ta* in the old.
The bottom is like M, ssu^, but here stands
for U ch'a\ a basin. (W. 38 F.)
It is

68

'

''

"^^

"

"''"'

A child

swaddling clothes. (Compare


This character being of no use
^^, No. 1.)
was borrowed for the common suffix to
denote past time in a verb, or the end of

hao\

in

26

a sentence, conclusion, intelligent, clear.


(W. 94 H.) J kun' is the radical, No. 2,
perpetidicular.

^^

*^^

Opposite

tui^,

parallel

sentences

hung opposite each other


to, to suit, mfitch,

on

scrolls

to correspond

agreeing -with

sign of

dative.
"J

t'sun*, inch, is the i-adical,

The dot

sure.

the 41st, to mea-

represents the pulse on the

wrist about an inch from the hand.

composition used often for

45

^p

hand.

In

(W,

B.)

Luxuriant vegetation, being a representation of its branching into manj''


twigs from a single stem
emanation,

tsao^

(W. 102

multitude, faggot.
~f^ shih*,

from

and

I.)

33rd radical;

scholar, gentleman; the

because all things


are comprised between the numerative one
i*

-f-

shih^,

and ten, therefore an affair (same as ^),


a thing, and bj' extension a sage, scholar
(W. 24C.). Before 100 B.G.'n Jfc'oa' was
in

n
[^

the place of

shih*.

means to apply a measure


luxuriant emanation
k'ou^,

Wen
to

i.e.,

Ti, in

Tui^ therefore
-^ fsutx* to -the

^ of men's mouths

men's testimonies. Emperor


100 B. C. changed the writing

shih^ to remind his officers that men's

testimonies

P must not

be believed, but
only the words of the sages, which alone
deserve to be examined -^. (W. 102 I.)
70
kad^, A, state, country.

From P

AsiYj (the radical, No. 31)

^vei^,

and

a boun-

ju* a primitive appanage, post, a center; the


hao*, land
that one baron defended with
the weapons -^ of his retainers, around his
P castle, or town, w^hose limits are not
indicated because there were none. Pronounced huo* it means bj'' extension an indeterminate person, whose name is not
given, being known only as from a certain

estate

by

perhaps,
'tt'-er

extension,

"a

again, uncertain,

With the

certain one."

or boundary added,

estate well defined,

becomes an
a country M. (W.
it

TIJ.)
71

shen^, Sound, music,

voice, accent,

tone

to

declare.

!^,

er/^^ ear, is

the radical, the 128th, used in

natural group of characters relating to


hearing. It is a picture of the external
ear.

^f>%

ch'ing*

On

(W. 146 A.)


the right

is it

shu',

the 79th radi-

meaning the right hand (W. 22 D.),


making a jerky motion, to strike, a staff,
to kill. On the left is a primitive picturcal

ing sonorous jade or quartz stones suspended from a frame to make a musical
instrument these atones w>ere in the form
;

of a carpenter's square, and were struck


The character is now
a triangle.

like

written with a ^ shih' ^. P is used as


an abbreviation of ^. The combination
of ear 3f and musical stones P struck by
the hand 5: naturally makes M sound.
(W. 173 A.)

28

72

^a

To

shao^,

"^

_^

speak,

talk,

sayings,

converse,

doctrines.

"^ yen\

is

the radical, No. 149.

To

(See No. 10.)

i.e., good words


and rejoice ft the
hearer. This is made up of 56 (huan^,
ancient pronunciation, a mouth P on top
of a man }L, or to speak authoritatively

-j^ j'iieA*,

speak, to rejoice,

51 that dispel

grief

pronounced hsiung^ it is the oldest brother


who must exhort his brothers) and to
dissipate the breath or divide it into
words, to speak. By an arbitrary modem
borrowing the character is read tai*, and
means exchange. (W. 29 D.)

73

a*L
/jua*.

pl^

of the

^^

O
/t-

sAe',

tongue.

*
;

(See No. 10.)

Tongue, is a picture of the tongue protruding from the mouth.


(Compare @
hatP, the tongue drawn back into the
mouth S.) It is the 135th radical. (W.

102
74

"S"

yet^, is the radical. No. 149.


she^.

Words

Words, discourse, a language.

C.)

ch'ih^,

To stutter,

k!ou^,

mouth

cHP To

beg.

is

to swallow, to eat
the radical, No. 30.

It is

to suffer.

a contraction of

ch'i^,

vapor, breath,the 84th radical. (See No.


In this fonn it is borrowed for ^
47.)
kai* to

mean

beg.

(W. 98 A.)

To stammer
to fill the mouth D with
breath , and make no progress in speech.
In eating one mouths the food as in stamnjering one mouths the breath, hence to eat.
ng is

29

75 /Qif^

fan*,

meal, cooked rice (the chief dish of a

meal).
to eat,

shih^,

"^

the radical, No. 184, re-

is

lating to food in general. It is formed of


-^ chi^, to collect (see No.' 18), and
%

the sweet smeH of


a picture of the bowl 6
and its con tents and a (^ pi^, spoon, to
hsiang'-, boiled grain,

the WL fan\

It is

^ pp, spoon, is the 21st


(W. 26,C.L.M.) Gather
the

ladle it out.

radical.

family to eat -^ the rice


fan^,

To

oppo-

vova.%yu*, hand, and^r*

site; to rebel.

Ja

S.

return, turn back, turn over

a representation of the motion of the hand


in turning over,
{f ban*, is a cliff, a
Radical No. 27.) (W.
43 E.) In eating the hand returns again
and again Jx. to the mouth with
food.

retreat,

shelter.

erh^,

A male
les

JL

child,

a person with the

fontanel-

of the skull not yet closed

jen^, inan,

the 10th radical,

is

the radical of

this character.

The upper part is written


134th

like

1^3

chiu*',

the

but it is really |Sl hsin^,


skull, written open above, as the skull is
(W. 29 B.)
in an infant.
radical,

77 |fe
hsiao^.

Dawn,

bright, to understand

i.e.,

jih*,

^
J^
!^

sun H
high and bright
sun, is the radical combined with

From

yao^, eminent, lofty.

yad^, earth,

earths) and % wn*, a


heaped up (three
Yao^ is the name
high base, level on top.
of a famous ancient emperor, 2300 B.C.

30

(W. 81 C.) When the sun H


one can see and understand ^.
78

^
te^,

'f

To

is

high

get, receive.

take a step forward with the left


(60th radical) is the radical
(W. 63 A). It was added to this char-

ch'ih* to

foot, to w^alk

acter late,

^,

W}

te^

and

is

to obtain, to get,

superfluous.
is

the original writing of

and in the seal w^riting


shows its etjanology, viz., to get. the hand
-^ on that w^hich one has in view ^.
The M. chien*, see, is reduced to S.- (W.
45 E.) See No. 85.
the character,

"^

t'sun\ Inch.

See No. 69.

79
mo'^ or raeP,

sink in the water, to dive, to

none of, not, least, without.


.The
shuP, Water, is the radical (No; 85.)
central stroke represents a rivulet, and
the others the ripples on the surface of
(W. 12 A, B 125 A.)
the water.
mar To dive, while turning tH hiiP, on oneself
in order to get
something under the
water, the head being below. The 12 haP,
is changed bj'^ scribes to 7J.
(W. 76 I.)
iserish

7K,

To

^^

80

chu^, A. sentence.

P
/- rt

k'oti',

mouth,

is

the radical with

pno^ to wrap up, (the 20th radical), from a


picture of a man bending over to envelop

an object in his apron therefore to enfold,


a bundle, to contain, a whole. The mouth
P used to form a whole O phrase or sentence.
(\Y. 54 A, for pao^.
;

81
^^

Tfe

To

tsai*.

i-l*

be in or at

powers

to exert

i.e.,

:? t'saP, oil the earth dh

one's

or pre-

i fu*, is manifested by
the rad. (W. q6 D.).
t

sence in a place
one's activity

A.-^. T

^^. ;^

^s

has been modified to ?r. It is a tree


grown to a size for timber, materials, now
written ;^ t'saP; then force of expansion, natural activity, mental capacity,
talents, the substance of a tiling.
(W.
96 A.)

t'saP,

/i\

The

lining of clothes

left (in rules

4x.

i',

Jg

IP,

inner, inside

to the

of the road).

clothes, is the radical. No. l-iS; (see No. 51.)

village, is the phonetic,

but being placed

inside the radical for clothes it suggests

meaning of

(W.
16 G.)
It is the 166th radical, of a few
incongruous characters. It is made up of
pEl t'len-, field, the (102nd radical), being a representation of a furrowed field, and of
it tUf, earth. Its common meaning of IP, or
one-third of an English mile, comes from
tlie ancient custom of the smallest village
being composed of the fields of eight
families being arranged around a ninth
public field with a well represented by the
the

pictorial character

lining

or inside.

# ching^ (the dot being

One side of the square was one


When the custom went out
length.

the well.)
IP in

ching^- lost the dot


of use the character
and retained the simple meaning of well.
E9

t'kh^ being easy to write,

liresent

many objects. (W.

is

used to re-

149,

A and

D.

32

"

f^ ^^

4^' him

>^

weP, To be, to make


order to.

1 /

cbua^,

i-

f'^

wei*, for, beqanse, in

chao^, claws, the prone hand, is the

radical (No. 87.)

The seal character represents a mother


monkey, sitting with one hand at its head
and the other at the bottom of the character mixed up with its tail and feet. In
is the character for man A
because of the monkey's likeness to a man,
and the primitive character for breasts to

the middle

show that

it is

The Shuo Wen

a mother.

says that of all animals (iiteratlly " birds ")


the female monkey is most prone to claw
"^
J^ and therefore the character
Jfi chao^, stands as its symbol.
There is

^^

an ancient writing consisting solely of tWo


claws ^^. The character has lost its primitive meaning, and now is borrowed for
to be, because, etc.
(W. 49 H.

BALLEE, LESSON

m
TYt^,

ch'aan^,

nin

cViang^,

m.

is

slab,

bed, couch, sled.

the radical (No. 90),

/fC^

85

n n
^tu,

S,

7|c

ixiu*

form (W. 127 A.)


Wood. A bed JK

wood

yf of

To

a heavy

thick, Sitrong plank.

half of the

mo*.

IV.

It is the lefb
as written in the^seal

is

made of strong

pieces

:^.

the 147th radical, {of


characters relating to sight, perception.

chien*.

see.

This

is

35

Wieger explains it as an eye U mu*, ow a


man A (W. 158 C.\ But Chalfant finds a
writing more ancient than the seal writing
^, which is a picture of the eye emitting

The Chinese

light.

to

that

believe

comes out of a normal

light

eye, enabling^ it

see.

/%!<

ti*,

An

order, series

before

a number

it]^foniis

the ordinal.

Ti

chu",

bamboo, the 118th

radical, is the radical.

It is chosen

(See No. 7.)

perhaps because

of the graduation of joints in a

bamboo

stalk.
_

f^

ti*,

Kepresents a thread or strap wound around


a spindle having a catch on top and a
catch or winch below. It is a primitive

bobbin

or

sion

reel,

and means hj extenand now-

succession of brothers,

only the Ai-ounger brothers. This primitive is appropriate for series, as is also
(W.
the bamboo, Yi used as its radical.
87

.:^
-^.

87 E.)

^
^

chnn^\

strain in music or

J^

book, or an easay
to establish, stand, (the 117th radical) is
arbitrarily taken for the radical but the
yin^ (See No, 39),
etymology is from
;

//',

a chapter

rules.

sound, and
Therefore ten

shih!^,
-f-

ten,

sounds

a
"m

perfect

and the meaning


a chapter, or an essay.
of music

88

^J,S^

tao\

To

arrive at, to reacli.

number.

make a
is"

strain

extended to

34

Tj

tao^, knife, is the radical (No.

But here

37.)

(See No.

18- )

has phonetic force as

it

well.
3t, it!

cA/A*

To

133rd
flying

radical.

down

The

(classical).

It represents

to the earth,

a bird

>

therefore to

(W. 138 B.) It is both


and indicative in its composition.

reach.

arrive;

pictorial

89

arrive at

to

go,

^w^

^J^

^.

hung^, Red, lucky, pleasant.


(See No.

ssu^ or mi^ is the radical (No. 120.)

Textile inatters, especially

8.)

terested the Chinese

in-

silk,

from ancient times

hence the importance given to these

ele-

ments in their writing.


/ <b sst^, the
28th radical, is a single cocoOn in which
the

worm wraps

nothing but

selfish, private,

ZL,-^

kttng^f is

hiinself up, caring for

self; therefore

(W. 92 A.)
Work, workman,

separation.

purely phonetic.

time of w^ork.

the meaning,

It pictures the ancient

and so by extension
any ornament requiring skill.
(W. 82 A.)
Red In not being a natural color of silk ^
carpenter's square,

means work,

it requires

duce red

""M.m

hao^ Good,

the

or

skill,

work

X of the dyer to pro-

silk.

hao\ to
ic nu\ woman, and ^
Wife -k and child dF are what
fond of M. (Or the fondness
right,

From

*g^ ^"''

very

be fond

of.

tzu\ child.

one
of a

is

most

woman

for her child.)


^^

See No. 1.
*^^ Radical, No. 38. It originally

woman

was

standing in ceremonial attitude

35

with arms hanging and crossed over the


body. So symmetrical a character was
hard to write, and the seal is a raodificartion of the more ancient form.
(W.
67 A.)
91

Above, superior, to momit, upon.

shang-*,
'

?,

representing a horizontal -base


radical.

The perpendicular

represetits

line,

line

something above the

indicative character.)
-written Zl, the short

is

the

above

level.

it

(An

It w^as originally

upper

line represent-

ing something above the longer base line.


At the top of some characters it is written
as in
where it is distinguished

^^^

from

Ji-

(W. 5

cal.

92

the fictitious eighth radi-

t'ou^,
A.'.)

-j^ -T-

hsia*,
*

"5"

P, is

Below, to descend,

inferior.

the radical, with the perpendicular below


it

to represent something below as in the

preceding

character.

It

was

anciently

w^ritten ~ the longer line representing the

base.

93 >=S^

yiU'

1^

(W. 5 B.)

wah^, Finished,

ll<\

complete, to settle

(as

an

afifair)

^*

m/en? house, roof,

No.

Ttl yiian^,
Jb,

is

the radical, No. 40.

(See

1.)

That which

is

See No. 91.)

upon

a man

(equivalent to

JL, i.e.,

in this character,

we may

say, " Putting-

on the roof r^ over the head


the building."

the head.

While phonetic in force

origin, principle.

(W. 29 H.)

% finishes ^

m
To

sung*,

#1 Ijg^

1^^

gift

^
^

x^

escort, to see

a guest out to give a


;

to accuse at court.

c/20* going, is the radical. No. 162.

that can be handled, as to bend


planks for a boat or to caulk a boat

cheti^

fire

charcoal.

A torch

a guest out
^. ^ is a suggestive phonetic and of no
(W. 47 J.)
value to the beginner.

W^

kuan^,

iK carried f^ to escort

cross bar of

a gate, to shut or bar

the gate, a custom-house barrier, suburb.


tnet^, door, is the radical, No. 169. (See No. 5.)
*

P^

*^ %% kuan^ To

pass threads through a vyreb with 9,


The
ssa' (contracted into i!fc)
represents the warp. The down strokes
in the lower part represent the shuttle
carrying the thread through to form a
woof. (See Nos. 8 and 24.) By extenshuttle.

means to join, to fix transversely.


(W. 92 G.) The cross-bar of tlie gate
passes through the slots and iron loops
sion it

like

^pc, ^p{

To serve, affairs,

matter, anything.
kou^ is the radical, the 6th. It is from
J
sj shih^ shows a hand ^ holding a stylus. A
9
recorder, to record. In
the top is ili=:5:
chih^, the pronoun it.
An event ^, record
shih*,

office,

*
*.

a shuttle passipg through the warp.

it ;^ faithfully.

To bore

with the teeth


forate; to put on clothes, wear

ch'uati^,

mi

5t

:^-,
;

to per-

to thread,

to string.

A.

hsiieb^,

cave,

hole,

any dwelling,

i.e.,

37

room or space

r^

pa^ of the earth


>!*.

ya^,

made by
;

the removal /V

to dig through, here.

The 116th radical. (W. 37 A, D.)


The teeth, the grinders or molar
hooks.

teeth,

a picture of the grinding

It is

The teeth of rodents make


holes through which thoy gain access.
face of a molar.

mt^

To go or come to, to follow to make


the best of; then, soon, immediately.

chiu*,

/ti.

/C-w-an^ radical No. 43, is the radical under


which it is found in the dictionaries. A man
ic

who puts his weight on

spring

his right leg

lame, crooked, also written

to
^t.

This classification was an


etymological error, however, for it comes

(W. 61 C.)

from
jC. rk y^y

"which

in

a dog with

the

writing

seal

ears pricked

its

pictures

By

up.

extension, attracted to, surprise", strange.

__

^,

^
S

(W, 134 C.)

The capital originally high, elevated


being a contraction of Jg kao^, high, the
bottom changed by substituting j for n,
adding the idea of elevation, and by
reducing TJ to -'^ it has nothing to do
with /j> hsiao^. The capital is the place
to ^yhich the people go hence towards.

ching^.

^__^

'1^

Wt Admiration or attraction to it something high i^ therefore to go towards, to


follow, consequently.
(W. 75 C.)
Chalfant finds an ancient form of M
picturing the gate tower of a walled city
with the opening in perspective.
.

38

i^
^2l^

99 gtft

i^i^g^j

To

hear, to listen, to understand,

to

allow.

.y

Jf

erA',

t'/fl^

the ear (see No. 71.),

Good,

full

earth in his

from a
official

is

man

the R., No. 128.


standing on the

position (to be dis-

tinguished fi-om 3& Jen"), is the phonetic.

(W. 81 D.)

^,

Therefore

te^ Virtue.

virtue

we have M

practised

hearing, to

obe3'.

t'ing^

by the ear
^, te^, used

Christian term character, virtue,

as the

1^

is

i.e.,

for the

usually

adding the idea of


going out to others, action. Its composif^,

tion

of iS chiW, upright, and j5 hsit^,

is

an upright heart,
composed
of l_ representing a horizonchih?, is
tal and a perpendicular,
ten and @ eye.
Before the days of square and plumb-line,
ten eyes were called on to test the straightness of the frame of a house. The L is
often changed to a single straight line. It
heart

g" jg"

with the

written

is

often written incorrectly fi as

strokes.

'IJU

if

of two

(W. 10, K.)

To know,

perceive; chih^, wisdom.


dart, is the radical. No. 111.
arrow,
an
h^ -db shiK'
It is a picture, the point above, notch and
' *
feathers below. Therefore an action that
come to an end, irrevocable, as an
has
3^
ancient form shows the arrow fixed in a
man's body. (W. 131 A.)
United with P k'oi', mouth, we have the
knowledge possessed by one who can give
chih^

'

39

word, opinion, with the priecision and


speed of an arrow. Knowledge
is an
his

101

arrow

^ mouth

P.

To go at the head, to lead a road, a


path, principle, doctrine tl^e progress of a

tao

'

_^
~^cAo*

^m

speech, to speak.
is

the

-R.,

No. 10.)
shoti', the head,

is

the 162nd,

to

the pritaitive

go.

(See

sAoo*, head,

with the heir added, being a pictorial


character.
{Ill is not ( ch'uan^, streams,)
185th radical.
To lead, road, sS, is to go ^ at the h^ad,
'^.
(W. 160 A.) It is the w^y not only
for the feet to walk in ^ but also for the
thoughts '^ to move in.

Hj

102
k'ati*,

^
^
^

To

look, to see, to regard carefully.

It

composed of ;
ma*', an eye (wliieh is the radical. No. 109), a
picture (compressed and often set upright
to save room), (W. 158 A.) and
is

the hand, covering the eye or shading it.


" For," says the Shuo Wen, " one shades

shou"',

the eyes in order to see better, cutting


the rays of the sun,
light "

from the eye.

oflF

and gathering the


(W. 48 C.)

103
na^,

Hands'^

united

'o-

ho^

to take, to sieze

a sign of the accusative when placed before

the noun.
stiou^,

hand,

is

the radical, No. 64.

(See No.

53.)
ho^, joining, unitin

Z union, hgnmiony.

Form-


40

ed of .^ chP, a triangle, union, being three


lines united

(see

No. 18), and

Three or

mouth.

many

k'ou^,

mouths P

shows good understanding, harmony. (W. 14 A, B.)


To take with the hand ^ requires the
hand ^ to come in contact w^ith -S" the
together
,

object.

104 iJM,

the edge of a precipice, to^


disappear
a bank between
fall in and
fields, margin, edge, boundary, i.e., the

piea^,

To walk on

place where the thing disappears.


cho*, to go, is the radical, the

162nd.

(See No.

10.)

yen^ Disappearance, absence. In modem writing the fnl (double co^'er) has been changed

to

e,

::;&

arbitrarily.

origin,

beginning,

made up
a starting

of:

It is

a picture of the nose

tza*,

evolution

point,

the

nose

being, according to Chinese embryology,

the starting point in the development of

the body self, I, my behavior, to act the


nose being the projecting part and in a
way the characteristic of the person the
;

132nd radical (W. 159 A.) and


yV hsueh" a cave, storehouse, and
a double cover meaning invisibility.
(f^
Therefore # jen^ is an object that was at
one time g tzu* in a storeroom ^ and
later on disappeared
Therefore JS is to
walk g, on the disappearing line # the
edge.
(W. 34 K.)
;

^=

ffjl.

105 iSiS
t'ot^,

The head, the end of a beam or

street,

41

the beginning

etc.,

classifier

of

afifairs,

cattle, etc.

Head, page, man. A picture of ahead or


M upon a man X. It is the radical,
the 181st. (W. 160 C.)
__ __
toit*,
A sacrificial dish, a dish in which, meat was
S, .S.
yefe*.

face

The
ton*)
served beans, (being used for
151st radical. It is possibly a suggestive
;

phonetic

this

in

character.

The

skull

a dish its contents,


and the Thibetans use the skull bone for
a dish, on a tripod standard. (W. 165 A.)

encloses the brain as

106

hsiang^,

box, a chest.

(Larger than

M^

hsia^ tzu.)
chu^, batnboo, is the radical, the 118th, indi-

Tj

cating the material.

(See No. 7.)

>TO hsiatig^, to examine, to inspect.

MfQ
^

from @
zna*,

aiu*,

tree

It

may

be

to watch from behind a

@ open

in

or to keep the eye

woods s6 as to avoid danger from


The more common abstract
meaning of mutual, reciprocity, etc., is said
to come from a kind of pun, both elements,
the

/fc

foes or beasts.

::^

is

and H being pronounced alike, rau*..


purely phonetic here. (W. 158 B.)

BALLEE, LESSON

Hw

It

V.

vi'an\ Late, evening, sunset, twilight, late in


life,

tardy.

jih*, sun, is

the radical. No. 72, as the characdo w^ith the declining sun.

ter has to

^, f^

mien?,

a man

whose

sides are swollen out

42

with his

and whose legs are

effort,

spread out to prop himself firrnly to fight

or ward off some

evil

to avoid, without.

therefore

In

means

it

purely

it is

(W. 106 A.)

According to Mr.
trying to hide him-

phonetic.

Chalmers jfe is a man


by drawing in to his clothing hence
to avoid. The sun H w^ithdrawing M, it
self

is late

""l&.t

ch'ietf,

To

Rfe;

advance, forward, to'ward, before,

formerly.

/J

18th, arbitrarily

fixed

without reference to the etymology.


upper part -i^ is a contraction of Jh,

The

tao^,

is

to

^,t^

the

i-adical,

and the

stop,

chot^' a

the

boat,

is

137th

cA/A',

a contraction of
radical.

It

is

pictOre in the seal writing of a boat


with high curved prow, a/ ^eck supported
by one of the partitions in the hull, an oar
in front and a rudder behind.
It is
straightened and placed upright to save
room. (W. 66 A.) A boat
advancing
m into the harbor w^here it will stop ih.
(W. 66 D.)

109

jkU
iTv

k'tt^i*,
..

T'

~ 'L^

flow of

promptness,

rapid, sharp, quiclc.

shu*. hsiti^,

heart.
y\^,

spirits, cheerful

chiieW

is

the radical, the 61st, meaning

See No. 18.

To divide,

a half of a

to partake, a hand

holding

cbung^ or object of any kind,

that may be equally divided. (W. 43 O.)


Chalmer's explains it as a hand drawing

a bowstring and about to

let

the arrow

41
fly

therefore quick.

on the
110

#.$

tiien^,

A year

at

>(>

is

added.

the crop or harvest, and

first,

then the year, for that is the time taken to


produce the thousand grains.

-,

I,

As quickness depends

inind, the radical

"T" kan^,

shield, is

or stem

the radical, the 51st

to look after or concern

a trunk
origi-

nally a picture of a pestle, so to grind,

destroy offend against, blunt arms, crime.


The seal writing of
nien^ shows that ^
kan^ has nothing to do with it, but that it
is really composed of
ho^, grain in the

115th
thousand. (W. 24 D.)

field,

^^

*^
tsao^,
jih*,

the

radical,

and

=f:

ch'ien^,

Early, morning, soon, formerly.

sun, is the radical, the 72nd, as the idea


early,

has to do with the rising sun.

+ shih'

The

a primitive writing of chia^,


is the first of the heavenly stems, therefore this indicates the first sun early.
is

(W. 143 E.)


112

To

carry a load from the two ends of a


pole, to stir up, to choose, to reduce.

t'i'aoS

shou^ or t'P shoti^

Jk

chao*, omen,' is

jLij

See No. 53.


a picture of the lines on the
is

the radical.

back of a tortoise shell brought out by


heating for divination in the middle is h
;

pu' in its ancient form an omen, a million


or vast number. (W. 56 D.) This phonetic
It is two
t'ao^ to run.
is the same as in
other
the
pa^ characters, one outside
;

44
It has been
because in the modern
confused with
writing they are identical. Loads carried
in this way must be widely separated.

indicating wide separation;

113

Heaven, the sky, a day, the, weather,


the Emperor, great, high, any
celestial
superior over an inferior moral superi-

^V >^

t'ien\

ority.
ta*,

great, is the radical, but the

meaning

of

the character is not the one great iz, as


it is

often translated, but the one sky

man

thus it is an india logical combina(W. 60 C and l.C)

which

is

over

',

cative charaeter, not


tion.

71*

The nodes or joints of the bamboo, any


joint, knot, verse; a feast day; temperance.
(See
chtP, is the radical, No, 118, bamboo.

chP

chieh^.

up,

No. 7.)

To

that which is done as soon as the


fragrance of the cooked rice ^ .(see No.
75)

eat,

is

smelt.

By

extension

meaning consequence

in general, being the

equivalent in

wexz

common

(W. 26 M.)

use.

thieh^, indicates order,

a conjunction

li

of the

in IP,

fc

cA/a* of

It is written

It is the
(See No; 42.)
P or '&.
26th radical, meaning joint^ (W. 55 B.)

either

115

:?:

^^ ^^-5

'^^

cut out 73 tao"^ clothes


i^
to begin making garments, which

^^'^'^

first

step in civilization

first,

at

first.

is

i.e.,

the

to beg^n, the

4&

71 tao\

116

For 3t^
I'S see No. 51.
^ The first thing in making
clothes :^ is to cut out 71.
(W. 16 B.)

knife, is the radical, the 18tb.

To

Aei*,

give to, to

Read

to.

chi^,

allow,

let,

for,

instead

of,

to receive, to afford, to give

out.

7n

ssu^ silk floss, is the radical,

-^

10*, .To

To

ogfet

1,^

give

is

No. 120.
(See No. 103.)
threads ^. Silk

harmony.

to join -&

silk

a popular present.

is

117

join, union,

To call, to tell, to cbmxnand, to cause


the cries of the birds and animals named,
termed.

chiao*,

S\-

k'ou^,

tou^,

mouth, is the radical. No. 30.


Measure, ten -f- sheng^ or pints ^. It is a
picture of the peck measure, said to be a
scoop with a handle 68th R. (W. 98 B.)
lEI- is to call out P the measure i|-.
;

118

^
I

yA\
,

pan*,

I"l

To

divide in

shih^, ten, is

two a
;

half,

a large piece of.

the classification in the standard


the 24th radical.
It comes

dictionary,

etyniologically from

an ox.

(See No. 50.)

^ into two

and 4=^
To divide A an ox

A, to

halves as butchers split the

(W. 18 D.)

beef dow^n the backbone.


119 ^la

divide,

ara

To

pass by, cross over, to pass time, to


exceed, sin of ignorance, sign of past time.

kuo*,

-jS^. ^|B]

The
is the radical, the 162nd.
a suggestive phonetic. See No. 10.
f^ kttei^, A wry mouth, hare lip or cleft palate
and
It is from P k'ou^, mouth
cho* to go,
rest is

46

and bones, to strip oflfthe flesh, to


bone, dislocate a skeleton, broken, and so
a defect. The ^ to go, means action and

fO^ kua:\ Skull

o
''

defective; defective action is sin

1^ kua'',

(W. 118 A.)

m.
120
cbirf,

To bind

fast,

From

portant.

^^ 5^

as

7^,

J\^

firm,

rad.

solid.

the 120th radical and

To have

E.)

A form
by

is

silk thi-ead,

hold ^ of one's
servants g, ch'er^; S a servant bending
(W.
before his master, the 131st radical.

chiei^,

82
121

ssa^, mi*,

to press tight, urgent, im-

pj"

may

of B or E. already.
When preceded
i'o*, could, it is equivalent to can be,
It is

be.

a very ancient primitive

re-

presenting the exhalation of breath, the


virtue of any object, its use,

and so use until


exhaustion, tp end, to be no more, passed,
already.

modem
&. it

It is -written in four Avays in

times,

means

S B i*

JSi.

use, by, \yith,

When

written

by means.

(W.

85 B, F.)
122
ch^etf,

Jg

Q
e

jVA*,

Sun shining

sun,

morning.
the radical, No. 72.
forth,

day, time, the* 161st radical 7 to 9


A.M., the heavenly bodies.
These are

cA'el^

borrowed meanings
to be pregnant, a

^ jeT^ to
.

the original means

bends formien* her pregnancy, " her shame," says the Shuo Wen.
( W. 30 B )
Purely phonetic here. (See S6f)
mien\ A woman sitting,
is the girdle, at the

ward

^,

woman who

conceal

47

the seat, at the right is an apron


that hides the front of the body, the pregnancy, says the Shuo Wen. Therefore the
meaning to hide, conceal. (W. 112 L.)
left is

123

n/^

Hp

Yesterday, time past.

tso^,

sun, is the radical, the 72nd.

jjh*,

I\ [^

14-

^, ^

wariff',

ju*,

primitive xneaning to hide, from

to enter, and

a hiding place.

which represents an obstacle,


that is, to seek to hide and to be hindered
therefore the modem meanings of suddenly, hastily, unexpectedly.
(W. 10 F.)

cha*, is

H^

I5t

plus r

yesterday has passed suddenly put of

existence.

124

qcg

Z^

hsien*.

The

glitter

to manifest

3,'3&

j^ii*,

a gem,

% of gems,

IS.

to appear,

at once, now.

(the radic3.1. No. 96), jade,

half translucent stones.

The

pL-arlj-,

cliaracter

represents three pieces of jade strung to-

added to distinguish
(W. 83 A.)
it from S wang^i king.
chien*, to see; the appearance of. (See No. 85.)
gether, the dot being

M^
125

tA Q^
1^. O^

shih-,

Time.

jih\ sun, is the radical, No. 72.


ssu^,

temple,

is

the conventional phonetic for

=;2l chih^ is a small


to
plant 4* issuing from the ground
Standing
continuity.
development,
grow,
alone it is borrowed now for the sign of

the modern writing.

the genitive or possessive


classic

law.

^-

language.

Hence the

case

t'stin*,

in

inch,

the
rule,

ssu* or temple is the

4S

law

place where the

stantly

:k.

-^ is applied con-

(W. 79 B.)

The ancient writing of ^ shih^, was ,


meaning the tune of sprouting of plants
under the influence of the sun, or perhaps
the continuity .= ::^ of the solkr H
periods.

(W. 79 B.)

126
hott*,

l!

To

wait, to expect, to inquire,

a time or

period.

yv jerP',

The character
w^as originally written ^ meaning a nobleman, and read /zou^.
'^, ^^, nr hou^, The upright stroke was inserted, some say,
to diiferentiate the meaning of wait, time,
is

the radical, the 9th.

Others say it is the archer's attetidant.


The origina;! character is composed of
arrow (see No. 100), sticking in the
target above r* with a man beside it ^.
The man is reduced to f and the target
to :i. Shooting at a target was the
means of selecting oflicials, for the! good
shot mast have an upright heart, so the
character means a nobleman. With the
and another \ added it
f reduced to
means to wait
as a target marker
(W.
59 H.)
does.
etc.

PJi.e^

ming^. bright, the


ligent
tl

^
qS
'

jiii*,

dawn

evident, open

intel-

illustrious in virtue.

sun, is the radical,' No. 72.

moon (see No.


moon are the two

yiiei*,

earlj'^

43.)

The sun and

tlie

brightest things.

The

seal characterhas the character

Q for

vsrindow instead of H sun.

Here the idea

49

of brightness
in at the

128

>SJUi

S
t'sung^,

1^."{III|

To

was from

window.

moon

shining

(W. 42 C.)

A man walking

obey.

follow,

after another,

the

and often written

s^ to re-

present that idea.

cho*^,

going.

VOCABULAEY
129

3|

mL

No. 60.
is two men j^k.
walking ;f and stopping Jh together, ue:.,
to follow, obe3^ (W. 27 A.) In the seal
character the ;f and .ih are vinited into a

ch'ih^ is the radical,

c^^^

See No. 10.

OF BALLBR'S LESSONS.

remember, being composed of W word,


and g, self, succession to record a sign
'^"o

q
^i,

^."C

to

the succession EL of facts.


yen-, words, is the R., the 149th.
No. 10.)
chP,

tell B"

self,

(See

in the seal writing represents threads

on a loom, two of the warp, horizontal,


and one of the woof, perpendicular hence
the meaning of succession ; the 49'th R.
It is borrowed to mean self.
W. 84 A.)

i''

130

.
maii', Remiss, rude

to treat haughtily

slow,

eas3', sluggish.

*^

hsin\ called the shu* hsin\

is

the radical. No.

61, as the qualities are those of the heart

No. 109.
wan- the phonetic, means to draw, extend or
pull out with the hand, long. (=| mao* is a
torehat or cap (picture R with a
mao*, to rush on
l^resent the head).
/)
or mind,

cf

'fc

k'uai*, quick.

50

heedlessly or with the eyes covered.

is

X hand, which pulls,

for the
131

m ,7l
JS.

The

make room

written horizontally to

(W, 34

J.)

Long. The 168th radical, used m


matters relating to hair, as it is a contraction of ^S piao^, bushy hair, the 190th
,

ch'ang^.

The

radical.

shows that

seal writing

it

with a

hair so long that it must be


band and pinned with a brooch y. It
also means growth to manhood when the
hair is long, and is read chang', for the
meaning growth. It also had the inverted
tied

is

man

placed below

\^

to indicate change or

growth. The modern form


contraction.
(W. 113 A.)
132

A
A

tien*,

)-,

yen*

an

is

arbitrai-y

shop, an inn.
single

of ^
slope

53rd

slope

shed

or roof;

mierP,

roof,

being half

declivity

or

the radical of this character, the

an outhouse or hut.

(W. 59

I.)

(See No. 24.)

cS chan^, To ask p about some enterprise by heating a tortoise shell Y


divination. It is
',

purely phonetic unless


diviner lived in

shop,

and a

we

think that the

a sort of public inn

diviner's house

or

was one of the

(W. 56 B.) ^ has


the same sense as fi^ to usurp or to occupy,
hence well used in fjj tien^ inn where one
occu]}ies a room for fi consideration.

first

kinds of shop.

133
lieti',

P3,

Face.

jou*, Flesh,

meat,

made up

of -^ pao^, a bundle,

51

and

strips of dried meat the 130th


and the radical of this character.
(W. 17 G. and 54.)
;

radical

ch'ien^

unanimous, meeting,

All,

together,

From /^ chP, together, 6K several men and


mhsuan\ clamor, A crowd cannot keep

'^
^

Suggestive phonetic, for the faces


are the conspicuous feature of a crowd.

silent.

134

j^
SS,

(W. 14E.)

^
<>

hu'-,

~n

A pot,

a jug.

a s#-iolar, is the radical, the 33rd, but has


nothing to do with the meanita, as it is
simply the picture of the cover
on a vase

shih*,

135

chiao^,

* No. 67.

Compare cA'ii*,

S?.

foot,

(W. 38 G,)

base.

No. 130. See No. 133.


ch'iieh*, To throw aside, referring to the leg
being thrust back when sitting flat on the
^SS
ground. It is composed of p chieh^, the
radical, No. 26 (see No. 42), and
c/i'a*,
ch'iao*, the upper
to go, reduced from
jou*, flesh, is the radical.

^n
'

above the P mouth. To


restrain P the desi^ ;s ^. The character
is still written ggp.
W. 17 H.)

lip

or

:^

flesh

136
ch'ing^, Light,

not heavy. To think lightly of;

to slight.

a cart the
axle two wheels, Zl and the body H it is
set upright in writing to give more room
in composition it means to roll, to crush.
It is the 159th radical of characters relating to vehicles. (W. 167 A.')

c/i'eS is

the radical, (classic


1

chii^),

^^

a pure phonemic here. It rcspreseaatts


the streams ^. flawing under '^le sttrface
of the ground
and the
is not ktmg^,
but
t'7H^Vand is of phonetic force onty,
as seen in the seal writing. (W. 12 H.)

ching^

is

^^^i^^

A^aH\

The drying

effect

of the sun, dry, ex-

?lean.
Adopfted as a son
Read c//'/efl", theolowd^- sky,
heaven, the powers of natwre, fiather.

hausted, to dry,

by contract.
f

a stem, curved, vapor, is the


A redundancy, however.

iS one,

radical, the

5th.
^i\,

sun H penetrating the jungle


and
drying up the vapors -that were 13'iing low

kail* is the

jjp*^

on the ground "S"

The lower -part of the

suppressed to give lylace to, the "5


vapors.
It has the idea of evaporation,

t/^ is

fogs

sun

lifting,

adding of

rising,

form

ZJ to

of rising vapors

character

means

blue firmament.
bj'

is

etc.

With

ch'ietv,

intensified,

cloudy'

sky,

the

the idea

and the
not the

It is used for kan^, di-y,

license instead of $2 in whi<ih

^ re-

drying effect- Tli of the sun


ujion dampness.
(W. 117 D.)
presents

138

^^

Cip

V Jc
,

tlie

Jeiig''',

Cold, chill j\

jP^"i^'

T"

freeze, ice.

It represents the crystals

that form on the surface of freezing water.


It is the 15th radical of characters referring to cold and ice.
(W. 17 A.)

g^
'

^^

ling*,

law, an order, to

honored.
ice.

The

(W. 14

I.

command, your

seal or evidence of cold

See No. 5i.)

is

53
jo*,
j/l^

Hot, to warnii

huo^,

fire, is

the

i:adical,

Here written

^,^

to grasp, to

c/j/A*,

fever.

^"^

No. 86.

(See No. 47).

to save space.

seize,

to hold, to attend to.

composed of
a man :fc (changed to ) who committed an oflFence T twice
or repeatedly,
i.e.,
a criminal; (^ Jen*, is a second
offence.)
(W. 102 F.) and
to hold, to keep. A pictuVe of a land ^

It is

nieh*

'"''

ji$i

nr
-ii<

Iri
,

tL

chi*

grasping something 1
It
in composition frequently to
.

is

changes!

A and Jl )L.
(W. 11 E.)
Hence the meaning of ft
chib^, is to sieze % a criminal #, or to
grasp anything. (W. 102 G.) Jo* % is
the sensation when you grasp
fire ^.

140

w9B

shen^,

Deep, profound, ardent, intense

deep

tinted.

7K

shui^, is the radical, the 85th.

shen^

is

(See No. 79.)

the Chinese hearth or stove, or small

cave-like hole yC under the

(or in

kettle;,

the k'ang*) in which the hand -^^ pokes the


fire jy. It looks dark and deep, therefore
the meanings deep, profound.

The

lire

and hand ^ have


ic and the dot on the "X hs'iteli^ has heexy
Comarbitrarily omitted by the scribes.
bined with ^/ water it means deep combined with ^ hand, it means to fathom,
or probe fil t'an'\ (W. 126 B.)
been transformed into

7JhL

shih\

Moist,

dejected.

wet, damp, low

lying ground,

Hi

^V

shuP,

water,

is

the radical, the 85th.

(See

No. 79.)
hsien^,

Two

silk

a where

threads

^ exposed to the sun

become

thej^

visible

so, to

be

to appear, remar-kable, evident,


bright. The bottom of the character is
visible,

(W. 92 E.)
The water 7K appears ^. in a w^et place Wkthe
is replaced by
In another w^riting
and the -"" by
fti^, giving the meanv^rhere water 7jt aping of the earth
(W.
E.)
pears jgs92
contracted from W to

'
.

1^

'"\

kao\ Lofty, high, eminent, noble, high

Jl

priced,

excellent.

The 189th

In coraiJosition it
is variouslj' contracted, overturned and
mingled with other elements.
It represents a high pavilion "* on a lofty
foundation H, and w^ith a hall O where
(W. 75 B.) See No.' 98.
the people sit.
^^^*'

^ff mRV

radical.

^ girdle, a sash, belt, zone to take along


with one as if worn at the girdle, to bring,
;

to take, to lead, together w^ith. It represents a belt -~ with trinkets hang^g from
it

'U*,

and the robes

rjl

up of two chin
the other.

falling

rtl

Chin^

itJ

is

made

a handkerchief sus-

girdle, the

ing down, the

radical

is

^ one

characters one outside

pended from a
It is

below

The lower part

over the other.

also

two ends hang-

meaning suspension.

No. 50, relating to cloth.

(W. 35 A, and W. 24 Q.)


radical of this character.

rfl

chin^ is the

,;

55

1**

*^ /^
-^'^' ''*'

broad

k'uan^, Large,

gentle, to forbear, slow^

to enlarge.

mieti^, roof, is

& huan^

the radical, No. 40. (See No. 1.)


with slender horns, +" = T

A chamois

kuai^,

(W.

and

legs,

03

tail,

C.)

represients the hciad,

omitted).

(often

may

mean broad becattse a spacious enclosure is


needed for

^,1^

of these wild

(W. 106 D.)

animals.
145

the breeding

chaP, Narrow, contracted,

of

the opposite

k'uan^; narrow-minded.

/V

hsiieh' cave, is the radical. No. 116.

cha*, To enter a hiding place and be hindered

^^
^ narrow.

crouching. Therefore w^e have

ing

down

in

G, and 10 F.)

At

UiL

J>t

cave,

(See No.

123

i.e.

crouch-

(W. 37

for cba'.)

To

walk, to travel, to hasten, to depart.


The 156th radical. The seal character
above represents a man bending over to
walk rapidly ^, and therefore means to

tsou^.

(See No.

97.)

The part underneath

bend.

is Jt chih^,

foot at rest, or to stop hence the coinbination maj' inean to bend the leg and to stop,
;

i.e.,

WC> >0n

iitig*,

to walk.

To

Williams.

(W. 112 A, D.)

put out to pasture, to

let go, to

put

loosen, liberate, to set free, disorderl3'.

^, ^
-t: tr-

^-1

y^

p'u^ to tap, to strike, oversee,

cal.

the radical,

A hand

with a stick. (W. 43 D.)


square, an open space, the 70th radi-

No. 66.
isLi^^i A.

is

Two

boats lashed together forming a

56

The X indicates that they are cut


apart and allowed J:o proceed on their
square.

several ways;

(W. 117 A.)

148

To

chian^.

converse together, to preach, to

explain.

Wi

ye.T^, is

kou*

the radical, the 149th.

a graphic representation of the timbers


in the roof and framework of a Chinese
building hence its meaning of a network,
a setting in order, a combination. Combined with g" it means setting words s
in order if, i.e., to explain, to converse.
is

Compare % wood if, set in order, the truss


of a roof. (W. 1 04 B.) Tuan shih's Shuo
Wen says this character represents a network of irrigating ditches.
149

To

tso^,

to do, to

act,

appear

to arouse.

things,

while

fit

make
It

to arisen to

refers

to doing

more to inaking

refers

things.

J!^ jer^,

man,

is

the radical, the 9th.

cha*, Suddenly, to excite.

etjanology

is

given for

(See No. 123.)

No

f^.-

150
chia^.

J^

^,

To

assist, to rescue, to

save from wrong.

p'n* to tap, is the radical, the 66th.

(See

IIo.

147.)
c/i'iu^,

to ask,

is

the phonetic.

Its

meaning

of

found in the supposed


custom of offering sacrifice and taking the
skin of the offering in the hand, to present
with the petition. The character repreto ask, pray,

is

57

hand

vSents the

o"

or skiu

Correctly written If with


for the radical.

tongue,

sAe-,

tail

shop.

cZi/m*

15",

holding the

(W.45K.)

f\^.

p-u*,

s^

the radical, the 135th.

is

pic-

ture of the tongue protruding from the

mouth. (W. 102 C.) (See No. 73.) It


is, however, really composed of -^ she'
(See No. 40), cottage, and
A" as a pure

m, ffl

phonetic, it

is

aptitude

Myung^

(an arrow

hitting a target) for founding a family,

manhood, and

manhood or

then, the

name assumed

given by a friend.

at

(W. 109

D)
152

Older brother.

kci^.

^f

i^'oa^

o|

i'o*,

mouth,

To

the radical. No. 30.

is

send forth a breathing 7" of approba~

tion from the mouth.

Doubled

it

means

to sing.
It is borrowed for brother.
When the lower stroke "^ is curved the
other way, it is a cry, or difficult breathing.
See No. 258. (W. 58 I.)
153

m.

^^

Younger brother.
ktm^, bow, is the radical,
t?.

to

Kang

But

see

Hsi*s

arbitrary

classification.

No, 86 for the primitive form and

etymology.
154

(the 57th) according

A hand ^

(W. 87 E.)

holding a single bird #, not a


shaang^; hence the meaning
pair as iri
by itself, a numerative. of
one
single,

cbih^,

53

animals, birds, single individuals of

sliips,

things in i^airs or sets, as arm, eye, shoe,

(W. 168 G.)

etc.

'^, j^

chui'^

short-tailed birds, is the

%,

The

172.
tvtre

seal

forms show

to be a pic-

it

of a bird with a short tail,

bird with

a long

tail.

No.

radical,

cf.

M niad*,

(W. 168 A.)

(See

No. 41.)
155

*r

tei',

To

strike, to

shou', hand,

beat

doing in general.

here called the t^P shot/,

is

the

radical, No. 64-.

],

that which the hand


strikes.
Therefore the hand and the
nail together form the verb to strike (the
subject and the object of the verb).
(W.
57 A.) Read t/ag* it means to nail.

tino^,
I

a nail (a picture)

is

156
hsi',

To wash. The

radical

(See No. 79.)

In order to

must

first

is

^ have water

7K shui*, water.

wash

86

(For

7K.

you

hsien^

5feseeNo. 27.)
157

|JL^

wan^^, To forget.

il2i^

cal.

CT, (^,

No. 61.

vrang^ to enter
]jerish,

A a hiding place L

to hide

to run away, to cease.

The mind
gets

j& hsin^, heart, is the radi-

ijj.

ceases to act

(W. 10
that

is,

to

E.)
for-

^.

158 tttt

lU^

yen', Eye,

@
J^ M,

hole.

'mvi\ eve, is the radical,


kcff^ firm,

is

No. 109. (See No. 102.)

a suggestive phonetic

It is the

138th K. meaning also, perverse, obstinate,


is from S mu*, eye, and K hua'

to stop. It

59

to turn, change stiddenh' (a


'

'
'

''

I^

as the eye changes in anger

fore

anger, defiance, haughtily, etc. (W.

there-

anger may
be seen in another person, hence the
It is in the eye that

L.)

first

use of
159

A invert-

ed K

26
'

man

S in the character for eye.

..^i

chmg^, The iris of the eye, the pupil some say


the eyeball.
mu%\s the radical, No. 109. (See No. 102.)
;

The

ch'iiig^,

R,

first

of the five colors, the color of

nature, as the green of sprouting plants,

the blue of the sky, the azure of the ocean,

dark green, and black.

The black

^ or the

^^

t'lad^,

(See No. 63.)

part of the eye

is

the pupil

iris.

twig

bill

of long,

classifier

slender things.

wood,

is

yu^ to ford,

is

ed

),

>fC tnu^,

Mt

Jjik

to-Zl

the radical. No. 75.


crossing water (reduca man
and tapping with a stick : to

sound the depth. It was borrowed to


mean a relative pronoun, and equivalent

In
the :?K
li, of Bt so^j a place.
character maj'' have been added because
the pole used in sounding was of wood,
in vsren

and so the meaning of twig,


came naturally by extension,

A slender stick
man who fords
^a^

(^^^^^^f

ft- ^^

As/ng"^,

street,

to go,

presents
left

i^ of
f!fc

avenue

is

two

cli'ih*

wood

slender, etc.,

.tIc

(W. 12 C.)
is tised by a

the stream.
;

place of markets.

the radical. No. 144.


footprints, one step

It re-

with the

and one with the right

so
ch'e* (the reverse of 5f). ff As/ng* is the
radical of characters relating to motion,
the phonetic being inserted in the middle.

(W. 63 C.)
kuev, Lands, feudal appanages
soil,

By

doubled.

from

extension

it is

used of

t't^,

the sceptres or batons given the nobles

when

thej'

were invested with their 'fief.

(W. 81 B.)
162

shvang^

pair,

a match

an equal

to go

with, to be matched.
2 chuP

birds, is the radical,

154.)

Two

make a

pair M.

birds

No. 172. (See No.


held in one hand

(W. 168 G.)

163
hsxeh^,

ko^.

Shoes

To skin,
from

also written

to skin an

office,

officer,

or degrade him

It

represents the

leather.

skin of a sheep Y

(contracted from ^)
ZI with two

two bars

stretched between

3^

^.

hands 5 at work on it to scrape off the


wool. Radical No. 177. (W. 105 A.)
Aer^ is the phonetic.
(See No. 161.) Leather
next to the land
ktteP, is a proper

sign for shoes,

^.

BALLEE, LESSON
164
IP,

An

VI.

worship, which
w^ill bring happiness ceremony, propriety,
act, particularly acts of
;

good

manners

offerings

by

required

usage.

in
>J\ shih*, is the radical, No. 113, written
composition. It means a revelation (aus-

picious or unlucky)

from heaven.

The

61

two

horizontal lines are the old fonn of Jt

shang-*, high, superior

sents sun,

moon and

and the

/]>

repre-

stars, or signs in

heaven which reveal transcendent things


to men.
fg-

Ji*

vessel used in sacrificing.

From

a. tou*

vessel, and LI l<!an\ a


above it, ornamented with two
sprays ft feti^, symbol of plenty. (W.
97 B.)
Revelation ^ is needed in abundance
to
teach how to worship IB..

(see

No. 105), a

receptacle

165

_^
sha}.

To mow

grass

J3C shv^ the right hand


strike,

tI^

slaj-, kill.

making a jerky motion, to


the radical, No. 79.

(W. 22 D.)

^a}, to shear off the heads of grain, to


^^

kill.

Shears, representing the cutting blades.


glutinous kind with

sAn", Millet, the

drooping

^V

to cut, shear,

stick, kill, is

(See Nq. 71.)

^^ ^
^ X

heads.,

the' seal

loose

character being

^ picture of it. (Also another writing is


a hand separating three grains, hence
glutinous millet, requiring effort to separate.) One dot is omitted in the modern
writing ^. So we have for sha^ ^, to cut

oiFX tl^e heads of the millet #, and for


the whole ^ sAa*, the addition of the
radical gives the strong motion of strik(W.
ing, intensifying the idea of to kill.

39 B and 45
166

^^ ^^
l

chng\ Upright,
dox,

etc.

J.)

correct, exact, proper, ortho-

fi2

No, 77. (See Nos. 10 and


12.) To stop Jh at the appointed limit
without going astray is correct !. (W.

jjU chih\ is the radical,

112
167

and

A,

I.)

:^ i^
^hF>

wanton, lewd.

ch'un^. Spring, pleasant,

>

is

jV/z*,

The

the radical. No. 72.

seal writing

has been strangely modified by modems.


It represents the budding and growth > ot"
plants P} under the influence of the Sun fj
(W. 47 P.)
168

-j^
:^^,

^
^

Summer, variegated,

hsia*,

The

large.

great dynasty.

^V

chib^'

yeh*

to follow,

is

first

the radical, No. 34.

A man, head. A man who walks ^


with his hands hanging down folded
O as farmers do in summer when

the croiDs

modem

grow by

character

themselves.
is

In the

contracted.

(W.

160 D.)
*w%> Ani

^, ^
!K.,

Autumn, harvest.

cA'/aS

(growing) (a picture),
No. 115.

bo^, grain

Aao*, fire (picture) is the


fore

autumn

grain
>K,

""^.^

tung^,

fs*:

is

^ standing

the radical,

radical.

the season

There-

when

the

in the fields, is burned

whitened and ripe (W. 121 C.)

i.e.,

The

86th

is

last or winter season

the end

to

store up.

ping, ice (picture, see No. 138)

is

the radical,

No. 15.

yC,,^ chung^ End,

fixed.

(To be distinguished from

63

radicals

34 ^ chiH\ 35

and 66

ji.

sm\ 36 ^ hsi\
a skeiu of thread
fastened at the end by a spindle or tie.

The

frozen

It is

p'u^.)

end

v'

of the year

4C

the

is

winter season, ^. An older form had sun


H meaning the cessation of the action of
the sun or it might mean the sun confined.
(W. 17 F.)

171
chi^.

Tender, the youngest of brothers, the end


of a series of months or a season the four
;

seasons.
"T* tzt^, son, is the radical, No. 39.

^^

ho"

is

contracted from

M chih*,

the most deli-

cate Ji among the children ?, i.e., the


last; then the last month of a season,

and the season

itself

(W. 94 A.)

^.

172
/a*,

To dry

meat, the 12th month; winter sol-

stice.

^^
,

meat (see No. 133) is the radical, No.


130.
Heh* Hairy, bristly, disorderly. It is a hairj'

jou*,

<

head &,

ed into ^.

and
^^

'S, 3^

tail

hsiz^

It

and

M shu'' rat, contract-

has the

of a rodent.

legs,

head whiskers

(W. 40 B, C.)

J^h\ Night.

hsi*

evening (see No. 14)

The
is

seal

lie

the radical. No. 36.

form shows that

done by

to

is

man

down on

it

means what

:^ at evening
his side

aiftd

^, that
sleep

is,

then

The modern form is


of
invention
the
scribes, a man A
a quaint
under a cover ju at evening i^. (W. 60 I.)

by

extension, night;j

64

174

^A
"^

To

far,

cai-ry

shou'\ hand,

_:

t'aP,

is

on a

pole, to elevate.

the radical. No. 64.

A mouth P

exhaling a breath X. This


an arbitrary contraction for the form

which

is

point -^

is

a high place i^ "with the topmost


changed to
and M chih* (under-

neath in place of P), birds alighting there.


(W. 75 B.)
(See No. 88) to elevate.
;

175

To

k'ai^,

open, to begin

menr, two-leaved door


-44-

^un^^

is

away

the bar

ojiening

J3^,

'^

the radical, No. 169.

Two hands folded, the 55th radical.

character represents

176

to boil.

shad'.

Few

it.

two hands

firom

cf. Fi

the door, that

shuan^, bolt. (W.

p'ieh^

A left stroke,

177

chung^,

^ un^,

is,

C.)

No. 42.

To

to diminish.

that which

less.

115

shao*, young.

^'^ hsJao^, small, is the radical.

The

H- taking

diminish

is already small /h
(W. 18 M.)

few^,

A bell, a clock.
is

the R. No. 167.

(See No. 13.)

A boy

under 15 and

unmarried, a

chin\ metal,

a slave boy,
a slave girl. It is from ^
Asin*, crime, and fi chujug^, grave. A grave
crime committed by pa,rents caused the
children to be, reduced to slavery. The
spinster.

It w-as originally

like 2^ c/j'/eAS

slaves w^ere forced to remain vmmarried,

and so the meaning spinster, bachelor,


virgin, and then concubine and catamite,
for thej- w^ere used as such.

be beaten just as a

bell.

slave might

(W. 120 K.)


65
^^^

A black

t/en',

fit

light, as

spot, a point, to punctuate, tO'


a lamp; to count or check off, ap

hour of time.

^. ^

the radical, the 203rd.

l^l^ck, soot, is

^^'^''

The

soot JH which the fires jfe leave around


the vent \35? where the smoke escapes. The

a contraction of ^ yen*. (W. 40 D.)


1^ chan\ To ask p a diviner |>, to divine. It is
j^ is

(See No, 132.)

purely phonetic.
tung*,
fi

jS

]i*,

To move,
sheath.

its

No. 19.

ter,

Heavy.
g chang\When

force

thev

W.,

180

excite, to begin.

A picture of

Strength, muscle.

To

a muscle

in

It is the radical of the charac-

53 A).

(VV.

(W. 120 K.)


exerted on heavy things

(See No. 22).


-fj

move

is

Wl.

a quarter of an hour.
7J, ij tao\ the Rad., No. 18, a knife.
"^ 5K hai* purely phonetic, an horary character, 9
sbih'
11 P.M. It is a picture of a pig,
/vV. 69 K.)
with a tail added.
a minute. Fen*,
distinguish,
divide,
To
Ten',
k^o\

cut, to

carve

181

duty, share.
73 tao\ knife, is the radical, the 18th,
rt

pa^,

To

A
182
'

^^
*^

divide.

knife TJ that divides

A=

iJ?"

to divide.

The outside, to make known, to manifest a watch, indicator.

p/ao*.

:^

i^,

clothes, is the R., the 145th.

mao-, Skins, furs, hair. Clothes were originally


skins with the hair outside, therefore this
character means the outside of clothes,

thie

66

manifestation

of the

^.

to manifest

person,

AAratcli

tiierefore,

manifests the

(W. 16 K.) The emperor dressed


his huntsmen in diflerent kinds of skin
time.

to indicate

their ftinctions in the

chase.
183

1^

chien\

P^

space, interval, division of

house.

the R., No. 169. fal has the sun


a shining through the opening, therefore
the meaning, space, interval. See No. 5

meii', door, is

and 12.
184

^,^
:5^,

to^,

Many, much, too much,

hsi* evening, is the K.,

reduplication.

the 36th. Because easy


for the meaning

was repeated

to write

it

many.

Perhaps

meatis many,

it

like the,

evenings-that follow one another without

(W. 64 A, E.)

ceasing.
185
tsan''

j]^

I,

we.

written

To'

yV

/en'', is

^'

tsan^. I, w^e, is

the radical

written

tsan

when,

sometimes

n&.
;

k'oir* is

the radical when

Bjl.

an arbitrary modern abbreviation for


which is jfc tsaii^ doubled, meaning a brooch or hairpin and S yiieh added,
meaning to murmur, 5^ (W. 26 D.)

186

hou*, After, behind, to ijostpone

:^

ch'ih*

{/ yao'

step, to

march,

is

posterity.

the R., the 60th.

A fine thiead. (See No. 8 and 24.)


To march ;f while stretching a fine thread
ii

out behind.

The

^^ chih^. to follow

is

a radical redundancy as
go.
(W. 90 A.)
187

188

The

ti*,

earth, the ground,

it

t'u\ earth, is the R., the 32nd.

1^

ieh^,

Also, see No. 4.

pai*,

To worship, pay

^
^

God.
shoti\ hand,

Ls

character
It

was

means to

place.

+.

m.^

also

rCvSpect to either

the R., No. G4.

^ is also shoit^

man or

The resiofthe
^ and As/a*, T-

formerly written with the hsia*

under both hands


itieafling both hands
hanging down, in the attitude of respect,
or worship. (W. 48 E.)
189 n*|
shang^, Noontide, midday.

M|HI
'

jih*,

sun,

is

the R., the 72nd.

bsiang*, is a picture of a small north window


|nl fS)
tinder the eaves of the house /^ by exten'

sion it means, direction, to face

to favor.

When the
it is

190

'^^I^
"h
iC- /ts

(W. 36
sun

midday

to

like,

E.)

faces

|p]

the south

window

B||i.

wtr, 11 A.M. to 1 P.M., noon; 7th of the 12


stems.
shi, ten is the R., the 24th.

Some say this


noon mark on

is

the representation of a

the side or end of a house.

In combinations it has the sense of definite, fixed, exact as in ,f^ hsu\ to promise,

^
"'

B.

wu"* obstinate, etc.

Pf Already, past, to cease, to decline.

m
g^

ch?,

self, is the R., the 49th,


The original
writing of this character S S is nowfound in four forms B / B JSl. It is a

ancient

Tfery

to

.symbol,

represent the

exhalations of the breath, the virtue that


springs from an object, its action, its use,
then, use until exhaustion, to end, to pass

away.
192 lAr
tso*,

JJPr

cf.

raised

mountains,
/

j'e/j'

Aj^ <tjA tso*,

-g"

(W. 85 B.)

seat,

throne,

cities,

houses.

numerative

of

covering, shelter, shed, is the R., the 53rd.

To
It is

down, to

sit

two men

-*^

on the ground

The

radical

men

sitting in

to

reigjn.

{See No. 66.)

db.

/**

to place

rest,

seated, facing each other,

indicates larger things, or

a house, so

a.

seat M.

(W.

27 D.)

^H^

cb'eiiff',

J2

t'u', is

'

city wall.

the R., the 32nd.

T a nail, a
and
\vu* in which ^ Ao* is the
a battle axe
When a boy T is big enough to
radical.

fJt cVeng^,

iJfe

A city,
is

made from a

boj--

jf^

wield a battle axe he

is

grown up or com-

pleted, a man, i.e. ch'eng^ tiag^,


jg;
-f.
The character means, completed, to be-

come, to
into a

finish.

citj'

its liighest

^^

^B^\ A

dt-|

fief,

over a

When

earth dh

is built

M has attained
usefulness.
(W. 71 M.)
wall

a territory
fief;

it

to appoint to

iS.

to

office

to seal up, to blockade,

to.

stamp, an envelope.
"}*

ts'un\ inch,

is

the R., the

4rlst.

(See No. 69.)

69

according to the seal character, the


and crops \J/ under the rule "+
of a landlord, that is a fief. Such is the
Chinese explanation. Wieger considers it
erroneous. He thinks it a tree }^ on a

kueP^, is>

land

i in the eenter to indicate the feu-

mound

datory or imperial possession of the land,


(W. 79 E.)
-.f added indicates rule.
195

Jt^ 7|S
IPS*

hsin*, Faith, sincerity, to believe in

ivS

w yV

letter^

arsenic.

j^^y

A man standing beside


that
is, faithful.
Some ane",
cient forms are a man and mouth also a
is

the radical.

his

word

heart and a word that is words coming


from the heart,; sincere. (W. 25 H.)
;

BALLEE, LESSON
-^* ^ l \
' ~*

'Vll.

Repeated, a second time, also.


is the radical according to the
dictionaries, the 13tli.
But etymologi-

tsai*,

chiung^ a limit,

Ip

liang^'

cally it is

a weighing instrument or scale in equilibrium and n erA*, two, added to indicate


a second w^eighing or repetition, twice,
etc.
(W. 35 J.)

sui^,

1^1

Year, liarvest, age

Jupiter, the planet

that indicated whether an attack was to


be made or not.
chih*, stop, is the R. of the dictionaries, the
is from
pu*^
77th, but the combination

a step, a planet, and


hsii^ which is a spear jX vru* arid its wound
The lower part of the pu* ^P is enclosed in
>-

J^^ /^

7Q

the J^ hsu\ at the bottom.


period of twelve years was
period used bj^

Jttpiter's

a
the Chinese and

cj'clical

called

great year :^ ]^. It [was later adapted


to the twelve months and used commonlj-

(W. 71 P.)
A step. It is composed of Jh to stop and
the same reversed underneath with the
opposite meaning, to start. A step ^, is
the starting ^, and stopping Jh of the
(W. 112. F.)
feet in walking.
forayear.

ffi

pit^,

198
shti'',

To

count, s/ju*

a number.

the radical, the 66th,


referring perhaps to the habit of men to

4i p'u^ to tap, to govern,

is

check off w'ith the finger as thej^ count.


lou^ Troublesome, frequent,

and so

approjDriate

in the character meaning to count


is

composed of

enclosed in

i)C

nu\

off.

women ^

It

chung^

wu*- the -women's prison, and

^r

so has the meaning,

idle, useless,

trouble-

(W. 67 N.)
originally to govern J^ these

some, repetitious, frequent.

meant

H^ shu*

women
199
teTig\

prisoners :^.

To compare, an
,

such, like

Y^ chu\ bamboo,
and cf. ^

at

TO

class

to wait.
is
ti*

the R., the 118th, see No. 7


No. 86.

ssu\ Temple, the place w^here the rule -sfis constantly applied jt ik and jjeople a,re
classed.

200

order, series,

(See No. 125.)

ts'u\ Coarse, rough, vulgar.

^ m?,

rice, is

the R., the 119th.

(See No. 4^)

..

tsu^

(archaic

chieh^)

for

is

a picture of a

n chi^ with two rungs=to brace


the legs and standing on the groun<]
It was boirrowed for the important conjunction, and, moreover. (W. 20D,) tSee
No. 228 on ffl as a character showing
stool

contrast.
201

m.^

/js/\

yfi s'su,

Fine, small

soft

carefully.

or mi'^a strong thread,

the

is

K.,

the 120th.

(See No. 8.)


trj

t'ien-, field,

skull

was

originally written

so appropriate for, fine,

tender M, like the silky


fontanelles ^.

Bn

^^

j,

^ hair around the

sheng^, Wise, holy, sacred. (W. 81 H.)


er/2^ ear, is the R., the

146

As/n' or

open above, meaning the fontanelles

of a child, tender

202

ji]

128th, a picture*

(W.

A.)

To

speak p k'ou^, while standing in


ones place of office t'ing^ (a man A at

ch'eng',

place on

his

ch'eng^

the

ground

means to

lay

i.)r

therefore

before

ones

superior, to notify.

^A

shcng^jen\ or wise men, are those


who listen 1^ to the P information of those

under them
wise.

TEL

^ "^

tsao*,

fo

(W

in office 3

81 H.)

For

and so become

^ see No.

22.

build, to create.

cho* or tsou'
162nd.

chih*, to arrive at, is the R.,

the

From

at,

this

meaning, to arrive

the meaning to accomplish, to build x is


Jcao* is purely phonetic
derived and the

72

^ "^

To impeach, to indict thatis^ to do with


mouth P what the ox ^ does with
By extension it means to tell.
his horns.

^^^*'

the

(W. 132 B.)

Jig

huan^, Also, yet,


^ho* to go

is

more, to give back.


the 162nd.

still

the R.,

yiiaii^,
M- huatr The eye g, horizontal, and
trailing robes, that hinder ones walk, a

hesitating gait and timid look.

^,

yiiarr is

ch'uarP

made up of ^ P a long robe and


To attach, to trail, being a picture

an ox yoked up and attached by a


(W. 91 E. H.)
trace to a ring.
205

.#

Jcvei*,

pel*,

Honorable, costly, dear.


cowries, precious things,

is

the

R., the

a picture of the cowrie shells


with feelers out.
They were used for
money down to 300 B.C. and then brass
representations of them were used. (W.
IGl A.)
k'ui* a basket, is a picture.
(W. Ill A, B.)
A basket ^ full of cowries K is a high
154th.

-^,

of

single

It is

price, dear.

206 JL4.

3ct

A surname of a clan.
woman, is the R., the 38th and ^ shen^,
born. Woman bom, possibly this dates
to the time when " mens' mothers were
known but not their fathers " and so the
woman gave the name to the clan or

hsin^,
ni?,

family.

jl^

^^

(See No, 15.)

huahg^. Yellow, the color of loess.

formed of

201st

R.,

73

jg

it

102nd radical, (a picture of furand of an old form of kuaiig'


light, (a man A carrying a torch iJi)-

31

huan^

t'iea\ field,

rowed

fields)

fields HI.

208

a, 6

pur, White
seal

is

the yellow light it from the

(W. 171
in vain.

character

A and

149

and No. 696)

Radical No. 106.


represents the

The

sun just

appearing above the horizon and so


the white light at dawn. (W. 88 A.) (Sec
No. 6.)
209

^.%

radical.

mao^ changes tj
A
hua* to white. (See No. 20.) The ^ and
A are contracted arbitrarily by the
modern scribes. (W. 30 D, E.)

man

210

125th

Jaa^, Venerable, old, very.

,^

whose hair

Lord, master, owner. It is a picture of


a lamp and the flame rising above it. So
by extension a man who spreads light, a
lord.
The prince rises above other men
and is seen by all as the flame rises above
"'"he lamp and shines out to all.
(W. 4 B.

cbvP,

and 83 D.)
chu^ a dot is the

R., the 3rd.

211

M,(^9t
";^'

Rags, unworthj'-, mean.


p'u^ to tap is the R., the 66th.
pi Broken shreds of cloth.
pi*,

J^
SK

The whole

is

piece of cloth

or riddled /\ withiioles ^^
of tapping
212
nan^,

f-fY

B3

J^.

W. 35

Male of the human

fieir, the land, is the R.,

rj[|

sepat-ated

by the action

F.)

a son.
the 102nd.

species

'

74

~h 5j

ii\

Muscle, strength, a picture q^ a muscle and


The 19th radical.
its sheath.

The man

is

J|

strength ij in
213

chi^,

To

ssu\

silk is

pi chP,

who

%he one

the,:field |H

exerts his

W. 53

C.)

ai'range, to narrate, disposition.

the R., the 120th, see No. 8.

self, the 49th .radical, is a picture of the


threads of a weft above and of one thread
so sorting out and
in the shuttle below
;

ari'anging threads

as a whole

chi*,

is

boVrowed
sort

to

xl

for

self.

thrills ^.

(W. 84 A.)
214

kgp .;^ ^
^<>p3^,77t

f^\
^

To shoot an arrow,

to send forth, any

expansion or manifestation.

r > po* Separation


is

two

jt

back to back. It
chih^ characters back to back.
trampling

It is the K., the 105th.

kun^, bow,

the 57th radical and the

is

^ shu^,

was

shih"
formerly w^ritten
separate
arrow, so the character meant to
from the bow ^ i.e. to
yife the arrow

to

kill,

shoot.
215

i'u.i',

(W. 112 H.)

piece,

lump.

^'"^ earth, is the R., the 32nd


see No. 13.
-|t
iaer, devil, spirit of a dead man, the 194th
;

ffi

f v*

rad.
^L is

The

fy

represents the spirits head, the

man and

where

the

phonetic here.

the /

demon

is

a tail or the
vanishes.

Purely

(W. 40 C.)

-person becomes a spirit

body has

swirl

stiffened in

fg

after the

death and when the


75

earth _ becomes
tip

ai6

it

stiff

and hard

into clods or pieces

^'v ;e^^ man is the K., the 9th.


_\L, jfc ^^*' 1^0 estabUsh, to stand.
place,

f]]F

(office,

ifj

ti\

J/f\
rfj

The Supreme

man

dignity) where a

man

A picture

gro.vind.

the place assigned to

Ruler, the sovereign.

the R., the 50th; It iis doubled to represent the skirts hanging from the gii'dle.

chiii^, is

Cf. No.

143 ^.

a man
clad in manj"- garments and designated by
meaning _L above. The scribes added'
two arms. LP Ssi; changed the bottom into
'^ t'zti*, thorns, and then it was contracted into the modern fonn. (W. 120 H.)

The ancient character

represented

^[^ IS.

BALLEE, LESSON
218

1^,

1^

'

g
&

c/jcbS True, truh", genuine

to the

a person.
of a

standing firm on the


stands erect it
each official.

breaks

iM.

Wei*, Seat, throne, condition, dignitj^,

The

it

mu^

eye,

common
is

rectitude superior

perfect simplicity.

the radical of classifiaition, No.

109, but the character


following

VIII.

is

made up

of the

straight, (see No. 99) rectitude

i^

chiti^,

hua* to change," a man tumbled heels over


head
wu*, a high platform or base.
In the combination the -f- shih^ at the top

T[^

chih" is replaced by the


of the character
wu* at
top line of the
\^ hufi*^ and the

76

the bottom

stroke

is

combined with the lower

The

of the chi!^ g.

logic of

that moral rectitude


iit chihF acquired by a change ^ haa* and
raising
wu* of the moral nature is true,
the combination

is

%
genuine M chenK
219

YS
-1^

fin^,

The

top, very

(W. 10 L.)
the button on a

man-

darin's hat.

yeh*^,

man, the head,

is

the radical, the 181st,

see No. 105.


J

"P t/u^,

A nail,

It is of phoiiietic force.

(picture).

But the button on a mandarin's hat called


^$Sl ting^ tat*, looks like the head of a
Chinese nail and as though it were nailed
into the hat or head.

220

-^

}^

Jp[, iP^

mai*, to

pel*,

cowrie, precious,

as in

ZtT'^fU,^^

to betray, to vaunt.

sell,

map,

is

the radical, the l54th

see No. 38.

The springing of plants, to put forth.


map, to buy. Therefore K tnaP, to sell, is the
cA'u*,

opposite of

out

{ij

H in that it consists in putting

goods, and netting or obtaining

Rq the cowrie

money

peP.

(W. 78 E

and 161 D.)

'"^.^

Home, family, a
mienF a roof, or house,
chia^,

r*

31

shih^ Pigs, the

profession or class.
is

the rad., the 40th.

152nd, radical.

The

seal character of

it is

a picture of a
legs,

pig, the

upper

line for

showing the belly


the right side the back and tail.

the head, the

and

100 B.C. shows that

left side

77

It is suggested that
'^ roof, it

means

when

placed under a
family because pigs

and dogs lived in the house with the


family.
(W. 69 A.) But earlier forms of

^
t^.

show various objects under the roof


One of the earliest is three people

under a
child

roof,

for

make a home.

a man,

woman and

Chalfant XIX.

222
ts'o*,

In disorder, wrong, mistaken

a polishing stone, a

to polish

file.

c&/fl\ metal, is the radical, the

167th. (See No.

13.)

^*'^^ O^*^'

ancient, fomierlj'.

Dried meats.

It is forjned of dt contracted

from the seal


form ii representing strips of meat hung
up to dry and H jih* sun. So the meaning is old, dried meat as compared with
fresh meat.
(W. 17 J.) Old ^metal ^,
scrapped, makes a most disorderly place.
223

An

hen', \ er3'.

>|^

ch'jh*

step, is the radical, the 60th.

In the
^ or it

other writing J^ the radical is


dog (classical) the 94th radical,

ch^uan',

the form used in combinations.


composed of @ rau* eye and {j hua*, to
keti^ is to turn or
turn or change so
change the'ej'-e g, looking in anger, de(W. 26 B &L.)
fiance; stubborn, hard.
j^ is

^^

g ^

Aen'' is

seems of phonetic force onlj' in \^ hett'.


In the second wi'iting one might say " a,
defiance, or obstinacy in holding
dog's
verv
is
on
Wk extreme.
It

78

224

1^ ^3
A^'

'

p'P,

Skin, leather, bark, wrapping, the case


around goods or the tare the 107th R.
The seal form shows it to be a priiiiitive
meaning to skin, representing the skin }
(W. 43 H.)
a hand ^ and a knife D
;

225
/-|5

To

yung*.

f^

is

hit the centre, to use, with, by.

the 101st radical.


t^

the target and

^
^

from the same

chuti^ which also meant to hit


i showing the part of
an
the arrow that did not go through. By
extension the capacity of the archer, the
effect, the use, the means.
(W. 109 B.)

form as

226 -gg-

It is

It

ken^,

To

change, keng*, much.

yiieh, to speak, i^ the radical, the 73rd.


is

by convention

in the dictionaries.

This
It

is

formed of the following, according


to the Sbuo^ Wen":
ping\ Fire, calaiiiity, bright. A fire in a house
with flames rising above the roof.
p'u* To tap, to interfere with the hand holding
really

l^,/51l

stick.

Therefoie

kmg^y change, may

sent fire on the hearth.

Fixing the

reprefire

R.

hearth, the coais were covered by


(W. 41 A.)
ashes; the change is great.

on
227

tlje

sheiP, Spirits,

fljffl

-^

shih*,

animal

to reveal,

is

spirits,

gods.

the R., the 113th, used

characters denoting spiritual things.

in

It

formed of
crh Jb shang* heaven
=
and /J^
the sun, moon and stars, or
signs in the heavens which reveal transcendental things to men.

is

79

Hi shn\ To

extend, to stretch, to explain.

seal wiiting

The

shows two hands stretching

a rope and

so the idea of stretching, expansion. Later the rope was straightened


scribes and was explained as a
standing and with both hands t^
girding his body with a sash. The tbrni
tj3 is simply an easier way of writing feji.

by the

man

The combination #is probably ijhonetic but the idea of god may have
some connection with an increased or
extended ^spiritual revelation ^. Chal50

(VV.

^, ^

C.)

however, finds early forms representHe thinks, probably


rightly, that these became the sign for
deity from superstitious dread of lightning ^g tien*. It gradually took the form
^ and tt: was added to distinguish the

fant,

ing forked lighting.

meaning of God
and ^ ,vf' rain, was
added to show the meaning lightning ^.
(Plates VII and XXVI.)
jjiji,

^'#.PI k'eh\ To be
^^^^
M ^,^ Jo"*>

flexible,, pliant,

willing, to assent.

opposed to the skeleton


^^^^
^yo*,is the R., the 130th. (;See No.l33.)
^s

/e'en" the i^t A'ua\


In early writings of
skeleton, was at the top of the character.
As this forms the character for bone

ku^ the upper part fi was replaced


by jh and thus the etymology is lost.

compared
to the bones ^ (changed to ) and hence
the derived meanings to yield ones self, to
be compliant, to assent.
(W. 65 A, C.)

The

flesh is soft

and

pliable as

In

& t'su^,

two

we have

another example of

objects of opposite

characteristics

joined to represent the adjective applying

to one of them

i.e. IH.

t'su^

coarse

grains and a large object,

ranged stool
929 10:$
is

J^ jeti'-,
03 ga
^'

two

(No. 200.)

JL.

the radical, the 9th.


to borrow.

False,

chia:',

:^ fine

to borrow, chia* leave of absence.

chia^, False,

iBJC

is

heav\'

shows two Zl

The

skins j, that

writing
double skin,

seal

is,

or a borrowed skin over ones ti-ue skin,


disguise, false. " Wolf in sheep's clothing."

The character

for shrimp Jg,


uses this suggestive phonetic. It

(W. 43
hsia^,

,1.)

sheds one skin gradually while growing


another.
230 ^gjw

To

hui*,

'^J

to collect, a

meet,

procession,

society, able.

yiieh^ to speak, is the radical, the 73rd.

No.

ch? To

collect, (see

To

No. 18.)
more.

The words H
yiieh^, that ]:)eoplc say when they meet A
chr at the fire under the smoke hole IS

-Sk tseng^

add,

still

ch'uang^, in greeting or
fidding

top

is

more and more.

40

4^
'IJr

shih^,

A. i^n"'

A in parting,
The A pa' at the
i.e.

modified in the combination with

A chP to form # hui*.


231

(See

9.)

(W. 14

D and W.

D.)

To

cause

is tlie rad.,

a messenger.
li* an officer

to order, to send,

the 9th, with |^

81
kN^

A hand ^ grasping a stylus, see No.


96 a historian, scholar.
Those of the scholars j^ who were set over
(= Jh) the administration.
The meanings of ^ shib^ come from the
uniting of A man and J^ the superior
official of government.
(W. 43 M.)

shih^

5^

ii*,

232
ch'iang^, Strong, firm, determined,

good read
;

chUian^, to fonse, to rob.


kun^, a bow, is the radical, the 57th, a picture.
As the character ch'iaagf^ was originally
-

'^

written ^, it meant a bow ^ that shoots


over two fields and their boundaries
cbiatig^, that is, a strong bow, and by-

extension, good, firm, determined.


Itard to write the

by ^, an

M chiang\was replaced
a bow and
when it falls on its

insect that bends like

springs into the air

back.

Being

Xv

changed to p was the head of

the insect.

^,

an insect, in the seal writing represents


a snake, probably the cobra, called huf^^.

ch'ving^

now

142nd radical
which
anciently
and used for
meant animals with legs, but now means
written

Jg.
|i

It is the

ch'titig^,

the smaller animals,


snails, insects.

233
p'en*,

as frogs,

worms,

(W, 110 B.)

tub, bowl, basin.

108th, a picture.
jj^ mia^, a dish, is the R., the
Zk /e\ to divide, is the phonetic. (See No. 181.)
231

^M

/iiS
"J^i^

ta*,

Husband, man, workman,


great, (in composition,, man)

is

the R., the

fn^, to
has a stroke added in
represent the pin 'in the hair used only
when, grown to manhood at the age of
twenty, the boy took a cap, and received
an honorable name as well as used a hair(W. 60J.)
pin.

37th.

235

&^

pin^,

It

cake, pastry.

ssu*^ to feed, to r^ar, is the


184th, of characters relating to
(SeeKo. 75.)
food.
P"'^' ^^^ ^^^^ represents two men marching
side by side, or on a level ff cb^ien\ therefore the meaning even, together, harmony.
ch^ien} is two poised scales, or shields side by

shiif,

to eat, food

R., the

3fp,

XT

5f*J*

Pin^

even, level.

side,

cooked grains

united

logical combination.'

236 -jfi^

J^

ho^,

A box or

dish,

is

phonetic, but

A form cakes ff

(W. 115 B.)

with a cover.

J1J[

m/n*, dish, is the R., the 108th.

^Afc

bo^,

A the mouth P join, unite. (See No.


103.) So ^ ho^ is a covered dish,join
the dish M and its cover.
hat", A child. ^ tzu^, is the R. (See No. 1.)
Shut

-&

'

J^

^^

hai* is pure phonetic

12th of the
twelve stems 10th of the horary cycle
9 to 11 P.M. The 10th month. It is said
to be a picture of the pig with tail added.
(W. 69 K.)
It is the

i.e.

238 __

p'an^,
HHfl',

paT^y

plate, tray.

dish

is

the R., the 108th.

To make a boat

move along by a

88

regular action

of the oars

so the de-

rived meanings of regular -way, manner,


equally. Plates resemble

'^,-^

jC.

A boat,

little

boats.

showing the high bow


the deck, compartments, rudder and an
oar.)
It is the 137th R. of characters relating to ships.
(W. 66 A.)
s^"' is the right hand x making a jerky
motion JL or a rhythmical motion, therj,
to kill, to strike. The 79th R. (See No.
(W. 22 A. D.)
71.)

chou^,

(picture

239

A board,

pan*,

4J)C

>1C /na*,

wood,

^^

To

fan*.

is

flattened

bamboo.

the R., the 75th.

turn* over,

A suggestive phonetic,
like

240

^^
Hj

/^ ^^
'

wood,

ten^,
chi^,

is

A stool

'

242

is flat

stool.

or bench.

stool, the

(See No. 22.)

This

16th radical

is

composed of
and

(picture)

*^^^ to ascend, advance, at once. This is


from the radical '/^ po* (See No. 214) to
ascend step by step, and a pedestal S tou*.
(W. 112 H.)
(See No. 105.)
tan*, But, only.

the R., the 75th.

241

j R.

as a board

a hand.

A long bench,

teng*,

>fC mu*,

(See No. 75.)

inversion.

A is the radical,

the 9th.

3. tan*, The morning, dawn, daylight. It reprejust above the horizon .


sents the sun
In fg. it is, of phonetic force only. It is one
of the few indicative characters.

chan\
rain*,

A classifier of lamps

a shallow cup.

dish, is the R., the 108th.

u
To

chien'

Thus

^.
ttng^,

ifi

a suggestive phonetic.

it is

A lamp,

narrow, small. (See No.


is a shallow cup
dish

A small

13),

243

destroj',

huo^, fire,

is the'R.,

the 86th.

(See No. 169.)

To ascend,

ten^*,

240.)
elevate

244 juzf

WB

a lamp

for

mao\ A

(See No. 214 and


a suggestive phonetic for to
fire ^/c is a good designation

This

to elevate.

is

M:.

hat, or head covering, to rush on,

rash.

B[

PI

a napkin, is the R., the 50th.


G| mao*, a hat, is the original writing for l|lg. It
is a n mao^ (to cover fj chiung^ something ) and indicating the head within.
The modem writers change 3 to [^ and
H so that it cannot be distingaished from
yueh without reference to the seal
\\l

chiti^,

character.

M, mi

act with the eye


a natural meianing for the
^ M #f &. (W. 34 J.)

^'^* ^o rush on, heedless, to

covered

character.

is

BA-LLiEE, liESSON IX.


249
chang-*,

pei*,

An

account, a

bill.

cowrie, precious, is the R.,

the 154th.

(See No. 38.)

^ chan^,

to grow, senior,

is

a phonetic and

the 168th R.

also

(See No. 131.)


long or growing
list of predojis
things M is a gg cbang*. The character
is a modern invention to take the place of

85

the radical M. beipg more appropriate


to the meaning than Ift.

il^,

246
'JJCi

^
-^

chao^.

To

sbott't

hand

Ao*,

pay a balance.

seek, to find, to

the R., the 64th.

is

(See No. 2 f^,

spear or halbiprd.

which the character must

be

from

distin-

guished.)

The seeking in mind Tay the inventors of


this character must have been a search for
an enemy, with spear

now

often used

:^ in

hand ^. It is
a man in the

for seeking

spirit of revenge.

24f

saaii*,

M* AV

To

reckon, calculate, to plan.

bamboo, is the radical, No. 118, because


the abacus, upon which mathematical cal-

chu^y

made

culations, are
often,

is

abacus, which
-H*_

p^

made

is

of

bamboo

primitive, a picture of the


is called

^S suan* p'aif.

The hands held up side by side as in


presenting anything to another person.

katjg^

Here it is the two hands f^ working on


the abacus g which is made of bamboo ^
means to cipher. (W. 47 G.)
and so
iV kaug^ is the 55th radical. In combina-

tion

^
248

249

/W^

|g^

^^

chieh*,

^^

modified in several

it is

tsan^

/\

m & ping^

To borrow,

to lend.

:*:

ways as
in

^ in

:g^ chii*

Jen"

is

and

the R.,

9th.

hsP Old, purely phonetic


rung". Brass.
No. 13.)

^ chin"

is

here, (See No. 222.)

the R., No. 167. (See

86

With; together, like. Phonetic. It is H


ma&' a cover fitted to the n mouth of a
vase, thus meaning agreement, union, to(W. 34 I.)
gether etc.

t'ttH^,

250

An animal's horn, a projecting

a
pod a dime, a quarter. It is the 148th
It is a picture of a striated horn
radical.
and is also said to be a combination of
strong yj /? and flesh 1^ joii*. (W. 142 B.)

chiao^,

J^. ^)

corner,

251

-lA
huan*,

To change about with

to exchange.

The R.

the hand, i-emove,

is 4*

i'^'^

shou', the

64th.

^;,

^ huatf To be on the watch

for,

to examine.

It

from two hands f\ (contracted to -jz)


and a contraction of
ch^iung^, w^hich is
is

A standing at the door of a cave

a man

'/Z

peering out g, with a stick in his


hand 4^==:^, that is, to watch, or examine.
hsiieh^,

means ]passing an object from


Thus
hand p to band ^ while examining it ^
to avoid deception in the exchange. It is
now^ written with another hand added as
a radical i%, the hand of the other man.

(W. 37 F.)

-^H

pu^,

:^

i\ clothes, is the R., the


fu

ffi.S

To reimir, to mend
To

begin,

to patch, to substitute.

145th. (See No. 51.)

great, just

now, an

honorific

and
governing a family, manhood, the age at
which an honorary name was given to a
man. Phonetic combination. (W 109 D.)

name.

It is capacity |g for founding

a?
y^i^g^, The ocean, foreign, European, vast.
j^
Y^
^ y ,7K
sAh?, water,
the radical, the 85th.
-,

is

"^^

ya.vg^,

a picture of a
and
tail.
The tail is often left off in combinations to make room. Phonetic combination.
(W. 103 A.)

ram

254

%%

sheep,

mad", Hair,

Ig*

fedd

,.

p'iao*,

:3^r?, JAi

plumage, (Picture). The 82nd


(W. 100 A.)

a ticket, a warrant, abankFor a mnemonic take " a bankbill

signal,

note.

1^1

***

It is

fur,

radical.

255

a goat.

seen from above with horns, legs

M revelation ^ ".

This

the R., the 113.

(See No.

is a'^Wegtem
untnie however.

shih\,a revelation,

is

is

^ is a

164.) Etymologically however the


modification of the seal writing of ik.
})l,

Chalfant PI.

shows a

gin of the character in a

fire

fir^,

beautiful ori-

^ with smoke

and manipulated by four


This was an ancient method of
signalling.
The seal writing of 100 A.D.
is explained as being an ignis fatuus
ik. kveP hud'', below is the fire %, on top^
the head and hands Efij and the line in the
rising from

hands

it

"

|==1.

&

middle
16.

is

the waist.

Compare

No.

(W. 50 0.)

256

rP,

/n

Market place, a market.


chin^, a handkerchief, is the R., the 50th (See
No. 143), a mistake etymologically. The
seal shows that it is a broad place n
chiung^ outside the town, overgrown with
sA/A*,

fjl

88

where people go to get 7


what they want. (W. 34 D.)
an open space a limit, is the 13th R.
chiung^,
P3
jt "jr chp, To reach to, to get. (W. 19 D.)
grass

257 ij^

chih^,

bottom.
the R., the 53rd. (See No.

Base, foundation, low, to settle

ti*,

J^

ik.

yetf a shed, hut,

is

132.)

^^ ^^

The

t?,

rest of the character is

a development

shih*, (See No. 8), a floating plant


of
that branches on the surfe.ce of the water
and sends a root down to the bottom^

A line is

added below to represent the bottom of the water. So the meaning to sink,
the bottom.
(W. 114 A.B.)
JK t? with the ^ yen^ radical means tlie
foundation, base, of a house etc. JB.

To

hao*,

cry out, an order, a signal

label

a mark,

honorary name.

y^, (^ bu^ tiger, is the R., the 141st. This is a picture representing the stripes on the tiger's

(W. 135 A.)

skin.

cb'iao^ Difficult breathing, sobbing.

sents the breath

obstacle

^, f^

^"*

(cf. rT

fighting against an

No. 152. )

The Shuo Wen

KWi^^.mn-^^b^M~mm.

says.

"2r bao*

It repre-

mouth P sending forth cries interrupted by sobs T- (W. 58 A, B.) -i'.Pffi'?


is

the

with feet like a man's Ji


jen^, added below.
This character enters
into sevferal compounds meaning cries,
clamor. Thus both sides of the | bao^

tiger, is /g hu^

mean

outcry..

89

259 ^rtt

^^

An

tin^.

ingot of silver.

c/iin\ metal, is the R., the

(S| ting*.

To

td

fix,

167th. (See No. 13.)

settle, certain, quiet.

It is

order jE chen^ (See No. 12) in the house


>^ mien^ (see No. 1) i.e. peace, quiet.
(W.

112 1.) An ingot of silver ^ is therefore


a fixed or certain ^ lump of metal ^.
260 AA>
fcB?

<'a*,

Rule, law,

J^,7K sbaP, water,

-^

cA'tf*,

To

is

model

means.

the R., the 85th.

go, to remove.

(See No. 7&.)

(See No. 67.)

The

far fetched mnemonic has been suggested " the law, or a model fi fa'^ is

intended to raise the moral


:?fC,

by removing

level,

as

w^^ater

^ vices."

Historically the aijcient character for ?i


fa^

was

written

which means

to adapt iE cheng* rightly, that

A
is

chp

law,

rule.

261

IJK
fv^

mst. Weights for money or goods, wharf.


shil^, stone, is the R., the 112th. (See No. 42.)
The seal writing
/na', horse, is the phonetic.

shows the head turned backwards, the


mane, legs and tail. It is the 187th R.
(W. 137 A.)
262

__ _

chisL,

^ ^yy
^
ffll,

The value of a

man

jexBy

chis^,

kt^

is
Pi.

thing, the price.

the R., the 9th.


shopman, as distinguished from a

travelling merchant

(^

^ sban^; from %, pei*

precious things under a canopy P5 hsia*.


A cover, a canopy. The 146th R., often

As/a*

confused with

ffi

hsi"

West.

(W. 41 C.)

90

263

J=^
"^^

,S^
C

yiiarr.

is

261

Head,

of zl, or

'

uijon

principal, origin.

and

_t,
Jc.

man

)[ijen^
)l,

made up
That which

It is

man.

the head.

^L is the

R.,

the 10th.

^
^L

pao^, A gem, a coin, precious, valuable.


*** miet^, house, is the R., the 40th..
(See No. 1.)
"05"

^^ ^^^

Earthenware vessels in general, the picture of a covered vessel the 121st R. (W.
130 C.)
pad', is to have 3E vu*, gems or jade,^-^ /ba*earthenware and ^ pel* money in the
house. These w^ere the ancient valuables.
(W. 130 D.)
;

^C

t'^'

265

yin\

Silver.

chin^ is the R., the

167th

(See

No. 13.)

,^

ien* anger, hard, firm,

No. 223.)
266

fp
1^

ipa

'

^C

t/ao*.

To

.&'oa^

mouth,

Silver

suspend, a
is

is

the phonetic.

(See

M is hard S metal ^.
string of

1000

cash.

the R., the 30th.

When written ^ it means^ to condole, and


^ Aufl^ bow is the R., the 57th. It is a
man A with a bow^ over his shoulder, coming to help keep the birds and beasts away
from the corpse which w^as exposed to rot.

Hence the meaning of to condole. The


Mongols still expose, but do not keep
aw^ay the beasts and birds. The meaning
to suspend comes from the fact that the

bow was

slung over the shoulder.

(W-

28 H.)
267

glj

fu*.

To

aid

a duplicate, an alternate, a

pair.

91

J} tao\

ftr^,

knife, is the R., the 18th.

abundance, happiness

and

tracted)

up

is

(See No. 37.)

from

t'icn^ fields

^ A-ao* (conthe heaping

of the products of the fields

ffl,

i.e.

abundance, prosperity g.
A knife 7J cuts off from ones abundant
stores m to help 11].
(W. 75 D.)
268

2p

p'itig-,

Free expansion on

level

all sides

plane, even,

tranquil.

"T" kati^, arms, crime, is the R., the 51st

This

110.)

the seal

(See No.

is arbitrary classification, foy

vyrriting

shows

it

to be

=f-

yiP, the

breath *7 hao* overcoming the obstacle


In'^
and spreading out freely above
the sjanbol
pa!" to divide, adds to the
idea of free expansion on both sides. (W.

58

F.)

BALLEE, LESSON

X.

269

ha^, The sea, an arm of the ocean lake, an


expanse, as a desert, ^, ;!fc shu^ is the R.,
the 85th. (See No. 79.)
;

'

-^,

meP, Each, eycrj. These are borrowed meanings, as originally it meant swarming,
being a combination of ^ or ;j c/z'e* a
mt^ mother.
sprout, and
This
is from -^ nii^ female, with
tnu^, Mother.
the breasts made prominent. (W. 67 O, P.)

.lt

^p

iu\ ouS

,
'

g
HJ'

All,

the whole

the capital.

i\ city, is the R., the 163rd, (See No, 11).


che^, Phrase, speech, document sign of end of
;

a paragraph after other parts of speech


This characit changes them into nouns.
;

'

92

was

tei-

invented to represent a connecmembers of a text above

tion between

two

are

crossed branches to represent the

preceding members in the middle a =&


tza*, from, represents the point already
arrived at, the starting point for what
follows and the "1 at the readr's right is
;

the continuation of the discourse. (W. 159

A,B.)
271

To

ho^,

kai*.

to shout.

is

the R., the 30th.

stranger or beggar

^.'^

mouth,

k'ot^,

ho^

drink

yiieh^, to

how
To

where ? why ?
a beggar.

beg,

272 ,At

-j^

=^

(W. 10

Ki.

ko*, Each,. every, all,

xS\

kou^ mouth,

is

speaks,
ask,

(W. 73 A.)

A wanderer ^ who
ja* a refuge L The ^

formerly stood at the side,


the

who
;

seeks to enter A.

lih

fisJ^Aai*

ask the w^ay or beg to

G.)

cf.

now

No. 145

various

apart.

the radical, the 30th.

sents a person following

it covers

^ cha*.

and

It repre-

calling

for

help,
ig. ko* means to go on ones way ^ without
heeding the calls n or advice of others
following, V, therefore, apart, separate,

each.

^w, ^

a^*>

To

love, delight in. ^6 hsin^ is the R., the

^.xi

c/ji*

formed of
ai* to love and
go slowly.
The upper part of the character ^ is
strangely contracted from 56 chi*, to

61st.

_^_

(W, 31 B.)

It is

suP^ to

93

breathe

The meaning

to swallow.

in,

comes from reversing

^,

to breathe out, to be lacking, as both


made up of and Jljen^, the
being
a reverse of ch'ien*. Both are synonyms
of
ch'i* breath.
is the 71st R. Joined

ch'ien*,

are

ai*.

with if^ it forms


To swallow
down

in one's heart jfi. to


take into one's heart, to love, kindness.
The radical
suP to walk is added to
;

form

at*,

primitively

as the radical

274

pan*.

is

To

exclusively

meaning to love. It suggests that


an outgoing virtue; (W. 99 E, F.)

in the

Move

meaning the same

^ but now used

exert ones strength

to manage, to

arrange.

fj

^,W

li*,

the R., the 19th, (See No. 212.)


Bitter, punishment, criminal, the 160th

strength,

hsiti^.

is

made up

No. 110.)
to offend, with two V dots indicating a
repeated offence, and -^=_t shang* a superior
that is an offence against a
superior
a crime brings punishment,
R. It

is

of

kati^ (see

bitterness.

lf#

pieti*,

Two

criminals facing and mutually ac-

cusing one another


(W. 102 H.)
tion.

When

the

li*

passionate recrimina-

strength of the

interposed between the


ing each other in court

official is

two parties accuswe have manage-

ment, to manage, to arrange, |^ or each


criminal in such a recrimination exerts all
his strength :fy.
;

94
^^^

^
ifJi

^^^'

stand a stage in a journey, 60 to


90 F.
/^'*' to stand is the R., the 117th.
(See No. 216).
jL,
standing on the
It is a picture of a man
ground. (W. 60 H.)
(5 chan^, to consult O the diviner [ is the pho(See No.
netic, chan* to seize, invade.
'

132.)
276

^'
k'ao\

To be dose

to; to mutually oppose,

to trust. It is from
kao* to
That
is
inform
and
feP'
not.
to intell,
form of non-agreement, i.e. to oppose,
and so to be opposite to, and then to
For
be next to, to rely on.
see
No. 203.
lean on

^,fln

^^^'

primitive with

two

sides opposite to

each other and so the abstract notion


opposition, negation, wrong, hot.

ot

It

gives j^ its meaning of opposition and the


idea of nearness is related to that of opposition, (note that the idea of opposition

in

is

It is the

also).

175th R. (W.

170 A.)
277
ts'aP,

TH

Adverb of time, now, present, just now.

ssij, mi*, is

the R., the 120th,

gnawing animals,

It is the pictures of

above
but
below

is

ch'ao*

two

rodents

fi|

"^

t'li*,

crafty.

the one

the one

is

hare. It

ting,

an animal -like the hare

larger, (a useless character)

iS

called

Ian* chiad' ssu^.

ch'arf rodents, or

lS

commonly

with

is

tail

picture of theihare squatperked up. (W. 106 C.)

96

278

nP, Interrogative and emphatic .particle, twit-

p|3
-^^

tering sound.

mouth, is the R., the 30th.


j^ 7^ nP, To stop; a nun; ni* near, familiar.
i'ou,

Phone-

tic force only.

It is formed of two|

seated

Jra" lESl

JH

^H*>

way

road, a

44th R.
(W. 26 F.)

pP.

fc

in contact, one

the

sbib^,

reversed,

men

;'a

and one

kind.

a picture of a foot at rest, the


tsu*
circle above indicating rest as opposed to
motion enough, full, pure. It is the R.
the 157th. (W. 112 B) cT. jh chilP sec
No. 10. Motion is expressed by .
ko\ Each. (See No. 272.)
The way
/u^ is that through which each
Ao* goes JS. tsu^ (W, 31 B.)
one

The

foot,

Jhi,

>< IC

J^nan^', Light, bright

honor, naked, smooth

the presence of a distinguished person.

Anciently

it

was twenty "b" fires ^.

modern form
fire

or torch

is

i'C.

The
bearing alofb a

a man JL
A- the R. (W. 24

J.)

ts'aPf Vegetables, herbs, greens, food, viands.


-/- dnli

/r\'

^s'ao^, is the R.,


ts'ai*.

To

the 140th.

pick flowers or

firuits

variegatied

The upper part is ^


cAaoS *the contracted modern form of flCV
the right hand prone or reaching down,

to gather objects.

the paws, claws. Normally at the top of


a character because of its meaning and
here

it is

above a

tree

;fc

meaning to pick

96

^ fruit from a tree

It is often written

jjc.

with a hand at the side ^.


radical

means the small

it

(W. 49 B.)
282
ch'P,

To

?|g.

a verb an auxidenoting the beginning and continuto begin

rise,

liary

With grass

vegetables,

after

ance of the action.


tsou', to walk, is the R., the 156th.

(See No.

"'

146.)

<

chP,

yang*,

283

rau*,

is

self,

the phonetic.

A pattern,

wood,

3R.

kind, model, manner.

the R., the 75th, as patterns

is

are often

(See No. 191.)

made

The

of wood.

character

has the same meaning and pronunciation


without the R.
yang*, A rising or unceasing flow of water
(same as
yun^ w^ith i^yang^ added
as phonetic) uniformity,, mod^, pattern,

tediousness.

^.

'iiC

y^^^j

is

284

JW^'

in

a
variation of 7jc shuP, adding foam and
ripples.
(W. 125 D.)
yatig", Sheep, (see No. 253).
(W, 103 A.)
thfe

^
^

unceasing flow of w^ater in veins

j'u^,

eai-th,

duration, perpetuity.

Fish, the

195th

parts of

fish.

R., relating to

It is

names and

body,

It is

fins, scales

picture of head,

and, tail.

The four dots

below stand not only for fire 3^ but also


for tail, and feet in % niao^ bird, ^ ma*
(W.
horse, ^, kao^ lamb
wei^ monkey.

142

A.)

'97

^^ '0^

y.

"S

JHan^ Steamed bread or dumplings.


sA//J^ food,

to eat, to

184th.

feed,

wa * Long. @|| resemljles


(See No. 130)

the R., the

is

(W. 26 M.)

(See No. 75).

closely

(W. 33

hooded heads

J.)

286

To grasp, to collect to push out, a


comb.
4^,^ shott\ hand is the R., the 64th.
f^,^|,^\ lan^, A dragon, imperial, glorious, the 212th
R., contracted from a picture of the
animal'. The modern form has on the
right a contraction of jH /eiS to fly or the
^y^
wings (picture of a crane flying W. 11 A.)
and on the left at the bottoin is ^ = ^ joa*
meat or body, and above it ^jr li*, said
to be a contraction of ^ t'utig^, slave boy,
as phonetic. This is probably an artificial
interpretation of a conventional modification of the picture. ' (W. 140 A.) JH is a
hand :^ on a dragon f|, able to grasp or
gather together legs, wings, tail and all.
lang^,

Phonetic.
287

To

a bundle to
sura up to unite to comprise, to manage
before a negative it makes a strong as-

isung',

collect

and

tie

up

in

sertion.
mi*, called

MW^ ^^^ cbiad' ssu\

is

the radical,

the 120th.

J>.^

ts'ung^

To feel alarm

excited, restless.

When

excited or restless, one

ones mind j6 is
looks anxiously through the

windows

j^

ch'uang^, and makes a forecast of pro-

98

bable outcome

288

40

D.)

To

tell,

now

written

W.

(W.

Phonetic combination.

^t^
su\

r/|

accuse.

jT

yen^, words, is the R.,

the 149th.

J^,J^,f^

To

attack; a modern abbreviation of


J^ to attack a man jfr i*, in liis house r
yetf to expel, to scold.
is said by the Shuo Wen to be =f- kan^, an
offence doubled, though not completely,
and so having the idea of repeated offence
as in
(W. 102 D.)
jen', See No. 139.
vJp su* is to attack J^ with words 3".

ch'ih*

5M

"^

1*

289 iy-t

^J

tmg

,
,

.1

nail

metal,

chin^,

ting

is

to nail.

the R., the

167tii, being the

material of which the nail

~r,

4<

No.

13.)

nail

ting\
t'u",

futile

ch'ih^ to
is

(sSee

with large head, (W. 57 A.)

To go on
]5rcntice

made.

is

foot

foot soldier

coinpanion

to banish.
walk, called

a low

disciple, ap-

fellow

onl\-,

shuang ^

1^ }^jea-,

the R. in the dictionaries, the 60th

but

originally it was
cho*, the character
being written ^. Later the jh chilf was
moved over under the . t'w* (See No. 10.)
To go
on the ground , is the etymo-

logy of

$^.

(W. 112E.)

291

^t'

shen\ The body, the trunk


al

R.,

ones

self; person-

pregnant the whole life ; the 158th


used in characters relating to the body.

The

seal

form

is

a human

figure with

;;

99

abdomen and one leg forward to


support the bodj' more firmly, or preserve
Large

the equiUbrimn.

Attention

is

character

turn

called to other
jctt^-

forms of the

jen^* erect

{j

pp, to

^ on the top of compounds

JL /\ the legs, at the bottom of compounds ; Jr jet^, leatiing or bent over; fc

over head, to change 7* r*


shih\ a seated man, a corpse
$ pao^,
a man leaning forward to enfold an object

/iHa* heels

apron -^ ta* man with arms


|J(.
forms of men moving on with hindrances of three forms. (W. Lessons 25-32

in his

54, 60, 61.)


292
t'P,

The body, the whole person a class or


the substance
body of officers etc.
respectable
a style of writing Chinese
;

characters, of which there are six.

*^,

"^

iu^,

bones
It is

is

the R., the 188th

^=^

a framework.

of skeleton ft kua^ and flesh


/oh* opposed to each other, (See 1^

k'en' No. 228.)

^i,

made up

S ^^ ^(W. 97 used
vessel

(W. 118 A.)

in sacrificing.

(See No. 164.)

B.)

293

yt^

^J^

tsen

How ? Why ?

j5 hsiii^ is the R.

For

-^

cha* see No. 145 and 271.

The

surprised ^p heart asks

how?

w:hA'^? ^,.

m
VOCABULARY
^SL

TI

OP BALLEE'S LESSONS.

yenP, Salt.

/u"

Rock

Radical No. 197.

Composed of

rude.

salt

iS=Bff

salt land

West and

^ij'

four grains of salt, as rock salt comes from

the West.
L,

chien^,

(See No. 26).

To watch, prison. The\S is a suggestive

phonetic (W. 82 F.) as the Chou Dynasty


(1122 to 255 B.C.) appointed- officers to

have control of salt and salt lands. The


chier} is E cWcri (see No. 120) and reclining man ^, which ineans to recline or bendover, and
"SL hsiieh, a vessel of blood.
jfJL

One explanation

of this phonetic is as fol-

lows an ancient times an oath was


taken by having the contracting parties
draw blood and an official watch it flow
together in a vessel. Wlien the radical for
salt fe,nd is added the idea is conveyed
:

that salt is w^atched over by those who


have been appointed to this work.
295

chal, Pig.

f\^^ .^

ch'iian^ Radical No. 94,

a dog.

a modem

character and is made


up of the above radical and
ch^, (See
No. 270) which is here a simple phonetic.

This

is

"^m
^,^ .^ ch'iiaif Radical No. 94 ;J,:^, a
Jp) chu*, or
.

AoaS

This

is

a sug-

dog guards by
a modern character.

gestive phonetic, as the


his barli.

dtig.

sentence, (See No. 80) is


101
.

;^L

+r
'

^ua*, To suspend; anxious; classifier of bridles.


shou\ Radical No. 64 hand.
Wf^ kua*. The # is a combination of M kuep,
sceptre, (Sec No. 161) and
pt^, (See No.
14-) and it means to divine or a diagram.
(W. 56- E.) ^ is said to represent an hexagram and thus it has no connection with

the jade sceptre, but as the writing of the

two

are identical,

it is

classed under scep-

^. If we suppose that the charts or


diagrams of the diviners were hung up
then we may regard this as a suggestive

tre

phonetic.

298 itB

ch'an^. To sing.
k'ou", Radical No. 30, mouth.
ch'ang^,

The phonetic;

The upper part


is

is

splendid; (W,

the sun and the lower

to speak, emanation.

The idea

the sun sends forth rays as the

puts forth words,


f^

A more

73 A).

is

that

mouth

suggestive jshonetic.

refined quality of voice

than

ordinary conversation.
299

a^

^^.

tsang". Dirty.

Radical No. 188, a bone. (See No. 292).


phonetsang*, to bury, is a suggestive

/fu',

tic.

What

a body

could be

more loathsome than

after mortification is well estab-

and the bones appearing? It is


composed of -* ts'ao^ grass, (See No. 40)
and JE sztiP, to die, which is composed of
^' ^^^' calamity and A jeif, man the
calamitv which comes to all men
lished

fill

302

(W. 26 H.) The present writhi^


of man in this part of the phonetic is unfortunate as it has but slight resemblance
to X- Beneath is :fl- a contraction of
grass. The dead were tied up in a reed
death.

HBji

mat
300

B
c/^'^^

^ -^

raa,'^

To

The

$!?.

is the

ride horseback

rope.

to sit astride.

Radical No. 187, a horse. (See No. 261).


The phonetic; (See No. 54) wonderiul,
strange. This phonetic is also used in the

cA'i^

character for chair.

A chair

^ is used for

a horse, one sits


on the horse as he would sit on a
chaii-, and in the character for riding 1^
radical 7|c, wood, is replaced by the horse
There are not a few cllaracters
radical.
that have a similarity of action that are
formed as the above by a change of

sitting

on

in

riding

radical.
301

^^

eh'mn^. Poor, thoroughly exhausted.


a cave. (See No. 97).
Caves are used bj"- those who are reditced

*/^ hsiieh*, Radical No. 116,

to the last extremity.

Jg;

phonetic, (W. 9a t) to bend


H kung',bod3'Theforward
and cause the vertebrae
;

to stand

ptit.

the

The character was formerly

g /ti* on the tight, but


a bow has been substituted for
the back bone. This is not a bad com-

written with

^
JiP

kung'^,

bination to stand for poor.

^i^

RH

k'ung^,

9i

Empty,

leisure

the firmament.

hsueh-*. Radical No. 116, a.cave (See No. 97).

103

The phonetic

nr. /vun^V,

is

labor, (See No. 89).

This character may have been originality


used for caves made b}' man; a place made

empty by

X labor.

(W. 82 A.)

303

Thread.

hsien*^.

7j^

mi\ Radical No. 120 but


chiao^ ssu^

silk.

The phonetic

is

^M ^

strands of
ssu',

To

die

called lan*^

chiet^ small,
is

made

narrow.
of mintite

silk.

death firm closed.


No. 78, bones fallen apart
bad, perverse.
;

Radical

tai^.

death
Ij jerr,

Thread

(See No. 13).

304

common^

(See No. 8).

Man
This

inverted.
is

an old character which came into


and phonetics

existence before radicals

were adopted, hence when we say that


the radical is "^F taP there is no discrepancy, but when we say that the phonetic is X /eB'* it is a misnomer as \ has
(See No.
no phonetic value. ( W. 26 H )
299). Death JE is the calamity ij that
comes to man ^
.

305
chet},

it

^ chm\
^

a pin, a probe.
Radical No. 167., gold, metal.
needle,

(See No.

13).

cher^, is the correct writing of this character,


but if- cheri^ is shortei' and is very often

used.

^. j|

The phonetic of the correct writing is


to bite, to wound with the mouth. ^
with
hsu" is to wound with a weapon

hsiet^,

jrJc

104

the addition of

A'ou' to the above, the

means to wound bj' biting. (W.


The needle takes up as it were,

character

71 P.)
little

mouthftiUs of cloth as

way along. There is


short way of writing this

if

biting

its

no etymology for the

306 _

character.

xnan\ Full

7K ^

complete

pride

Manchu

people.

shuP, Radical No. 85, water. (See No. 79).


equality, equilibrium,
man^ The phonetic, is

(W. 35. M.) The scale pans M are even


when the water is even with the brim of
the vessel, then it is full. (See No. 35).
The upper part of this phonetic is, b\some, supposed to be horns, to indicate
equality, as the
similar.

beam

By others

it is

which indicates

pans are
367

two hornS

are apt to be

supposed to be a
the two' scale

when

level.

tt
cAi'S

'^

Chicken.

chui Radical 1^2, a short tailed bird.

(Sec

No. 21).
niao", Radical 196,

a long

tailed, bird.

The phonetic is H hsP, a woman condemned to spinning in. official prisons.


The top is fll chao^, hand the center of
;

the character

is

the lower part

is

iz ta*,.

contracted, and

an

adult.

Some

was not ic ta* originally but


lower part of ^, and the 4* was
changed to ic ta\
The hand working at
spinning, a spinster. These women were
condemned to this work, and consequently
got no benefit from their labor.
The
think thatit

f^

silk,

/h the

103
Ijulk of the eggs that chickens lay
goes to their owners, thus the appropri(W. 92, C.)
ateness of this phonetic.

great

308
Vieti',

Iron.

yK chm\ Radical 167, gold or metal.


!^& ^^ it'c/j' The phonetic to scrape, to
;

(See No. 13).


pick.

This comes from _ ch'eng^, to speak P


while standing at one's post z with the
addition of i^ ko^ it. is read tieb*, to notify
in a menacing manner with the addition
of :fc ta* man, now reduced to -+- shih^ it
means to scrape or pick or stab. The
metal with which one can scrape or stab
best is iron, hence the appropriateness of
;

the phonetic.
'Bnu,

^R

(W. 81. H).

cVin^, near, a relative

Mi

chien*,

chen^,

Radical 147

The

phonetic,

self.

to see

now

perceive.

reduced to

hazel.

Hazel shrubs grow in clumps, this charac,ter is used for those persons which one
sees

constantly

family, relatives.

B^^ IPl
*-

those

in

the

same

(W. 102 H.).

kuan^, An official, public.


mietf Radical 40, a roof.

(See No. 1).

an old character w^hich does not

This is
conform to rules governing phonetics. The
lower part of the character is ^ tui^, terThe f^* hall of the
races, ramparts, city.

city.

It originally referred to the resi-

dence of the official who governed a city.


Now it stands for the officer. (W. 86. C*).

The top

stroke

is left

oflffrom the

||.

106
311

^g

tai*,

J^

ko^,

To wear, as hat or spectacles, to bear.


Radical 62, a spear. (See No. 2).
This is an old character and the radical
and phonetic are

not separable.

The

ts^aP,

foundation of the character

is

damage with a spear. The + shiti^


a contraction of ^ saP, property or
matei'ials
(W. 71. H.), to plunder with
to do

is

the use of weapons.


,

i\

To

(W. 47. R.). The m


a modification of ^ /u*, devil's
head, but here used for the earnest money
w^hich is placed on a table 7C wu*, hands*,
f^ are represented as pushing the money
away, it is not acceptable. The character
After a place is plunW. is explained thus.
dered the marauders divide the spoils
accoi-ding to the number of men, the
disagree, different.

fietf

is

articles

are placed in order, one by one


piles thus the idea of plac-

on the several

ing on, as the hat

placed on the head

is

is.

conveyed.
312
feng^,

^^
1^

To sew

ieng*,

mi\ Radical 120,

a crack, seam.
(See No. 8).

silk.

The phonetic, means to pick ones way (to


walk slowly) ^ through ^ &n^, brushwood, to meet. (W. 97. A.). The i_ cho^

feng^,

^ suiVconve3's the idea

a i-edundancy, as
of walking. When

is

silk is

added to

this

that this silk thread,


threads its way through the cloth as a
man picks his way through brushwood.

phonetic the idea

is

107

313

<^

^*, Rich, abundant, wealth.


*^* mien- Radical
40,

iu^,

a roof. (See No. 1).


This phonetic seems to be a contraction
of ^ kao^ on IH t'ieii^. The meaning is
that the products of the IH t'ien^, field arc
piled high,
kao^, under cover ,w mieti'
abundance. (W. 75. D).
(See 267.)/

314

315

ken^,

root, origin,

a base, as of a

>t^ ma*. Radical 75, wood.


Ae* Phonetic perverse.

VE
^g
{y, K'^

wall.

(See 223).

Wood added to

this jihonetic is the char-

acter for root.


the ground.

The root

ching*. Clean, pure

is

to cleanse

firmly fixed in

only.

Y' 7J^ sbuP, Radical 85, water.


The phonetic is
cheag\ to pull in differ-

ent

The upper
chao^ the lower part is a ^ hand

directions,

to contend.

part is
holding a stick, the two hands are pulling
the stick in opposite directions. (W. 49.
In order to cleanse an article, it
D.).
must go through what appears to be an
active struggle with water.
;iv.

Ao^Ariver.

jSf

sbui^.

-pT k'o;'

Radical 85, water.


(See 54).

The idea of

this phonetic is that tlie

breath leaves

The
the
tion.

phonetic.

mouth without meeting obstrucWith the addition of j' the idea is

that the current is unobstructed, a river


flows, but the water of a jjond is hemmed
in on all sides.


108

317

.^ 31

>v>

la

I.M

/S Father.

This

character

The

seal character

the

is
is'

88th

radical
hand holding a

hand which wields authority.


The modern writing failed in bringing out
this idea (W. 43 G.)
rod, the

318 ..

Frame, staging, a rads, to support.


yfC Ju*, Radical 75, wood.
hn chja*, Phonetic to add to. To- add M muscle
Muscle is
:fj to persuasion fcl, violence.
chia*,

iJ

J'*,

(W. 53.
this

k'ou'^,

D.).

phonetic

indicates

When wood
it

a command.

* is

added to

indicates that this

is

frame on w^hich articles can be added.


319

Hang*,

classifier

of

carriag^Sj

a.

pair

of

wheels, the important part of a cart.

cAV, Radical 159, a


"jSa

liatig^,

The

cart,

a barrow:.

phonetic, two, (See No. 35.).

an appropriate phonetic as the


two wheels of a cart should be a pair,
equal in size. With the addition of the
This

is

cart radical the numerative of carts

is

completed.
320

donkey.
md', Radical 187, ahorse. (See No. 261).
This phonetic
lu^ The phonetic; a hound.
might have been selected as a donkey

lu',

small and

not very different in size


a
large
from
hound. This phonetic also
means a vessel or pan. It is from ;&
hu^ and ft tzv^ a vase. This is now made
like EB t'/enS a field, but it has nothing in

is

109

common with

it.

a redundancy.

is

added later,
(W. 135. D.) and

ELaiitf,

(W. 150 A).


32^

ctien^,

To

ride,

to mount, to drive.

Radical 4, a stroke to the left.


This is a character which does not divide

p'ieh},

and phonetic. It is a picrepresentation of a war chariot in

into radical
torial

the seal writing (^'. 31. E.)

4b=^

ch'uaif

represents men sitting" baifek to back.

The
an awning over the men. A
good symbol for riding or mounting.

chariot has
322
cbiad*,

sedan, chair.

cAV, Radical 159, a


i,

cart,

a barrow.

something high, as a

tree,

the top of which bends forwards.


75. B.). It is composed of

^W.

ch'iao^.

Phonetic

a man bending
his head forward getting ready to jump.
ch'iad' is the phonetic in
(W. 61 B.).
bridge, i^ and as a sedan chair when
carried looks like a moving bridge, this

X. y^<^y ^^^

kao^.

Yao^ 5c

is

may

be the reason for using this phonetic


in sedan chair.

BALLEE, LESSON
iij, l\U

pP,

XI.

To compare.
This character is radical No. 81.
Two men standing together as if comparing heights.

324

^^, 1^

chP,

To

(W, 27.

1.).

reach to, to come up

to.

110

yu*, Radical 29, the right hand.

The part of

which is not
When the
man.
A ie^-,
radical is added it indicates that a hand
has caught up with the man aiid has laid
hold of him.
(W. 19. D.). This character has no connection with Ji naP, but.
the radical

iR,ff^

;-,

this character

is

Like^as.

]5f nu*, Radical 38, a woman.


r| k'ou^, mouth, is the phonetic.

(W. 67. D).

woman

-ic,

(See No. 10.).

To speak p

that

Jc'ot^,

like

appropriately to the

is,

circumstances.
326

n^

A bird's bill,

tsuP,

tS'

J^

the mouth.

r
Fou", Radical 30, the mouth,
tsuP The phonetic is
tsuP, egret of 3. heron.
(W. 142 B.). jtfc this
horn, with the
radical P A'oa" is a bill, or inouth.

327

iCa

p'ao*,

To

soak, a blister.

sAaP, Radica,l 85, water.


(^ pao', The phonetic to

^,7K

wrap up

primitive

With Water added

to this we have, water wrapped up, a


blister (W 54. B.).
meaning

^gestation.

328

paP,

^^
J

"1

f^

To

place, to put, to spread out.

shou'\ Radical 64, the hand.


pa*, Phonetic,

wang^, an

law

an

nen^, acble and ^


taken in the net of the

officer

officer

to discharge.

With the addition

of

hand, which usually indicates that the


character is used as a verb, the idea of

Ill

placing articles in order is conveyed, for in


securing the dismissal of an officer one

must
is

here the hand

setting articles in their proper position".

For
329

set forth the evidence

fig

See No. 357.

_^
yiieh*, to exceed.

tsou^, Radical 156, to walk.

^^

The phonetic a lance :^ ko^ with a


hook >.
(W. 71. L.). jS yiieh is a
halberd with an additional hook thus
something extra is itiferred. With the

yiieh*

addition of the above I'adical

it

forms the

character for exceed.


330

fn,^

Harmony

with.
Radical
k'ou^,
30, the mouth.
grain and mouth are adapted
ho^. Phonetic
one to the other, hence the meaning of
Ao*,

harmony.
331
tsai*, Sin,

pit |j^

crime.

wang% Radical 122, a net.


With the addition of
ife?, Phonetic, not right.
wanj^ the idea

that transcaught in the net of


the law and it is called sin. This charactsui*, (W. 102.
ter was formerly w^ritten
p5q

gression

/ei\

is convej'-ed

is

H.).

malicious scribe substituted the

character M. huang^ for this character and


the Emperor Ch'in-sliih-huang forthwith

changed the writing of tsui* by Imperial


decree to its present form and tabooed the
former writins:-

112

332

jh^

To

pei\

ing
/\,^,y\

^ -^

increase, fold, times.

was

jen\ Radical

The

a speaker short by
(W. 133.

in his speech,

older writing

mouth and a

k'ou'',

chu^,

cut

him

interrrupting

mean-

a man.

9,

t'on' Phonetic, to

A).

Original

to rebel.

which

is

fi^

pu^ above
on*' top

>f

stroke

said to. represent expression

The present meaning of the

of contempt.

character

is

little

seems to have been given

it

without et3'mological reason.


333

agg
cho', or chao-, Kight, to just hit, after

a verb

the sign of the success of the action.

yatig^, Radical 123, sheep.

This

is

a modern character and it is


^ The phonetic

written in several .ways.

which can best be explained


che^,

is

This SA'mbol.was invented to represent the


clauses of a sentence
nected, the

on

which

w^ere being con-

tzu* is the central

either side are branches or

part and

arms

w^hich

take hold of the clauses and bring them


together.

(W. 159 B.)

331
hsiatig*, Like, resembling,

yS^,-^

jen',

an image of a man,

Radical 9, man.

This
representing the animal.

hsiang*, Phonetic, elephant.


tive,

is

a primi-

On

top

is

the trunk, then are the tusks; the body


legs, and tail make up the rest of the character.

(W. 69.

L.).

It is difficult to ex-

113

plain

why

this

symbol should* have been

taken for an image.


335

To

kai*.

^'.W
'^,^

cover, a cover; to build.

ts'ao\ Radical, No. 140, grass.


^^^ Phonetic a dish filled and covered why
not ? With the addition of
the character is used for the roof or any cover.
;

The

ifiili

ts'ao^, indicates

character

was

thatched.

(W. 38. G.)

that where

ithis

housed

were

coined,

'

336

ffi

To

cAuS

,\j^n^

"i

^^

dwell, to stop.

Radical No.

"

''

a man.
cAu\ Phonetic, a lamp with the flame rising.
(W. 83. D.). By extension, a man who
9,

sheds forth light. (See No. 210). With


the addition of the radical, the character

stands

was

^s

-wu^,

p*

shih^,

ac

<^'^'^*i

if

the inference

those

are those
337 |=i

to dwell, as

for,

who can enli^ten others


who have a permanent abode.

room, a house.

Radical No. 44, a corpse, is the usual


definition of this rad., but a person lying
or sitting down is a better explanation.

This is an old
called phohelic has

Phonetic, to s^rrive at.

character and

no phonetic

what

use.

is

The

represents a bird

on the earth thus a room


a place where a person can come and
recline.
(W. 32A, G.). (See No. 38.)

just alighting
is

333
tK,

Vw

szu*,
yen".

Resembling.
Radical No. 9, a man.

114

This is a very ancient character


supposed to represent the breath
leaving the niouth without obstrnction
as from asthma or other impediment.
(W. 85 F). With the ad(See No. 121)
dition of
the idea is conveyed that the
man has the same hmg capacity as the

ni f Phonetic.

and

is

normal individual.
339

Reason, iDrinciple.
yu\ Radical No. 96, a geni.
IP,

3i

aB

IP,

(See No. 124).


Phonetic, the smallest countrj"- village. It

composed of EH t'ieir and . t'tP, tillable


(W. 149 D.). This is the 166th
(cf. No. 82).
radical,
With the addition
of the 3i the idea is conveyed that a gem
must be cut according to fixed rules just
as a field has to be divided into furrows
is

land.

in order

"

^^

that

it

may

be of greatest use.

pa*. Cloth, cotton cloth.


rjl

chin\ Radical No. 50, a napkin. (See No. 143).


This phonetic is not refa*, Phonetic, father.
cognizable in the

modem writing,

but

it is

(W. 35 C).
but some
think that it implies oyder. In weaving one must proceed according to a

distinct in the seal writing.

probabl3'' purely i)honetic,

3C is

fixed

order.

The material used

bj'^

the

was a kind of linen or flax. Cota modern development. Fu* 5C is


*
the 88th radical. (See No. 317).

ancients

ton

341

fang^,

hu*,

is

house.

Radical No. 63,

door,

a window (No.

5).

X15

^ in

H> ^ang^, Phonetic, a square.

a suggesor rooms
aie nearly square.
A thing which is
squax-e and has doors and windows is a
hoiise.. For :^ fang" see No. 14,7 (W. 117
tivc phonetic as

A.)

it is

This

most

is

hoiises,

the 70l;h radical.

342 g&l,

^.

343

Thanks, to thank.
Sj- jea^ Radical No. 149, word. (See No. 10).
^1. *^ she*. Phonetic, to throw out to shoot, as an
arrow, against someone ^.
See the
oldest form. CombineiS with the rad., ^,
the idea is to throw out words of thanks.
(W. 131. D).

_^

hsieh*,

__

^
?,

iaa*.

To

drive, to hurry, to strive for.

tsou*. Radical No. 156, to walk. (See No. 146).


S. han*, Phonetic, droughth, rainless, dry. This
kan^, (supposed to \?e a
is composed of
pestle, thus by extension to grind, to
offend), and B jih*; with the addition of
jih^, the fierce effects =p of the sun are set

(W. 102 A).

When

the radical :^
is added, fthe idea of driving or hurrying is
convej'^ed.
The sun is the signal which
forth.

sets the Orient to

P^

tsan*,

g yen^
m
f.

To commend,

work.

to praise.

Radical No. 149, word. (See No. 10).


shen\
(W. 79 B.). From
tsan*, Phonetic.
to advance in order to make a statement
pei*, money to come forward with
and

a present, to aid. When the above radical


is added the idea of commending is given.

IIG

345 -^1^

^
^

^
4^

meP, Beautiful, excellent.


yac^,vRadical, No. 123, a
ta*,

(See 253).

slieep.

Phonetic, large,"but originally

it

meant a

(W. 103 A). A man who has the


disposition of a sheep, mild and gentle.

man.
346

^
^^
JiL

'

s/h'AS

song or hymn.

j'esS Radical No. 149,

a word.

(See No. 10).

ssu^ Phonetic, a court or temple. (W. 79 B.).


The place where the law -*f is pfdlniilgated.
continually

(See

No.

125).

The

upper part is ili, cbih^, a small plant issuing from the ground, conveying the idea
of development or progress
something
which is continual. With the addition of
the radical M it stands for prolonged
words, a song. The words from the
throne should be as music in the ears of
;

the people.

EAL1.ee, liESSON XII.

Z&

mm

nan', South.

-p

(See No. 47).


shih\ Radical No. 24, ten.
This character cannot be broken tip into
a radical and a phonetic as it is an old

sjTnbol for south or the place of

luxuriant

The

vegetation.

Jen",

the

and the
boundaries
vegetation forces its way over them by
constant growth += f. (W. 79 G).
of-

'"*,jiR

a place or

fj are

peP, North.
pr*. Radical No. 21, a spoon

field

inverted man.

117

This is another chatacter which cannot be


reduced to a radical and phqneticf (W.

27

G.).-

It represents two'

men stand-

ing back to back in the seal writing compare **> ts'ang^ to follow. The custom of
the Chinese is to face the south, therefore
the back is toward the north.
;

319
chih-. Straight.

@
-p

mu\

Radical No. 109, the eye. (See No. 102).


shih\ Phonetic, ten.
(W. 10 K.). What ten
eyes declare to be without deviation l

must be

"^mM.

wang^,

straight.

(See No. 99).

To go towards, towards.

-< cA'/A* Radical No. 60, to

^^

step'' with left foot.


wang^ Phonetic, luxuriant vegetation which
springs from the earth in tufts here and
there rambling, (W. 79 D.). With the
addition of the radical it means to strax'
;

or roam about.
This phonetic has nothing in common
chtt a lord or w^ith
wang^ a
with
piinceIn its modern writing it is confusing as it is not always written the same

w^ay.

^ A'aaafg^, a mad dog comes from

this phonetic,

but the top dot

is

left off.

This is a suggestive phonetic in Jfl as a mad


dog wanders about aimlessly. The idea
of aimless is suggested as these tufts of
-vegetation spring up without regard to
order.
351

^|i

/r.

To

leave, to separate

from, distant from.

118
<

fi^

^. ^

chaP Radical No. 172, a short-tailed

bird.

(No. 21).
it',

yak or

Phonetic, a

elk.

(W. 23 E).

phonetic plus the above radical

was

Thi.s

for-

merly used for the Chinese oriole, a verjbeautifitl yellow bird


now called ^
haatig^ Ir. According to Kuei Shih Shuo
Wen, when this bird was heard or seen in

the spring,

it

was

the

summons

for the

unmarried daughters to leave the parental


roof for the home of their future husbands. Thus the idea of " to leave " at-

tached

itseif

to the character, and another

^character ;.Yas adopted for the bird.

2^1,

cfi'a*,

~r

To

diifer

disci'epanc^'.

Radical No. 48, work. This is doing


violence to the construction of the character to^say that
kun^ is the rad., as the
is only a part of : tso^, left hand.
(No

kting^,

89).

^,^,

/vfe

ch'ur, Phonetic,

to

(See No. 387).


This chtiracter

changes.

hang down, (W. 13

E.).

has undergone many


The oldest form is f^ (W. 46

The right and left hand are not


working in unison, one is directed upward
and the other downward. The idea of
the present writing is that the left hand is
hanging down, not doing its. -part, thus

C).

there
^^^

is

a discrepancy.

cA'uanS A boat.
chou\ Radical No. 137, a boat.

(See No. 108).

119

\^

/fl j'e"

Phonetic, the ravines in the niiountains

through which thd torre'nts flow. (W. IS


IJ.).
Tuaii Shih Shuo Wen gives a bfcttcr
expUiiiation.
He says that th phonetic is
?& _vei2"S a coast thus wc wibulcl have this
character taking the place of our English
word, coaster, as the Chinese did not
build boats for crossing the oceans, a
;

coaster w^as their largest vessel.

have

tried

SoniQ

to prove that this character

knew about
made up of a boat and
Pa^ P k'oti^. This is

indicates that the Chinese

Noah's ark as

it is

eight persons.

only useful to aid in remembering how- to


write the character, as it is of modern
construction, not

agolong
354

A^^ i^

chiaiig\

7K.

much over

2000' yeai's

after the deluge.

large river.

shuP, Radical No. 85, water.


kdng^, Phonetic, labour.

(See No. 79).

This phonetic

may

have originally been


ktwg'' tribute. The
Yang Tzu Chiang was the river which
bore the tribute from the nine chou, iLW
For(nine ]5rovinces) to the Emjieror.
merh'^ official documents were carved on
tortoise shell

was

limited in

sionall3'

account
*

and the material apparently


quantity, so that

occa-

characters were abbreviated on

of lack

of space.

viation of a character in

An abbre-

an,_ official

docu-

ment was a i^reeedent fbr all time and some


characters have thus been changed so that

120

355

it is difficult

their present construction.

chuan^, To pack, to

fill, to pretend.
Radical No. 145, clothes. (See No. 51).
The idea of
chuang-*. Phonetic, a stout man.
!tt,tt
stout is obtained from j:\ ch'iang^. (See

i\

The

No. 84).

As
;!!.'

and as

was

officers

are

office, there

.,

shih* is

this character

officer

'

-i:

man.

(See No.

(W. 127 B.)

69).

to find an explanation for

/
'

early used for an

wore

many

their robes of

characters which

have the abovfe phonetic whose meaning


has to do with appearance. Thus when

f; r

the radical for clothing


is

to pretend to be

added, the idea


one is not, or to

is

what

fill full.

7^

yuan

i^ cho\
^^-^
^^1

Distant.

Radical No. 162, to go.


(See No. 10).
a long robe. (See No. 51).

j^uan* Phonetic,

{W. 16

L.).

There

is

evidence that this

character has been changed from the original writing and the -present writing is

not explained. If one remembers when


going on a long journey long clothes are

worn

it

may

assist in recalling the

make

up of the character.
357

^^

3(^ ;h

W.IfI

iieng', Able.

jou*.

Radical No. 130, meat. (See No. 133).


This character refuses to be broken up
into radical and phonetic, it formerly

meant the

" large

brown bear," and

be-

121

cause of his great strength he was considered extremely able. This indicates that

a slang word has been incorporated

into

the language as the correct expression for


able.
(W. 27 ].). The character is explained thus

and
358

Jj,

time or place.

L, cho* Radical No. 162, to go (See No. 10).


fA c/hb', Phonetic, ax, battle ax; catty. A picture
of the axhead.

was used

It

of 16 dunces or cattj^

The character seems

way for a w^arrior


battle),

luh^,

To

cA'e',

with

revolve

Radical

for

a weight*

(W. 128 A).

to suggest the proper

to advance, (to

go to

ax in his hand, i.e.


and jg far have this K.

his battle

Both near

near.
359

the body,

the head.

chin*, Near, in

J^

two g paws, ^

a wheel.
159 a

No.

cart,

a barrow.

(No. 136).
lan^ Phonetic,
l^er orri er

a bundle

"(

A of documents in pro-

W. 1 4 G. )

With the addi-

tion of the above radical the idea of oi'der

is

must have the spokes


arranged properly. The ancient documents were engraved on bamboo slips and
tied together, as shown in the seal w^riting,
retained as

w^heel

consequently the phonetic


360
IP,

is

suggestive.

Plums baggage.
;

(See No. 22).


;ijC wu*. Radical No. 75, wood.
jv^ tzu^. Phonetic, son. Kang Hsi's dictionary
affirms that, owing to the plum being verj^
prolific, it

was

represented

by wood and

1-22

son the character son is here r-/^rosent


ing the fruit on the tree. When travelling
ones baggage should stick to him as un;

ripe fruit clings to the tree.

sometimes referred to as

Pupils are

peaches

and

plums,they are unripe fruit receiving


their development from the teacher.
361
/c*,

yV,

f^
^

Jcn^f

To

hire,

to engage.

Radical No. 9

man.

This character is written


in two ways, with and without the radical for man and it has the same meaning.
The upper part of the phonetic is ^ An*

ku*, I'honetic, to hire.

..the

63

rad.,

Ji

door,

The lower part

famil3',

farmer.

chuP; a short tailed


bird, the 172ndFradical.
A logical interis jg

pretation of the combination of these two


radicals

would

be, the farmer's bird.

In

ancient times there were nine kinds of


birds called

ku*.

these M. ku*, on
tions

was regarded as

mencing certain

when
it

The arrival of each

the quail

set

the

of

their migratorj-- expedi-

the sign for com-

lines of

was

husbandry. Thus

seen in early

farmers to

summer

harvesting their

when wild geese appeared in the


fall,
the crops must be gathered in.
Thus the character means to set a person
to work. Shuo Wen. (cf. W. 129 A.).
wheat

362
ching^, Classic

^
^

books

to pass through

al-

ready.

mi\ Radical No. 120,

silk.

'

ching^ Phonetic, the watercourses < under the

'

128

ground .
.

.><

(W. 12. H.) These wateicourses are of first importance in the


mind of the geoinancar, hence this phonetic

enters irtto the composition of nian>(See No.

characters.

addition of the

With the

136).

stood for

silk radical it

the warp, the long threg.ds in a piece of


cloth.
These threads were vei'j' import-

ant in Chinese

civilization.

In

^ chitig'

the neck, because the courses of the veins

were
363

Hi

visible, this

phonetic

was

itsed.

shuil\ F'avorable, prosperous.


veh^. Radical

No. 181

head

leaf of

a book.

(Sec No. 105).


,

/l|,

a large \iver formed 1>y the


junction of several others. Perhaps the
when affairs
idea of this combination is
flow in a current which is in accordance
with ones head or wishes, H. it is tlien
(W. 12 E).
favourable.

ch'it;in\ Phonetic,

364
/v'o',

A'isitor,

traveler.

mien- Radical No. 40 a roof

i,#

/co-'"-^,

365

V^

(Sec No. 1).

all.
(\Y. 31 B).
can have a roof over

Phonetic, each, everj',


place where all

their heads.

^ k'o*.

Such an individual

is

called

(See No. 272).

kua^. To. blow.


J||r

^23

^^

fen^, Radical No. 182 the wind. Insects *


are bom under the influence of wind or
;

vapor
she',

-V

(W. 21 B).

(See No. 73).


Phonetic, the tongue.
character
and is not
This is a modern

124

found in the Shuo Wen. The combination


would suggest that the character was
coined for a blustering wind which licked
up the dust as if by a tongue.

366^

shou\ To receive, to gather together.

^, J^

367

No. 66; to tap, to rap. (See No.17)Phonetic, tendrils. This is a primitive

P'ti\ Radici^l

chiu^

which was formerly used alone, but in the


rearranging of characters a radical had to
be written with it, as the primitive is not
one of the radicals. The clinging of tendrils is a very suggestive symbol for the
above meaning. (W. 54 F.).

^
^

^^n
,

sbih^,

to pick up

ten.

shou^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

Ao^

'J

Phonetic, with.
(See No. 103). The
phonetic seems to have no phonetic value
in

this character,

but

article

indicates that

the hand and

come together.

BAIiLER, LESSON XIIT.

*^

368

it

when

things are picked up

ehang*,

/',

measure of ten

Radical No.

feet.

1, one.

This is an old character and it was composed of the right hand ^%yu*, holding
369

^ ^3

shih^, ten, (a ten foot pole).

;g5;

^3i

1^

Lightning, electricity.
Radical
No. 173, rain. (See No. 61).
yu*.
H sAenS Phonetic, Chalfant says that this was a
representation of lightning which eventien*.

"

123
ttially

became the sign

fof

"

combination of the radical


the sj'nibol for lightning

is

370

npt an incon-

Nd

227).

an essay.
(See No. 10).
j'enS Radical-No. 149, a word.
Phonetic,
/uM"^
documents
assembled
in order.
y&^
BB
(See No. 359). With the addition of the
above radical the idea is conveyed of

^
^^
W;

To

rain arid

foi-

(See

sistent sign for electricitj'.

The

deit:^-."

iuS

discuss

setting statements in order so that the

thought is made

^^

Wa

(W. 14 G).

lucid.

^^' instead of.


yijeh^, Radical No. 73, to speak.
*'^''

idea of this radical

was

issuing from the mouth.

The phonetic of

original

to depict a

word

(See No. 9).

this character

has no

was originally two


by side, but it was
jJ: li*
afterwards changed to two ^ fu^ characters, and the lower part^was g tzu, ^ thus
the idea was that the first man ^ li* could

phonetic value.

,..;,;

The

It

characters side

not do something, but the second


just as
self

60
^^^

1*6

P*^*'
i[

il>
tfi

373

jm^

To

the

if

@.

first

Both

j5c

man had

and

did

//

it

himmean man. (W.


clone it

L.).

tear

lest.

hsm\ Radical No. 61. heart.

(See No. 18).

par, Phonetic, white. White heart no courage. Fright causes one to turn pale.
(See No. 6).

^,
hang', 1 o measure.
,.

126

IP,

Radical No. 166, a Chinese mile.

(See No.

82).

The phonetic
lian^, but

of this character

it is

writing that

it

was ^

so modified in the present


is of little aid 'to refer to

The etymology of the chara<iter is


difficult to trace and the Chinese have invented an etymodogy which after once

it.

hearing

to forget

it is difficult

the

dis-

tance to the sun H has been measured ^


and it was found to Ije one IP above the

Earth.
374

sun

one S ^P-

*|L

5X

kou^.

%!k

Enough,

fully.

kung', Radical No. 57, a bow.


(See No. 55).
ch'iieh*, /t'e', Phonetic, shell, husk.
It is pro-

'

bable that the idea w^as to strike

shu^

something hollow
When bow is
A'e**
added to this phonetic the idea of enough
is

said to be sugj^ested because

an

archer,

draws the bow to the full.


He makes a large vacant space between
the bow and the string.
(W. 34 I).

in shooting,

375

tt ?^
/^, f\

ch!ih',
jF-*

shih^,

foot,

a span.

Radical No. 44, a corpse, a person in the

reclining posture,

V^ 2i

''*'

an

Phonetic, germination

adult.

here

it

indicates the

opening out of the hand in the act of making a span. The p shiW is said to be the
male, adult hand
It is probable that this
character has been contracted and thus
the part w'hich indicated the hand has
been deleted. In 'the
C/iou dynasty the
.

127

unit of length measured abc/ut ^isyenty centimeters.

If one reniembers this it

wiU

help to understand measurements in the


Classics.

"'mM

(W. 32

To announce

pao*.

F.).

to recompense

a news-

p9,per.

5te

Jl

t'a\ Radical No. 32, earth.

nieh*,

who has committed


a criminal, a man
crime ^,jen\ cf. No. 274 (W. 102 G., D.).
It is unfortunate that the scribes have
-jfc

^, ^
^,1^

character
caused the left part of the
to be identical with
fortunate, kickj^ as it has a veryhsing*,
different meaning.
fu' The right part of the character shows a
hand holding a seal, and about to stamp
the order for punishment. (W. 55 C.)
is obtained
The idea of to announce
owing to an official trying a crixninal case

^ and
377 |t

^^

zs>
[qI

publishing his decision

g,.

a shop.
p* shil^, Radical No. 44, a corpse. This is another
character which cannot be divided up
into radical and phonetic aj^'the base of
the character is R ch'ilf, the expanded
hand, a span and P k'oti^, the mouth. The
explanation given is that in fixing up a
shop one must not onlj' use the hand but
the mouth must also be used to inquire
chi?,

an

office,

the best

mode

of procedure.

There

is

another explanation of the character


The
which may be eaisier to remember.

128
ch'ih^ ;^ is

square foot) and the

foot, (a

one of the positions on a chess


chess board a foot square is
large enough and the squares are places
(W. 32 F,).
for stopping or resting.
k'ou^

is

board.

378

igg
'iTO

^
^

'

^" Happiness, prosperity'.


shih*, Radical

No. 113 to reveal. (See No. 227).


;

(W. 75

Phonetic, abundance.

-d fu*

most satisfactory

'

The

D.).

explanation

of

this

a contraction of Wt
Aao\ high and ffl t'ien', a field, the products
of the field piled higli is a good symbol tor
With the addition of the
abundance.
radical the idea is that a superhuman inphonetic

'

is

that

it is

has decreed abundance, hence


meaning happiness, (cf. No. 267).

fluence

379-^
~^!^,

-d*

To

bsiang'.

^^
-*-*

the

receive, to enjoy.

Radical No. 8, above.


This character does not divide up

t'oa^,

was two

ing

The ancient

and phonetic.

radical

iti

into

writ-

characters, one upright

and the other inverted, they were contracted to ^.


Hei-e is another illustration of the reversing the meaning of a
character bj'

part -^

and
is

inverting

it.

The

the ordinary

is w^titten in

means superior
the lower part
means inferior. The
;

form

is

the gift which

handed up to the superior by the


(W. 75 D.).

@C

cheng*:,

way

inverted and

in the seal

380

upper

To

rule

government.

is being
inferior.

129

seal character is

(See No. 17).

rod.

Tr

The
a right hand holding a

p'u* Radical No. 66, to strike or tap.

cheng*. Phonetic, right, exact.

A govemment

should act : p'u* in an orderly and exact jE manner. (See No. 12).
(W. 112 I).
ifc

381

Mft

t'ieh^,

To

paste.

^ cban\
pei*,

f*

Radical No. 154, precious. (See No. 38).


Phonetic, to usurp, to seize, to divine.

An

old definition of the character 5fi is


" to leave in pledge." An article left in

marked by pasting a written


statement upon it.
It is possible that
the meaning which is now prevalent
The above
originated in this way.
phonetic also means to divine, but the
meaning to usurp seems to be more
(W. 56 B).
logical in this combination.
pledge

is

382

mo*. Ink.
-p t'a*. Radical No. 32, earth.
Gg heP, Phonetic, black. The]^seal writing of this

^*n,sins.

a vent^for^ smoke and the


lower part is two fires, one above the
other, indicating a succession of fires.
Around the vent lampblack accumulates,
hence a very appropriate symbol for black.
Mixing lampIt is the 203rd radical
character

is

black with earth


ink

"^m

was

first

is

made.

probably the
(W. 40 D).

Dark.
jih*, Radical No. 72, sun.
y^"^' Phonetic, sound. This

way

an*,

H
ei

is

the 180th, radi-

130
(See No.

cal.

There

39),

are several

characters which have this radical as their

phonetic and have a i^ieaning of dark or

obscure

it

may be, that this meaning has

been attached to this phonetic owing to


sound being invisible. When the sun is
384

(W. 73 E).

invisible it is dark.

M
fSS

Grace, to

en^t

Jl^ hsin^,

show

favor.

Radical No. 61, heart.


(W. 60 B).

Phonetic, because.

yirH^,

ginal

meaning

man

confined in

of this

The

ori-

was a
cannot
One
but

phonetic

a cell.
a prisoner thus confined.
If this feeUng of sorrow leads one to
hberate him, that is grace and it is repre-

feel sorrj^

sented

for

by placing

heart, j& bsin^ under

yin^.

J^,

Kind, grace.
hsit^, Radical No. 61, heart.
This is supposed to reprech'uan\ Phonetic.
sent an ox w^ith a trace attached to a

hui*,

>L^

and at the end of


a hook for attaching
which are to be drawn. By ex-

bar behind the horns


the trace there
objects

is

when ones heart is drawn into


work he is kind, he allows his better

tension,

his

feelings to enter into

91E,G)..
386 iBi

)itt(

:>^,

^v

tietf,

-,.

(W.

,,

dictionary, records.

J^ pa^, Radical No. 12,

nn

his actions.

eight.

This is an old character and has dropped out of use. It, in

-.lUL ch'aP, Phonetic, books.


,

131

the

writing,

seal

represents

bamboo

The lower part of


the character was a table % wu^, and not
A pa\ but when radicals were sought to

books placed

in order.

classify all characters, the legs of the table

pa^

(W. 156 C).

Radical No. 163, a

city.

(See No. 11).

were taken
387

'$

&
^

yu^.
i\

for

Post house.

bough loaded with leaves


and drooping flowers (W. 13 E). Chalfant
says that this phonetic is a spray of wistaria.
As these flowers hang pendent,
this symbol has been adopted for charac-

ch'uP, Phonetic, a

ters

convey

w^hich

ing or suspension.

the idea

Thus

of hang-'

M shui* to sleep,

implies that the eyelids are drooping and

are suspended over the eyes.


w^as on the frontier.

This

A post-house

was

the only

place w^here the Governn;ient maintained

postal communications, the Emperor especially desiring to

know

the condition of

which were
located on the fringes of his domain.
They are looked upon as the "hanging
on " cities.
affairs in the villages or cities

BALLEE LESSON
388
fu^,

prefecture

Radical
f*^ yen^

vj^

fu*,

XIV.

palace.

No. 53, a covering, a hut.

With the addition


of the radical the meaning of the character is a place J" where taxes ar<!i paid,
^. A man i takes and a hand ^ gives.
(W. 45 C).

Phonetic, to deliver to.

1.32

389 Xxi Ikk

J*\.

chou^,

U\

//./

political district.

ch'uan\ Radical No. 47, streams. (W. 12 E).


This is. an old character and does not

break up into radical and phonetic. In


the old writing it represents tracts of land
surrounded by rivers. (W. 12 L).
390
hsieti^,

^
|B

ll.

district.

mi^ Eadical No. 120,

(See No. 8).

silk.

a criminal hanghanging down. (W.

hsiao^ Phonetic, the head of

ing up, the hair

160 A).

is

With the addition of

modification of

mi*

silk,

hsi\ a

the idea of the

head being hung up is emphasized. A


bsiea* was a place w^here an official resided
whose rank enabled him to execute criminals.
(See Chalmers No. 187).
391 >dfe

sheng^, or hsin^.

|g

Sheng^, a province

hsin^,

watchful.

mu\

Radical 109, the eye.

(See No.

102).

This phonetic is devoid


of phonetic, significance. There are three
ways of explaining this character, but

shao^, Phonetic, few.

two

them are worth recording.


The ^ is said to be the eyebrow frowning
as if endeavoring to see more distinctly.
The other explanation is that the /J? shao^
indicates a narrowing of the palpebral
only

.of

fissure in order to see better.

This is frequently done by nearsighted persons as it


gives

them

clearer vision.

(W. 158 D).

392
lou^, Loft,

a story, a house which

one story high.

is

more than

133

^
-^
^^

mu*, Radical No. 75, wood.

(See No. 22).

a palace where wo(W. 67N). Women

lou' Phonetic, the part of

men

are confined.

nff, enclosed 41 chung^, in the

^
# wu^, prison

of the gynecium. With the addition of the


w^ood radical it is the symbol for a
house which is higher than the ordinary
dwelling.
393 >fc=;

tuarP, Short, deficient.

3^
"^

sbih^,

Radical No. Ill, a dart.

(See No. 100).

(W. 165 A.) The character for short was formed by putting

tou*, Phonetic,

together

dish.

two

of the shortest utensils of the

a dart and a dish.


The character for long ^, was hair that
was so long it 'had to be fastened with a
brooch. (For long, see W. 113 A).

ancients,

namely,

394
hsin^,

JX

New,

recent.

Radical No. 69, an ax. (See No. 358).


chen^ Phonetic, the Chinese hazel bush. Rods
of this shrub were used for beating criminals and, for this purpose, it was necessary
chin^,

that they be

brush

symbol

cheti^

for

Thus hazel
chiti^ became the
as the ax by the

freshly cut.

and ax Jf

new

or fresh,

side of the rods implied that they

were just

(W. 102 H). The present writing of


cheii^ is not like the above, which
hazel
cut.

is

the old writing.

395
chiu*, Old,

worn out,

fornlerly.

^^

ts'aq^ Radical No. 140, grass. (SeeNos. 22, 40),

chiu^, Phonetic,

a mortar.

This seems to be a

134

was

chiwi,

originally used for j^ chim, a


corpse placed in a coffin.
In the shops
coffins are euphemistically spoken of as
%i^ shorn ts'ai^, material for the aged or
old.

This usage

meaning
writing
coffin.

may have stamped

the
chiw^ as in the above
represented the corpse in the

of old
it

on

(W. 103 C)

(cf. 42.8.)

396
huai*,

;^
m;

To

spoil, ruined.

t'u^ Radical No. 32, earth.


huaP, Phonetic, to hide in the bosom, covered
from the eye by putting in the breast.

(W. 16 J). The upper part of the phonea cover, the part which looks like m

tic is

w^ng^

is

order that
space,

g mu*
it

vsrritten

may

horizontally in

not take

the loAver part

is

vip

so much

the radical for

clothing with the cords which are used as


fasteners across the breast of the garment

represented.

Others explain that

5ji

tai*

means to hide as the eyelashes fall over


the eye and hide it, and is here placed in-

side of the
,

-,;

cf.

i.e.

No. 82, ;X.

to hide in the clothing.

'

With the addition of the radical for earth


the idea may have been, if instead of hiding the article in the breast
in the earth it

would be

it

was

buried

ruine'd.

397
c/2'a^.

To

examine, to search into.

mu\

Radical No. 75, wood. (See No. 22).


TfC
n ch^ieh^ Phonetic, a chair, without a back. It

is

used here as a simple phorietic. This char-

135

was

acter

originally used

ceremonies and
tioil

of

many

it

in

sacrificial

enters into the composi-

With the addi-

characters.

wood h was originally used as


a proper name and afterwards it was

tion of

written instead of
Thus it has
ch'a'.
no etymology. Correctly written $.

398

^
J^

nan^, Difficult, to cause distress.

Rad. No. 172, a short tailed bird. (See 21).


in the sun.
In the old
seal writing the sun is shining on the loess
with fiery heiat and drying out the mois-

chui'

Qt| /jan* Phonetic, dried

With the addition of the radical for


short tailed birds, (most water fowl have
ture.

short tailg) the idea

is

that

when the pools

where these birds get their food are dried


up they are in distress. (W, 171 B).
399
ts'ao^r Grass, herbs.
ljn|l_

-tt ts'ao^ Radical No. 14Q, grass.


(See No. 111).
*sao*, Phonetic, early.

character originally

stood for a kind of

was used

grass which

This

tor dyeing articles

With the addition of the radical


it now means any kind of grass or herb.
(W. 143 E).

black ^.

400
chiao^,

v^

;^ &.

To

teach-;

religion

p'u^ Kadical No. 66, to strike.

to allow.
(See No. 17).

The seal writing is


X=i*, above a son ^. (W 39

hsiao^, Phonetic, to learn.

two crosses
B).

If hete indicates question

and answer.

has the
it, 5^ vao^ (See No. 165). The character
meaning of influence from the cutting of
shears

which

it

pictures.

Here being

136

doubled

it

emphasizes the influence of the

teacher on the pupil ^.

With the addi-

tion of the radical : the idea of applying

the rod

is

portrayed.

(W. 39 G, H).

The

modern writing of this phonetic is identical


401

with ^ hsiao*, filial piety, but it has nothingbut ^ in common with it. (W. 30 E).

-y.

To boil.

chu\
^*^^

iK,*^^^ /zuo^ Radical No. 86, fire.


> che' Phonetic, a final particle,

a suffix. (See
No. 270). This phonetic can be regarded
as the pronoun it then the etymology is>
fire iK it ^. Boil it by putting fire under it.
;

402 /^
chin*,

To

enter

in,

to advance.

cho^ Radical No. 162, walking


chui}-

Phonetic,

phonetic significance

172nd

and stopping.

short-tailed bird.

radical.

in

this character.

(See No. 21).

addition of the radical 5_

It has no

it

With

the

stands for to

advance this may be because birds in


flying always move forwards, they never
fly backwards.
;

403

Jt>|.t

njfll

^W

A time,

an occasion.
cA'eS Radical, No. 159, a cart. (See No. 136).
shang*, Phonetic, a roof of a house. (See No.
52). (W. 36 E). With the addition of the
cart radical it is used for the number of
times a trip has been taken. The cart
suggests that the idea may have been,
the number of trips the cart made to a
certain house and back.
t^ang*,

^*'

Advantage,

JE mm^

profit.

Radical No. 108, a dish, (See No. 233).

137

^V

The character is lying


indicating overflow, or abund-

sAai^ Phonetic, water.

on

its side,

ance.

dish

overflowing stands for

advantage or profit. (W. 125 C). This


is an old character and antedated the
glazing of pottery. Unglazed pottery if
made of sandy clay will not hold water,
but pottery made of good clay will retain
it.
It would not be strange if pottery
which held water was taken as the symbol
of advantage or profit.
405
sao^,

To

sweep.

shou^, Radical No.

64 the hand.
;

chou^ Phonetic, a dusting brush.

406

(W. 44 K).

In the seal writing a hand ^ is represented


as holding a broom. The addition of the
hand radical at the side was made about
200 B.C.

a.
^

hsiao*,

To honor

parents,

"T^ tzu^, Radical No. 39,

lao^,

filial

piety.

a son.

Phonetic, old.
This phonetic is not
brought out in the modern writing. (W.
30 E). The phonetic in ffcfj; chiao^ in

is the same as
hsiao*,
but it has nothing in common with it in
etymology. (See No. 400). Lao^
old,
stands for parents and the ^p tztP son
should render that devotion and reverence

modern writing

which

is fitting

and proper.

407
ching^,

;gj

To

reverence.

j^

p'u^ Radical No. 66, to strike.

ra

chi* Phonetic, to restrain

G).

This phonetic

is

(W. 54
made up of yang^
ones

self.

138

and

sheep, contracted,

'^

pao^ to cover

To stand meek

and n
as a sheep and restrain ones words. With
the addition of the radical which here can
k'ou^ the mouth.

be taken as the one w^ho wields pow^er the


idea is to be modest in the presence of
those in authority.
408
t'ang^,

hall,

a ineeting place.

t'u^ Radical No. 32, earth.

-^

shang*. Phonetic, a house, (See No. 52)


this is

a suggestive phonetic.

hence

With

the

we

have
an inclosure n which is roofed over ^ but
the earth is the floor, a condition which is
by no means uncommon at the present
time.
(W. 36 E).
addition of the radical for earth

409
ch'u*,

^ hu\

A place,

circumstances.

Radical No. 141, a tiger.

^Jjt c/z'u*,

Phonetic, a place.

The

(See No. 258).

Suggestive phonetic.

primitive idea of this phonetic

to have walked until tired,

sw}^,

was
and

come to a seat JL chP. This character


had the radical hu^ added to it when the
characters were being put under radicals
but

it

contributes nothing save difficulty

in writing.

To

breviated form

the present day the ab-

is

without this

radical.

(W. 20 B).
410
ch'ang^, Constantly.
|tj

chin^,

Radical No. 50, a napkin.

(See No.

143).

[^ shang\ Phonetic, a house,

(See No. 52) (W-

139

36 E). The radical cbin^ is a banner


which is constantly ^ floating in front of
the headquarters, fl shan^, of the general.
411

Numerative of trees.

/c'o^,

>^

mu*, Radical No. 75, wood. (See No. 22).


kuo\ Phonetic, fruit. (W. 120 F). The fruit
represented by IH fier^ on the tree. This
combination would make an appropriate
numerative of fruit trees, but it is used for
is

all

kinds of trees.

412
shu^,

A tree.

Mu\

Radical No. 75, wood.


(W
^=1 chu^ or shu*, Phonetic, upright, vertical.
165 D). This seems to be a hand ^t
'^^

beating a
vertical'

drum M.

may have

chou^.

The idea of

been derived from the

position in which the

drum was

held.

part is a drum n on a stand and


an ornament. With the addition
of the wood radical we have vertical or

The

left

above

is

standing wood,

trees.

BALLER LESSON XV.


413
hou*, Thick, generous.

f^

ban* Radical No. 27, a cliff. (See No. 42).


is the
hou^ Phonetic, liberal, generosity.

reverse of

and the

^=^

i.e.

^=^. The.0

is

gift

rest of the phonetic is first five

strokes of i^ AaoS high, reversed


is

superior

gift

come down to an

man

thus

'it

inferior -^.

or the gods would give

140

meaning of generous
The f' han*
is not cliff but a stroke which indicates
descent or the coming down of the gift
from above. (W. 75 G).
lavish gifts, thus the
is

414

/^

J^

attached to this phonetic.

ch'uan^,

^
-^

J^

^
~

jen^,

To propagate

to

hand down.

Radical No. 9, man.

chuati^, Phonetic, singly, particular.

(W. 91

The upper part of this


phonetic is an ox harnessed and a trace
dragging behind with a ring for attaching
F).

ch^uan^

loads which are to be drawn.

When the

lower part of the phonetic -^ hand, is


added, it is the character for a writing
tablet which was worn attached ;^ to the
-^ wrist. These tablets were worn by the

what

A man A

scribes.

official

proclaims

written on his wrist-tablet U,

is

preaches from notes.

1^, nl^

AsjV,

^
^

/p^

To

repair, to build, to cuMvalse, adorn.

jen^, Radical No.


yu^ Phonetic, to

with a

9,

man.
ones

feel

stick

^.

way

across a ford

(See No. 160).

This

.,

phonetic has added to it


shan^, feathers,
long hair, ornament. This compound
phonetic and the radical for man stand for
to cultivate, to repair. (W. 12 C).

__^
f

pao^ An herb of the mint family

W'

Pr

ts'ad',

i^

p'a^,

Radical No. 140, grass,


with the first meaning of S|.

thin, mean.
is

connected

Phonetic, a wide expanse of shallow

water

^Jc.

phonetic

(For

iT fu^ see

No. 151). The


of an adult, W,

M fu^, the hand ^

141

broad, amplitude.
From this meaning
the idea of breadth runs through several
characters which have this phonetic, (W.

109 D).

Here breadth without depth

suggests thinness, meanness.


417

To laugh at, to smile.


chu\ Radical No. 118, bamboo.
hsiad^,

YS

^^

J'^oS Phonetic, a

man

in

(See-No. 7).

the act of bending

forward in order to jump, march or laugh

more easily.

With the addition of bamboo

the character

is

used

for,

to laugh, because

when the wind waves the bamboo it


resembles the movements of a man convulsed with laughter. (W. 61 B) (See
No. 323).
418 rst
yiian^,
|~|

Round.

weP, Radical No. 31, enclosure.


yuan'. Phonetic, round. (W. 161 B).

Origi-

was the full writing of


weP was added later.
now has two
weP radi-

nally this phonetic

the character, but

The character

above the , pe/*


The meaning was something
a cowrie ^.

cals as the small square

weP.
round like
is

419 rPC

fp
cbiang-^,

lis.

I.

An artisan.

/ang^ Radical No.

22, a log hollowed

out.

(W. 51 A).
/T, /^

'

chiii^,

Phonetic, an ax.

No phonetic significance.

(W. 128 A). The seal writing is said to


be a representation of the instrument.
The little stroke to the right is thought
to be a chip of wood. This is the 69th

142

No. 358). When the radical


for a hollowed out log is added it stands
for an artisan or the work of an artisan.

radical.

(Cf.

The hollowing out of trees to make boats

was probably one

or vessels

of the

first

mechanical devices employed.


"'~^

ch'in^,

i^

1^

^^

hsin^,

The

affections, the feelings.

Radical No. 61, the heart.

ch^jng^, Phonetic, the colors of nature, (See

63), (W.

No.
With the addition ot

115 D).

the radical for heart

^e

character stands

which are pure or


natural to the heart of man.

for

those

feelings

421
sbih^, Real, true, really, solid.
t^--

mien', Radical No. 40,

roof.

kuan*, Phonetic, long strings of cowries or

(W. 153 A). The upper part of


the phonetic, which by the w^ay has ^no

cash.

phonetic value,

is

two

articles

w strung

; kuan\ and the


together on a string
lower part shows that these articles are
cowries or coins
"

pei*.

When

roof

is

added the character stands for real wealth


stored away where it is available for use,
not a false pretense of wealth.

422

bsin^, to become sober after being drunk, to

wake
_

^ yu^

a kind of jar which was


used for keeping fermented liquors. The

Radical No. 164

shows that there


(W. 41 G).

,^

up, to startle.

is

hsin^, Phonetic,, stars.

something

in the jar,

(W. 79 F).

The

143

oldest writing of this character has three


^<%.

^ shen^. The stars


are supposed to be formed ^ sheng^ from
stars or suns above

the quintessence of sublimate matter rising

up to heaven,
hsing^

is

i^

chwg^=tleSLi\ crystal.

to become cle^r- headed after

intoxication.

423

^
buo*, Calamity, misfortune.
7J>,

>v

shih*,

Radical No. 113, to reveal.

(See No.

227).

1^ kaa^

Phonetic, a defect in the conformation of

the bones of the

mouth a cleft palate.

When

No. 119).

(See

the above radical

is

combined with this phonetic there is the


suggestion of divine judgment. If a child
is born with a hare lip or a cleft palate j^
it is regarded as a calamity |^ sent from
heaven^. (W. 118 A).
424

k'u\

-^

P
^

To

cry.

k'ou^, Radical No. 30, the

ch'uan^,

Phonetic,

mouth.

dog, without

phonetic

remarked that
The
this character is a picture of a dog.
ua
a
call
or
indicate
bsuan^
two mouths

significance.

outcry, hence
after the

425

Confucius

^ means

to howl or cry ra

manner of dogs

i^.

(W. 72 C).

v
cWien^, Shallow.

7K,

sbuP, Radical No. 85, water.


cbien^ Phonetic, to exterminate, to destroy,

The common work of two or


more halberds. (W. 71 R). (See No.
13). This phonetic always gives a bad
dangerous.

144

or insignificant color to the character.

Shallow water

^^/^

'

Jffk

shih^,

iS

An

age,

Radical No.

san^ shih^,

is

dangerous to a

a generation, thirty years.


1, one.

Phonetic,

traction of three

X,A

j]\-

is

phonetic
the con-

+ shih^ or thirty and the

horizontal line below in


427

No

thirty.

(W. 24 O).

significance.

one.

sailor.

ifi:,

is

the radical i^

Thirty years make one generation.

wen', Strokes,

lines, literature,

This

Radical No. 67.


characters and
the grain in

it is

wood

elegant.

one of the oldest


supposed to represent
or ripples on water.
is

(W. 61 F).
428
ch'uan*,

^
H"

To

exhort, to advise.

Radical No. 19, strength.


kuati*, Phonetic, a heron.

(See No. 212).

li\

(W. 72 J). A
chui^, with egrets, X
short-tailed bird
or horns, which has a loud call "^ bsiiad.
The horns of a sheep are taken to repre-

sent the egrets.

The Sbuo Wen has no

etymology for this phonetic in combination with the above radical. It may be
that this combination was used owing to
the

great patience of the heron.

Chinese

common name

is

Its

" old waiter

",

gaze into the water iot


hours without moving, in order to secure
lao* ten'^.

It will

a fish. If we could use the same patience


and vigilance in J)ersuading men much
would be accomplished, hence it is not an
inappropriate symbol for, to exhort.

145

*^^

P^
i^

"'^*' '^'^ curse,

to

revile.

P^,|^ wang^ Radical No.

122, a net.

(See No. 38),

(W. 39 C).
ma^. Phonetic, horse.

Radical No. 187.

(See

No. 261), (W. 137 A). The Shuo Wen


does not explain this character ^. It seems
to be an arbitrary combination of radical
and phonetic. Catch a horse 15 in a net
1^

and you

will w^ant to revile ^.

430 -gH?

i^^

je*,

To

provoke, to

irritate.

Radical No. 61, heart. (See No. 18).


Phonetic, the primitive sense is to pick 3)
herbs ft to eat P to select. (W. 46 G).

^H^ hsin\

^^ ^
'

jc*,

The ordinary meaning

is

if.

Just

why this

combination of radical and phonetic should


mean to irritate is not verj' apparent. If
the ^ je^is regarded as selecting, one who
is over particular in selecting is most exasperating, or irritating to the mind ^6.

~fflc
rf>'

^$-

mm

wu^. Without, none.

J^ AHo^ Radical No.

86,

fire.

...

Fire

was arbitrari-

Ij considered as the radical of this charac-

ter

in the old writing there is

element in

its

composition but

no such

# forest

is

the original form for the -"". Chalfant suggests that this character is made up of

.^&

ch'en^, primitive meaning, a warriors


wang^, lost. This last characcar and

an old writing, is placed where the


horses should be and the idea, according
to the above mentioned authority, is that
the animals have strayed away in the
ter, in

forest.

The

forest is represented

by

146

:5p

XK

til

two trees.
Plate XXYIII, and W. 10

virang^ is

placed between the

(See Chal-

fant

I).

chieh*,

and the

in seal writing

lin^,

boundary, a

limit.

t'ien\ Radical No. 102, afield.


chieh*, Phonetic,

parate

(See No. 207).

boundaries, the lines that se-

pa\ men

(W. 18

/'enl

With the addition of the


field

the idea of

field

F).

radical for

boundaries

is

very

evident.

433

A basket.

lan^,

^^,^

Radical No. 118, bamboo. (See No.


chien^, Phonetic, to examine, to oversee, a
cbu",

(W. 82 F).

By

(See No. 294).

the meaning of this phonetic as a


place of confinement, then

of the

bamboo

utensil in

radical

which

articles

by the

taking
jail or

addition

we have a

may

7).
jail.

wicker

be placed or

confined, for safe transportation.

434
shui^,

mu\

To

sleep.

Radical No. 109, the eye.

ch'uP, Phonetic, to

(See No; 387).

(See No. 102).

hang down. (W. 13 E),


With the addition of the

radical for eye the idea of the eyeUds com-

ing

down and

covering the eye

is

set forth,

naturally suggesting sleep.


435
chiao^'^, chiieh^.

chien*.

To

perceive, to

feel.

Radical No. 147, to see, to perceive.


(See No. 85).

(W. 158 C).

P^

hsiad' Phonetic, to learn.

(W. 39

I).

The two

147

two hands of

sides of the phonetic are the

the teacher pressing

down on the ' waste

space where ignorance reigns in the head

two Jii i* between the


hands indicate the questioning and answering of teacher and pupil. jJ = doubl-

of the pupil; the

ing of X> cutting shears, idea of influence


(see No. 400 and 165).
With the addition of the radical,
to perceive, the
characrer means, to perceive, to know.

436

^
1=1

BA.LLEB,

/^
.

hai*,

iol

'^

To

VOGABULAEY

III.

injure
to contract a disease.
Radical No. 40, a roof, (See No. 1).
This being a verj' old character it does not
;

mieti^

fall easilj'

into radical

and

phonetic.

The

phonetic should be a combination of ^


chieh* and n k'ou^ but we find no such

combination outside of this character.


chieh* is

the

first

after the knotting of strings.

^ on a
injured by these
word for mouth,
notches

mnemonic invention
stick.

It represents,
stick

was

When

the

The

notches.

k'ou^, is "added the

that one injures another by slander


and when the above radical is added, the
injury is done under cover '^ i.e. secretly.
idea

is

(W. 97 E). ^ CAie/z* is very


a leafy bough, (See No. 312).
437

like,

^ feng^

ping*, Disease, defect.


jf^

ni*

or chP Radical No. 104, disease. This radical is made up of i^ a straight horizontal
line,

the position of a sick person, and bed

148

Thus

means, to be sick.
The scribes arbitrarily added a dot on
top(W. 127C).
ch^iang^.

tI

p)^"

it

ping' Phonetic, the third of the ten stems.

[jijl

It

is a fire jJH in a house f\ and thus it is a suggestive phonetic, as a feverish person, a


When the
sick person, is hot (W. 41 A).
is
added
to
this
phoneradical for disease

tic it

438

^ m^

hstieh^,

^5*, j^l

j^
,

-J

forms a fitting symbol for disease.

Snow.

J'^^ Radical No. 173, rain.

(See No. 61).

(W. 44 A). The


original phonetic was broom, ^ izai* but
it has been contracted to ch'ou^ and there
is little use in remembering the original

ch'otr' Phonetic,

a hand.

phonetic, save to explain wh^^ the present

phonetic has no phonetic value.

AQQ

(W. 44

With the addition of the rain radical


J).
we have the rain '^ .which can be taken
up in the hand a- or swept aw^ay ^. A
good combination for symbolizing snow.

isa**

i\

To

heal.

yu^, Radical No. 164,

wine or a

cordial.

(See

No. 422).
i^

Phonetic, to take out ji shu^ arrows

the Cjuiver

?.

The idea

is

^ from

that these

arrows are to be shot at the deinon of disease.

cordial radical

indicates that .spirits

it

440

The

ministered to the patient.

r^

yang^,

shih-,

To

are

is

added as

to be ad-

(W. 131

C).

nourish, to rear.

Radical No. 184, to eat, (W. 26

J\I),

(See

M9

^ yan^^a

Phonetic, sheep, (See No. 253).

mutton
441

-M3^V)

#^

is

means of securing
(W. 103 A).
^

one

is

nourishment,

^
TT

This

suggestive phonetic as the eating -% of

yi^^i Brave, heroic; England.


-H- ts'ati" Radical No. 140, grass, (See No. 22).

H^

/jK

man

yati^, Phonetic, a
large space,

man

in. the

rt

:fc

in the

midst of a jungle.

With the addition of the


idea of jungle

midst of a

in the seal writing it is

still

is

(W. 60 K).

radical

,h-

the

further elaborated.

bravery to enter a jungle where


beasts abound.

It requires
fierce

442

^fo
l^^

eS Virtue,

moral

excellence.

ch'ih* Radical No. 60,

a step with the

left foot.

(See No. 128).


te^

Phonetic, virtue,

This

heart.

ig chihr' upright, >& Asin*

was

the original w^riting of

%., but it was finally put


under the 60th radical. i[See No. 99 for
explanation of phonetic). The addition
of the radical may impart the idea of
action or going out ^ in order to develope virtue it must be exercised, and go

the character

out to others.
443

yuan*, A court yard a public building.


In the seal
/u^Radical No. 170, a mound.
writing a mound F is depicted with three
;

B,^

steps

leading to the top of a terrace.

(W. 86 A).

(See No. 93).


watf, Phonetic, finished, done.
reference
to buildhas
often
This phonetic

ings and with the above radical

it

indi-

150

cates

large

court surrounded

with

buildings, or public offices (W, 29 H).

M4

|j

huatig^, Imperial

the sovereign.

paP, Radical No. 106, white.

qrT

wang^, Phonetic, king, ruler, royal. (W. 83


C ) Chalfant has the most likely explanation of this character. He has found old

(See No. 6).

writings which seem to indicate that

was a
covild

was

string of jade beads

only be afforded by the royalty,

indicate the ruling class.

The

Plate XVIi;.

from

to

(See Chalfant,

g paP

is

contracted

and thus the


huang^ originally meant a

tzu* beginning,

character

this

was adopted

the s^anbol which

it

as jade beads

self,

king by right of birth.


445

lang-,

^ ,^
g S

wolf, cruel.

ch'iian^ Radical

No. 94, a dog.

(See 424).

77an^, Phonetic, good, sagacious.

This phonechanges with the

has undergone many


varying ideas as to man's original nature.
The primary meaning was the nature of
man, a gift from heaven, is good. The
tic

gift

is

represented

by .

down from heaven was

The coming

represented by/*.

The next more modern form is 1.. The


two convergent strokes at the top are
heaven and earth coming together, the
middle part of the character is the gift and
the bottom part indicates that this gift
may be lost li, (W. 75 F). This seems a

most inappropriate phonetic


explanation

is

as follows

for wolf; tbe

The

wolf

is

151

extremely sagacious, in knowing where to


go to escape danger and where food can

be obtained, he
446

best of the

dog

an expert

is

dog,

g.

j^,

tribe.

ii^g^i Spirit, spiritual, intelligent.

~KtK.

^
^^ ^

yv?, Radical No.

173

ling^ Phonetic,

the falling of rain

rain.

(See No. 61).


in large

drops, the large drops are indicated

the three

These

circles.

changed

circles

have been

into squares as usual in

modern

writing.

contain

all

by
the

This phonetic does not


conform to the usual rule of phonetics, in
that it includes the radical and does not

(^

the radical

parts of the character except

wu^ was added to the

character at a later period.

was something very


the crops, and they

The rain

earnestly desired for

made

supplication for

The lower part of the character is a


symbol w^hich represents witches M dancing to obtain rain the work X of witches
M. (W. 72 K and for wu" W. 27 E).

it.

Because the
spirit

were invoked for rain


has been used to represent

spirits

this character

or spiritual.

447 rit_
han^,

7^,

/S.

The

soul.

kueP, Radical No. 194

(W, 40 C).

The

the spirits of the dead.

old character

tive representing a

into the air.

is

a primi-

human being vanishing

This character has under-

gone several changes. The upper part is


said to be the head of a demon, the lower
part is a human being and the X is a

152

made by

representation of the swirl

demon when
:2^

yiJn'',

it

moves.

borrowed to mean
This phonetic adds the idea of

Phonetic,

speak.

clouds,

The

evanescence.

the natural eye.


448

SJ^l

/e?,

not

spirit is

visible to

W. 9 3 B )

Thunder.

1^

yff, Radical No.

[Tt

t'ien^,

173

Phonetic,

was

four

rain, (See No. 61).

Without phonetic

field.

written with three

orif^inally

and a small symbol

ig t'ieti'

the noise of thunder

account

of the

fields

Chalfant, Plate VII.

was

or'

in the

center which indicated reverberation


if

sig-

This character

(See No. 45).

nificance.

^y

the

as

caused on

impinging.

See

(W. 149 F).

449
ts'eng',
/

story (of a house), a layer.

shlU, Radical No.

recumbent

or

44

a person

the

sitting

in either the

posture.

living person w^ho was, in ancient times,

impersonate the dead, and


was worshipped at the funeral. (W.

dressed

to

32 A).
ts'en^. Past, already

add.

The

radical

t&etig^,

still

shih^ seems

more, to

an inap-

propriate radical, a plausible explanation


is

as follows

the character " story "

was

when houses were l)uilt more than


one story high.
This was another room

needed

wu^ (See No. 337) added


tseng (See
No. 230) above the ordinary room. It
was
may be that the character ts'en^

originally written; i^

i.e.

M room # added,

158

but was afterwards

contracted

to

its

present form.
450 *a^,

yy%

chih^,

To

s/zu?,

Radical No. 85

^r

cure, to heal, to govern.

Piionetic,

ones

I,

This

cance.

and

water, (See No. 79).

self.

was

No

phonetic sienifi-

originally the

name

of

seems to have been adopted


to stand for the verb to cure without
river

it

etj'mologlcal justification.
.451

ming^,

/f'oui,

name, fame, reputation.


Radical No. 30, mouth.

No phonetic value.
J^ hsf Phonetic, evening.
In the evening -^ one should call out p his
name ^, in order that others may know
who approaches. (See No. 14).
452

^^
S.

tao',

To

pra3'',

prayer.

Radical No. 113, to show, to


(See No. 227).

shih\

make

known,

(W. 144B). The


upper part of this phonetic is supposed to
represent a ploughed field J ch'ou^, and
indicates constaiit repetition, the furrows
are turned over one after the other. With

sAou*, Phonetic, longevity.

the addition of

inquiry

is

k'oa^ the idea of repeated

convej^ed.

has hand,

-rf-

ts'un*,

The present phonetic


added by the

side of

k'ou^, as gestures aid the petition.

With

the addition of the radical this character


fulfills

the heathen idea for prayer;

they think

much
453

shih^,

the\^ shall

speaking."

lion.

"for

be heard for their

154

-^

No. 94, a

ch'iiatP Radical

dog.

(See No.

a leader or master.

Composed

424).
pip shih^, Phonetic,

of ^ tuf^ an elevation of two steps, elevated, and rfJ chin^ and


?, one or first.

This combination stands for the banner of


the commander-in-chief, the
fjl

first

master

.or

conveyed by this character.

is

With the addition of the dog


idea

is set

454 n^t

ch'iang^,

radical, the,
is

the king

split log,

(See No.

forth that the lion

(W. 86' B).

of beasts.

banner

over the fort g thus the idea of leader

wall.

ch'iang^, Radical No. 90,

84).

she*

se*.

Phonetic, grain inclosed in a granary,

frugal, stingy.

The present writing of the

phonetic has no phonetic significance, but

;^

|g ch'iang^,

means a wall and

it

may have

been originally used as the phonetic and


contracted to the present form. (W. 76
E).

^ She* is composed

for putting: grain in,

(contracted) and

of hn^ "^ a place

A>

A jv*, to put

in,

laP, grain, also con-

tracted.

(W. 13 C), (See No. 64).

character

now means

to come).

(This

The

represented bearded grain hanging from

the stalk.

"With

radical which

the

addition

of the

a symbol of strength,
we have a good combination for
wall.
Walls were early built around
is

155

*55

j^l

^J

chi*,
[j

To

adjust, to trim

dose of medicine.

71 tao\ Radical No. 18, a

^K ^6

cA'i^

knife.
(See No. 37).
Doses of medicine should
be of uniform size. (W. 174 A). This is
the 210th radical. In the seal character

Phonetic, even.

there are three stalks of grain.

Stalks of

grain, standing in the field, are practical-

These three appear to us as quite uneven, but this is


because our ideas of the perspective differ

ly all of equal heighth.

from those of the framer of the character.


The lower of the two horizontal lines at
the bottom, is the foreground and the
upper of these two lines is the background, thus because each head of grain
ground, the
is equally high from the
character stands for even. With the addition of the knife radical we have the
idea of the apothecary using the spatula
in apportioning doses of medicine.

456 :?H

yao*, Medicine.

+f

ts'ao^ Radical No. 140. grass, (See No. 22).

an ornamented frame on
which drums and a bell are placed. The
drums are on the sides and the bell is in
the middle. (W. 88 C.) This instrument

j'ao*,jueA*, Phonetic,
ie*

gives the five sounds of the Chinese scale.


to observe the seal
necessary
is
It

writing in order to see the intention of


the symbol. These five parts of the instrument are all in tune. With the addition of the radical for grass, the idea
anj^

vegetable substance which

is

will re-

.156

store the proper functioning of tile

harmony.

restore

were

first

used as

YegetallDle

pei^,

body

XVI.

a sign of the passive,

Bed-clothes,

substances

niedicinefe.

BALLEE LESSON

^^

to

suffer.

:^

i\

Radical No. 145

(See No. 51).

clothes.

(W. 43 H.)
(See No. 224). This is the 107th radical.
Its use here as a phonetic with the radiThe
cal for cloth or clothing is logical.
integument not being sufficient* to keep

tb p'P, Phonetic, skin or covering.

the individual w^arni, blankets w^ere re-

garded as cloth

The use

skin.

of this

character as the sign of the passive and

its

use meaning to suffer are without etymological

458

J^
ch'iao^,

-yj^

warrant.

bridge.

7^

mu*, Radical No. 75, wood,

ch'iao^ Phonetic, loft3^

75 B).
often

459
pa*,

To

bridge

made

stop

(See No. 322), (W.

is

of w^ood

(See No. 36).

a high

structure,

TfC-

finish, resign

sign of the im-

perative, interrogative particle.

, W\ wang\

Radical No. 122, a net, (See No. 38.)

]|g neng; Phonetic,

able.

(W. 27

J).

(See No.

The explanation of ^ by the


Shuo Wen is an ofl5cer,gg an able man,
taken in the meshes [^ of the law and
357).

dismissed.

157

^^0 i^f

To

tnetig^,

cover, to conceal

sign of passive.

-^ ts'ao\ Radical No. 140, grass.

^
.

^V

(See No. 22).

(W. 34

meng^, Phonetic, to cover.

T).

The

upper part of this phonetic is D mad'; to


cover something. The lower part is
sA/A^, a pig under cover. Another explana-

tion

that

is

it is

a representation of the

wistaria w^iich forms dense foliage and


hides from view an\^ thing beneath

The ^
ed and
461

p'en^.

shih'' is

coiled

To'' strike

it.

not pig, but the vine twist-

around

against

itself.

to

happen

to meet

with.

shiW, Radical No. 112, a stone.

;4f;

pfng^'

(See No. 42).

Phonetic, together. (W. 115B). From jf


chUen two scale pans or shields (? evenly
poised in pin^
a man is placed above
each pan, or shield, indicating that the two
are going along together. When one comes
into collision with a stone
he is struck J^.
)

^^

^#

462

e^
J^
t^sf^ v^

To

hstieh^,

tzff,

learn, to study.

Radical No. 39, son.

(See No. 1).

eJ3 hsiao' hsueh^ Phonetic, to learn.

(See No. 435).

bination with
for,

463 ;ig^

;^ '^
J^

J5^. ^^

(W. 39

I).

This phonetic in comtzu' is a good symbol

to learn.

shou*, To. receive, to endure.

3^ ya\ Radical No.

29, the right hand, (See No.

This character cannot be broken up


into radical and phonetic the upper part
43).

is

;iv

chao^, the right

hand and below

is

the right hand of a second person, (writ-

158

Between these two


hands, one of which is giving and the
other receiving, there is a boat, only seen

ten in anotlier way).

in

the

seal

common

writing.

occurrence

a boat and
(W. 49 E.)

received

to

464 Ifei

This portrays a
articles are brought
shipment,

for

miao ^temple.
.

Radical No. 53, a covering a shelter.

r*^ yen^,

(See No. 132).


,

f|l

morning to have an audience


with the Emperor. (W. 117 D). This
phonetic is made up oi kaif (See No. 137),
and
^ chou^, a boat, changed to ^ in
modern writing. The rising of the mist

chao^, Phonetic,

;fij-

"7

through the jungle i^ as seen from-the


deck of a boat, in the morning. By extension, morning the Imperial court, so
;

called because court

was

held early in the

morning.
A temple

is a place f where one can have


an audience with the gods.

465
hsiang^,

To

think, to ponder, to hope.

Radical No. 61, the heart, (See No. 18).


j^
jjQ hsiang^, Phonetic, to examine, to inspect. (W.
*"
158 B), (See No. 106). There is another
hsiti\

explanation of this phonetic which is not,


given under the 106th character which
suggests one of

lows

its

meanings,

it is

as

fol-

When

about to build, one goes


into the wood, tjc and examines g mu*
the trees until one is found which answers
:

the requirements.

With

tl;is

explanation

a
159

brought out.
In hoping, the heart longs for that which
is considered appropriate, or that which

the idea of appropriate

is suited

466

m.m

to

is

its needs.

The countrJ^
(See No. 11).
?, Radical No. 163, a city,
hsiaa^ Phonetic, cooked grain. (See No. 75).
(W. 26 L). This character is made up of
two ^ R 7 radicals, one on the right,
written in the usual manner
and one
on the left is reversed ^
The % is written
hsiang^,

&, B

|S

between these for the country is the region


between cities, AArhere food is produced.

y^, P'^

To toy with to do
kung^ Radical No. 55, hands joined.

nung*,

(See No.

247.)
X

^"*'

Without phonetic significance.


(See No. 124.)
The hands are
toying w^ith a string of jade beads,
Phonetic, jade.

very natural procedure.


ne?, Within, inside.

lAt

/u*,

Radical No. 11, to enter.

(W. 15 A.)

(See No. 35)

ri

chiun^ Phonetic, space, a waste area. (W.


34 A.) The two vertical strokes indicate
the limits, and the horizontal stroke indicates the space between.

When

is

added, the idea of going into this area is


set forth, so this character is the symbol
for inside.

-^j

A'u^, Bitter,

sorrow, suffering.

160

pu

^ ku\

ts'ao^ Radical No. 140, grass.

_f^

(See No. 22).

Phonetic, old. (See No. 17.)


(W. 24 F.)
This phonetic plus W, grass, originally
stood for a bitter plant which became

sweet after freezing.

It is

now used

mere-

ly as the character for bitter.

470
isao^,

To

meet, to encounter, a turn.

erallj'-

Gen-

used in a had sense of encountering

evil conditions.

J_

^m

cho* Radical No. 162, to walk.


ts'ao^ Phonetic, judges (W.

cient tribunals,

t^?vo

(See No. 10.)

120

K.).

In an-

judges sat

in

the

Eastern Hall, represented by two 'M. characters,' to pronounce judgment El on cases


brought before them. When \_ is added,
we have the picture of a man who goes
before the judges to endure an unpleasant
ordeal.

ing

Thus the character

with undesirable

im.plies

meet-

conditions.

The

modern arbitrary contraction makes the


character lose much of its original significance.
471 3i

_^

"^

^^

2*,

To

discuss, to talk over.

jen^, Radical No. 149, words.


2*,

(See No. 10.)

Phonetic, harmony-, righteous, public,

(W.

71 O.) This phonetic is made up of ^


wo^ (See No. 2) and ^yavg^, sheep. (See
(\Y. 103 A.)
No. 253).
When the above

two
has

characters are combined, the

^ wo'

original meaning, namely,

a con-

its

two spears attacking each other.


With the addition of ^ yang^, the two
combatants have changed and become

flict,

161

lamblike

cord

is

yet?,

neither

one

is

aggressive, con-

With the addition of

restored.

0"

combination stands for dis-

this

cussing affairs in the spirit just described.


Discussion

in

a righteous

^ way.

472

To

7/ng^,

^^

lead, to guide

yeA*, Radical No. 181,

to receive.

a man head and body

but the meaning often is restricted to the


head. (See No. 105.)
ling*. Phonetic, an order.
(See No. 61.) With
the addition of M, a man, the idea is that
this

man

or leader gives the order of pro-

cedure.

473

a hamlet.
(See No. 36.)
>fC rnu*, Radical No. 75, wood.
-U ts'un*, Phonetic, hand niodern meaningan
ts'un^,

village,

inch.

(See No. 69.)

acter for village Avas

Originally the charffip,

ts^un^

but i^ has

supplanted the former entirely. As there


no etj'mological reason for using the

is

present character, therefore there is no


In looking over the
logical explanation.
winter, the
North China plains in
villages seem to be nothing but little
clumps or handfuls ^ of trees :^, and by
keeping this in mind one can remember

how
474

tt
^^fj

to write the character.

-r^
^

f^

Jing*,

Separate, besides, extra.

Fot^, Radical No. 30, mouth.


This does not break up into phonetic and
In the seal
radical, as it is a primitive.
character it represents a knuckle bone.

162
(joint)

extending out from apiece of meat.

In the seal wi'iting

sembles

7cua^

iWj

but

closely re-

verj'

it

it is

not the same.

The knuckle or bone extending beyond the


meat is taken as the sj'mbol for that
which is extra, or something
(W. 118 B.)
4yg -jy -sr

To

shang^,

consult,

over.

left

to give advice," to de-

liberate.

k'ou\ Radical No. 30, mouth.


This is a character wrhose modern radical
does not agree with the original composi-

The

tion of the character.

and

the

lower two

words

is

A ju*,

sj'mbol

the

gives
others,

w^here

elements

to enter,

idea

is

(See No. 10).

of

is

a house,
Between

of jen^

the

inserted.

This

away

from

being

two persons can

consult

In the oldest writing two


day) characters are added,
thus implying that the consultation took
place between two days, at night. To
in

private.

jih* (sun,

trade or to do business

a secondary
meaning but as bargaining requires much
is

consultation

it is logical.

476
ch'ou', Silk.

^
m

ssu\ Radical No. 120,

silk.

chou\ Phonetic, complete, (W. 109 C). This


is a combination of ^ yutig*, useful, and

cbP, the old writing of ^.

ffi

is

an arrow piercing the

and when

ed arbitrarily

The

idea of

target, ability,

7 (which is now changto n k'ou^) is added, the

or

163

idea

is ability

to hit every target hence,

With the addition of the


silk, it is a simple phonetic in

rimversally.

radical for

the character for silk fabric. It may be


that originally silk threads were sometimes mixed with other fibre, and this was
to indicate that

477

it

was pure

silk.

-^^ -^
',

tsun\ Honorable, noble. (W. 47 C.)


Radical No. 41, a hand or measure.
(See No. 69.)

Y'^

">]* ts'un*,

chiu^ Phonetic, liquor

tation

is

M yu^, when the fermen-

over and the dregs are entirely

A pa\

Thus spirits that have


settled and are kept in a w^ine vessel, only
used on sacrificial occasions. With the
separated

addition of

-^,

w^hich in the seal character

two hands f% we have the idea of offering good spirits with both hands, rever-

is

ently to a distinguished guest.

^^

pei* ordinary, vulgar.

W. 47
wine

C.) (See No. 526).

glass, presented

(W. 46 E
a common

with the

tang^,

^g

tang*,

left

hand
^
.

BALLEE LESSON

i^

It is

only.

478

Compare

XVII.

To value, appraise, to compensate.


To be equal to, to pawn, ought. (W.

36 E.)

t'ien',

-^

shang*, Phonetic, a house.

Radical No. 102, a

field.

(See Xo. 82.

(See No. 52.) This

character shows that the Chinese have

long been in the habit of pawning. House

164

being of most value, all other


articles are included
and because in
pavs-ning the value of the article or thing

and

field

that of most importance, therefore the


character stands for " to be equal to," to
is

479

value.

^
,

E?3
f"^

J"^)

To

cAiV,

give, with.

character
tar

a mortar.
The
supposed to picture a mor-

No.

Radical
is

134,

but the representation

is

not strik-

was arbitrarily given,


ing.
and has nothing in common with the
This radical

original idea.
-p yii^ Phonetic, giving food from a spoon; to give,

f^

a full spoon with in it.


(at the top) shows that something is
being given away, i.e., removed from the
with.

-^

indicates

bowl of the spoon.

was

is still

Pk

so

receiver

a place,

that which, whatsoever.

hu*, Radical No. 63, one leaf of a door

a house.

seal writing

No.

|a,

and

But it has suffered


The hands of the giver fei
f^ have been added.

and the

tension,

JX /q

way

so abbreviated.

great changes.

fyf^

This character

originally written in this

is

by ex-

(W. 129 .A.) In the


one half of P5 meti^. (See

5.)

chivvy Phonetic,

an axe

catt}'.

It

has no pho-

netic significance, because the character

Sf

was made before radicals and

were adopted.
this character

chopping.

phonetics

The Shuo Wen sajs


J5|f

that

represents the sound of

It w^ould

be more logical to

1G5

say

it

represents the place where the fuel

was done near the


has
come to mean a
door or house P, it
(W. 128 A.)
place or building, ^ft.

is

481

j^
^^

prepared*

this

a tube.
chu^, Radical No. 118, bamboo.
kuan\ Phonetic, an official. (W. 86 C.)

kuatf,

YS

To

As

care, to control

(See

No. 310.)
With the addition or ft chu^, it forms the
character for tube and it is reasonable to
suppose that this was the original mean;

ing,

and that the meaning to control or


was added by extension, as a

to care for

tube controls the flow of w^ater.


/fjQ

shao^,
iK., jK.

To

burn, to heat, to roast

Auo^ Radical No. 86,

fire.

sentation of a flame of
.

^
^S

fever.

pictorial repre-

fire,

in the

seal

writing.

yao^ Phonetic eminent, great. (See No. 77.)


(W. 81 G.) The phonetic is made up of
^yao^, earth heaped up, and
wv*, a
stool or platform.
(W. 29 K.) Thus the
idea of very high is set forth. When the
;

is added, the character


stands for a big blaze or great heat.

radical for fire

483

hung^,

P
|[.

-t-

^^'^T|

r^

/i:'ou^

To

cheat, to deceive.

Radical No. 30, the mouth.

kung*, Phonetic,

all,

together.

(W. 24

I.)

In

one old w^riting four hands are represented as working in unison. With the addition of

k'ou^, the idea of unison is

hands to words. If
several persons assist by saying the same
transferred

from

166

thing, deception

(The

ment.

seal

Pairs of hands.
484

DO

writing

twenty

is

"W-

f=^.)

keii^,

easier of accomplish-

is

To

foUow^, the heel, and, with.

(W. 112 B.)


The Shuo Wen says that the upper part
of this radical is O; the circle indicates
that the foot is at rest. When motion is
indicated ^, 7E is used. The lower part is

tsu^ Radical No. 157, the foot.

chih^,

.ih

to stop.

J is

now

used for the

foot-in general. ^, / p'P^ {shu^), the

was

radical,

the counterpart of

JE.

103rd

The

shows the *? on top of ih, a


motion. The use of ik seems un-

seal writing

foot in

but in walking the foot is constantly starting T and stopping ih. The

fortunate

is a bolt of
undone by turning it over

present use of /E p'i^ (shu-)


cloth.

This

is

and over, a repetition of stopping and

The character ;$ pu*, to walk,


also represents stopping ih and starting
The
is ih chih^, reversed so meaning to start. Thus walking is a repetition
of stopping and starting of the feet.
(W.
112 C, G.)
starting

?("'.

jtE-

Phonetic, perverse, obstinate.

kctl^

(See No.

(W. 26 L.)

In following' there
must be persistence of action, or it is not
accoinplished. The fixed or hard part ^
223.)

of the foot
is

485

t^
Hi

sht^,

Jg.

is

the order to a

To

"To

the heel KB.

dog to

heel"

follow.

redeem, to atone, to ransom.

pei\ Radical No. 154, precious.

(See No. 38.)

yu^ Phonetic, to hawk, to peddle, (W. 79

J.)

The modern writing of this character


identical with K mai\ to sell
but it
;

from a

and

different root,

is

is

this explains

why so many characters with this phonetic


have a

u instead of a/. The phonetics


map and M, mai* are used in onl3'- a few
characters as phonetic. The upper part
final

is ik
/u*, a mushroom,
a plant ^ that stands as a man ic. Below
the
there is a S mv^, eye, written hori'^ mu*, a loving eye.
zontally.
With the

of this phonetic

addition of the

hawking

radical K, the idea of

Hawkers look on

is set forth.

and

their w^ares with great regard,

way

in this

they induce purchasers to give the

highest price.

With the addition of a second K pei* this


is the symbol for to ransom
in ransoming the full value must be paid.
;

486
mien*,

r&I, Is)

The

face,

surface,

side.

(W. 160 B.)

Radical No. 176, the face.

This radical
heg,d,
line

is

made up

and a primitive

of a face.

The

O
fn,

H
which
of

shotP, the
is

the out-

while said to be

nose @, all save thedash


above. The nose is the most prominent
part of the face.

the face,

487

S**

is

ka?, Should, ought, to owe.


yefl^ Radical No. 149, words.

(See No. 10.)

-** hai* Phonetic, nine to eleven P.M.,


in

the horary cycle.

a sj^mbol
(W. 69 K.) (See

168

No. 180) When com'oined with


it has only simple phonetic force.

^J^

haa^,

Flowers

yen^

to spend.

(See xNo. 22.)


-H- ts'ao^ Radical No. 3 40, grass.
J^ hua\ Phonetic, to change. (W. 30, D.)
Originally ft, was S fS, man tumbled
heels over

radical

head

i.e.

changed and

A feti^ was added.

The

enters into the composition of

When

(See No. 209).

ts'ao\

later the

character

^ /ao^ old.
is

added to

forms the symbol


that part of a plant which is
strikingly different or changed from the
/ja*, it

ft

for flower.

flower

is

other parts.
489 ^1

pp. That, the other, there.


ch^ih* Radical No. 60 a step, to go.
;

r^ p'i^ Phonetic, skin. (W. 43 H.) (See No.


224.) This is the 107th radical. It is
here used as a simple phonetic.
The radical -t going, is chosen for the
demonstrative pi-onouri " that," because
it is distant and one must go ^ to it.
Jtb t'su^ here, has _ih stop, as the radicalone stops and that object now becomes

"this." (cf491.)
490
ke^,
IJ

^^
Jj

To

cut, to hack,

to reap.

tao\ Radical No. 18, a

knife.

hai\ Phonetic, to injure.'

(F.

(See No. 37.)

97

E.)

(See

No. 436.)
This when combined with 71 tao^ is a
suggestive phonetic, as in reaping violence

has to be done to the standing grain. To

169

was

reap

meaning of

probablj' the first

this character.

491
jifc.

^^

(W. 112 A.)

t'zu\ This, here.

(Chalfant,
ih chih^ Radical No. 77, to stop.
Plate VIII.) Chalfant has an old writing

which represents a plant withered from


lack of moisture.

\^

(\

pP

Phonetic, to turn one's self around

is

identical

^ hua*, change, (W. 30 D)

the

The modern

(W. 26 B.)

21st radical.

writing of this radical

with

\^

but they are


" This
turn li " is

quite different in the seal writing.


Jifc

is

the place to stop Jh and

and Jh
a convenient mnemonic for
chiH' is a logical radical, as one going to
a distant object, ( designated as that,
there,) stops on arrival and may now say
jIfc,

this,

here

(cf.

Jtfc.

489).

492 iag-

advantageous.

pien*, Convenient,

1^^,

Radical No. y, man.


y^ J\^
ketJg'^, Phonetic, to change, to improve.
-^
jen^.

(W.
from
ping^,
fire
comes
a
41 A). This
0i|
burning a house, calamity. When ;^ p'u,
a right hand using a rod, a sign of control,
is added, the fire, instead of being a de^
stroyer, is a convenience, an advantage.
(See No. 226).

When
idaa

the radical for

is set

sol that

493 R^^

nH

suP,

To

man

is

added the

forth that affairs are adjusted

men

are satisfied, get advantage.

follow, to

accompany.

170

^\l^

^"*

Radical No, 170, a mound. (W. 86 A.)


In the seal -writing it represents a terraced

embankment

by extension earthworks,

einbankments,
suP, Phonetic,

etc.

to follow (W. 46 D.).

phonetic has

its

root in |^

earthworks about a

to*,

This

to build

city in order to be-

The tc left hand repeated indicates


that the enemy is in great numbers, and
siege

it.

that the action


the besieged.

contrary to the action of


In Pf (meat cut up) one of

the ;

replaced bx"

tso^, is

is

jou*.

This

may have been suggested on

account of the
mutilation of the vanquished
With the
addition of 3l_ cho*, the character indicates
following around the ramparts, perhaps in order to avoid being wounded,
!

(mutilated).
494

Ija

c/jiV,

77

li^,

To add

to,

(W. 53 D.)

to increase.

Rad. No. 19, strength, muscle.

(See No,

212.)

While n

k'ou^, occupies the place of the

has no phonetic value. The


give the order, P and if it
is not heeded follow it up with chastisement (muscular punishment) ij.
phonetic,

it

idea

first

is

495
p'ao^,

To

run.

tsa^ Radical No. 157, the foot.


pao^, Phonetic, to

This

is

wrap

made up

of

(W. 54

up.

B.)

pao^, a person

bending over to enfold an object (See No.


With the addition of E S- it means
80).
to -w^rsLp up. The primitive ineaning was

171

a simple phonetic, but when one runs the feet J may be


wrapped -gj in a cloud of dust.

gestation.

496

To

fei*,

pel*,

In

Sfe

the "Q

is

waste, to expend.

Radical No. 154,

shell, precious.

(See No.

88.)

*.ft

fu'*

Phonetic, not.

which bend

Two

rods,

bound together

in opposite directions, there-

fore opposition, negation.

In the charac-

a suggestive phonetic,to look


on valuables (money) as if they were of
no value thus to waste them.
ter SJ it is

497 J

fuUg^, Throtigli, universal.


cho* Radi6al No. 162, to walk.

i.

498 I3H
"

/^

(See No. 10.)

rafl^ Phonetic, blossoming. 5 ban, a bud,


opening flower (W. 55 K). The phonetic
of this phonetic is ffl with the addition of
5_ cho*, to go, the idea is that it is open
This character was on
in all directions.
all " cash " to indicate that it was current
coin, passing everywhere, M^7kp, A door screen, an ante-room, feminine
apartments.
men\ Radical. No. 169, a door. (See No. 5.)
(See No.
ke*, Phonetic, each, to be separate.

(W. 31 B.) This phonetic implied


separation and when the radical P5 men^,
272.)

(door)

is

added,

apartments

is

the

idea

of separate

obtained.

BAIiLEE, liESSON XVIII


499

A
lien-,

To

connect.

(W. 167 B).

172

cho^ Radical No. 162, to walk.

(vSee

cA'eS Phonetic, cart or carriage.

No. 10.)
(See Xo.

136.)

Without

lahonetic force.

The Shuo Wen

says that the character represents a string


of carriages moving along as if connected.

Thus the idea of to connect


Carts '^ moving leave a

is

obtained.

continuous

track, not broken like the track of a man.


;A|J^

3P

To

/an*,

-^

transgress, to offend.

ch^uatf Radical No. 94, a dog.

seal

a pictorial representation
(W. 134 A.) (See No. 424.)

character

a dog.

The

li han^ Phonetic

is

of

to blossom, expansion, erup-

(W. 55 K). (See No. 497.) This


combination of radical and phonetic is
very apt. What could be more suggestive
of heedlessness than a dog in a flower
garden ? unless it were a bull in a china
tion.

shop.
^^^

*aoS

To

fall

over.

J\^ jen^, Radical No. 9,


^Ij tao*. Phonetic,

The

man.

to arrive at.

original

(See No. 88.)"

meaning of this phonetic may

have been similar to the expression

"

The
liaugman's noose wiU be his end " as a
sword was used for executions, the man
;

is

prostrate

when

present meaning

by

the knife descends. The

may have

been acquired

extension.

\Yhen the executioner's axe


the

man

falls

M-

73 arrives


173

502

1^

"^

kati\

To

(W. 71 F.)

influence, to affect.

*t^

hsin\ Kadical No. 61,

j^

hsierf Phonetic,

A wound

all).

(W. 71 P.)

wound

lieart.

to bite (modern meaning

jr^

made by

J^

the

wu*, a halberd.

jgJt

mouth p.
//st?, is

by a halberd, the -dash,


being the wound. Where
k'ou^ is added,
inflicted

the character

by

is

used for a

wound
wound

inflict-

most
painful
therefore when ;6 is added it
forms an appropriate symbol for moving
the emotions. This is the character which
ed

This kind of

teeth.

is

used for physiological stimulation.

is

503

^^

>^

^*

^\

pr:

p'^^^f

f>Tl

By

the side

of,

others, border, lateral.

(W. 117 A.)


It is supposed to be two boats lashed
together so that they fonn a square
pontoon.
^ j[ p'ang^ Phonetic. A space with three boundaries.
The -i- shang^, is the top, and tlie
two lower lines are the side limits. The
radical : fang^, w^as added later, and it
conveys no additional meaning, as the
sides are the parts of the character on
which emphasis is laid. cf. M.
i.

jj

fang", Radical No. 70, square.

pi'' ^^"st, certainly.

)f}(
^1^^

hsiTi\

(W. 18 G.)

Radical No. 61, heart.

(See No. 18.)

This character has been so mutilated in


its modern writing that all of its etymology is lost but a glance at the seal writing enables one to understand the meanpa^ eight, forms the two sides, and
ing.
;

174

means to divide between these two strokes


is a dart.
The arrow must strike the
;

target in a certain spot, like the arrow


shot by WiUiam Tell. It seems primaril3r
to have

an

been

pointing

interjection

out a strict order. The placing of this


character under the radical for heart is

a mistake.
505

Though, even

suP,

^
^

chuP

-Radical

if.

No. 172, a short-tailed

bird.

(See No. 21.)

The phonetic of this character is not common, and is not found in the dictionaries.
Williams says the character is composed
of Pi weP, only, and A, ch'uti^, a worm,

and that it was a lizard. Others say it


is an insect iU w^ith a special head UThis
meaning has long since been lost, and the
character now means though.
506

JBii',

.^

>AC.'^^^

tt^

Yes
hand.

still,

nevertheless,

on the

other

(W. 65 G.)
huo\ Radical No. 86, fire. (See Xo. 482.)
Jan' Phonetic, dog meat.
From F3 jou^, and
i^ ch^uarf, dog. With the addition of the
radical for

was

fire

the character originally

used for roasted dog meat

now

as a conjunction,

used

sequently there

no

is

logical

but

and
warrant

it is

confor

its ijresent use.

507

Am

r
a sign of the past.
.

chP, Since

wa" Radical No. 71, without. (W. 61 C.) A


lame man wartg^, who makes an eifort,

175

but meets with an obstacle which he is


unable to overcome. While the above is
the radical under which Kang Hsi places
this character, it has nothing to do w^ith
it.
It is
chi* (W. 99 E), to breathe in,
or to swallow which is the reverse of
ch'ien*, to breathe out but as this is not a
radical it was placed under wu^.
Cf. 273.
(W. 26 L.) 6
hsiang^ Phonetic, boiled rice.
is a kettle, and the dash is its contents
U is the spoon with which it is eaten.

^^

(See No. 75.)

an endeavor to put into pictorial


form an intangible condition, and therefore belongs to a class of characters which
but here v^re have
is often disappointing
an exception. The ^ is to swallow. The

This

is

remainder of the character is boiled rice,


a mouthful or a meal swallowed is something finished or ended, hence it is taken
as the sign of the past.
508

=^ __
.HL
.

/2si^

^.

p
J^

.St

Pleasure, joy.

phonetic value.
it

and by

When n

k'ou'

is

added

Thus the character


and instrumental music,

stands for singing.

represents vocal

^^

(W. 165 B.)

k'ou^, Radical No, 30, mouth.


chou^ Phonetic, a drum on a stand, the P
representing the head of the drum. Above
are the ornaments. This phonetic has no

extension, joy.

ch'ueh\ Yet, still, to reject. (W. 17 H.)


cA/eF Radical No. 26, a joint. (See No. 42.)
It

has the idea of restraint, as

it is

part

176

The
meaning of joint may have originated
owing to this being only a section of the
of a seal,a seal prevents forgery.

seal.

^, -^

ch'iao* Phonetic, the upper lip

the flesh

above the mouth p Ivovi^. This phonetic


when "P chieh^ is added means to restrain
one's desires

more

to reject, because nothing

is desired.

We

speak of " keeping


" when undergoing that

a stiff upper lip


which requires determination.
510

E3

;?
;,

weP, The tail of animals. (W. 100 B.)


a person in the
shih^, Radical No. 44

P,

1^
I=

cumbent postui'e. (See No. 449.)


The phonetic in the seal character
773a o^ inverted

ten

is

it

but the scribes have writin the regular way in the modern
;

Inverted

character.

hair

re-

>

it

indicated that the

was growing downward.

511

huan^. Pleased, rejoiced, happy.

'K

Radical No. 76, to exhale


(See No. 273.)

ch'ien*,

to owe.

kuan* Phonetic, the heron. (See No. 428).


When a heron has just swallowed a
fish

it

emits

frequentlj^

satisfaction

and

f and to exhale

this

may

scream

be

why

of

heron

are used to express

rejoicing.

512
pien*,

queue

to plait.

ssu Radical No. 120,


pien* Phonetic.

102 H.)

^-

silk.

Two
hsh}

^f:-

is

(See No. 8.)

hsin^,

criminals (W.

composed of ^

/er/,

177

serious offence*

ing)

and

Jfc,

sbang*

("^

to ofifend one's superior.

old writ-

In the

two criminals are supposed to be


mutually incriminating one another each
accusation is met with a retort of the

phonetic

With the addition


of the radical for silk the character is used
for, to plait, as the two outer strands are
other's deeper guilt.

repeatedly thrown across to the opposite


side.

In

all

compounds

has the idea of

it

reciprocal action.

BALLEE, liESSON XIX.


513

Everywhere, the whole.


cbo* Radical No. 162, walking. (See No. 10.)
thin
pietf. Phonetic, a tablet, or signboard
and flat an inscription hung over a door.
(W. 156 D.) With the addition of i^

pien*.

cbo*, the idea of universal is conveyed, as

go where you

will,

the tablets are seen

over doors.
514
jaa^.

To

forgive, to pardon, to overlook.

shih\ Radical No. 184, food. (See No. 75.)


yac^. Phonetic, eminent, great earth heaped
;

on a high

base.

addition of -ft

With the
meaning was
Thus by extension

(See No. 77,)

shih^, the

first

the abundance of food


to forgive. If one has plenty
.

(the first
forgive
515

J4I

g of food -^

article used in barter) he should

a debt to one

ma?. To bury to
;

lie

in

in wait.

want.

178'

-j-

Radical No. 82, earth.

t'u',

(See No. 13.)

Phonetic, a Chinese mile; old meaning,

IP,

farm land, Milage;' ( W. 149 D. ) (See No.


339). Because ^uS is added, it is re'

asonable to suppose that the

first

use

was

These cut
for farming, only the

trenches for military purposes.

up the land as

if

trenches were deeper and longer.

M^

chun^,
1

To

allow, to permit

piti^, Radical No. %6,

exactly, certainly.

ice.

The

seal writing

represents the ice crystals that form

water

"

7K,

7^

when

(W. 17 A.)

is freezing.

shu?, Radical No. 85, water.

(See No. 79.)

shun^ Phonetic, a falcon, which always comes


to roost on one branch

and

moyements, swooping ipn

is

its

sure in

its

(W.

prey.

,168 B.) ?iisacontraction;of^. Thus*


shiin^, is taken as a sign of certainty.
Water 7jC or ice " js the most level sub-

Formerly ^ chan^,
was used as a syipbol for weighing the
scale pans were always {M shun^) even or
level (7jC shuP or 7 ping^)This old
meaning is obsolete^ ^ and the present
meaning is certainly, br to allow. The
meaning to allow came abo^t thus when
one applies for pferiiaission to do a certain
thin^, he must assemble reasons sufficient
to equal the reasons opposing this mode
of action before lie can obtain the desired
stance in the worlds','

permission.

517

''

3ik
Ry^C

_^

t'anP,

^ yen\

To

chat, to converse.

Radical

Nc>.'

I4^','^dfd^.

(See

Not..

10.)

179,

3^ yer^ Phonetic, flames riising. (W, 126 D.)


Flames that rise high. This is indicated,
as there is one fire above another. When
the radical

yet^ is added, the idea is


that in conversing words follow each
other, or pile up like flames>' and one be-

comes interested (warm) in the process.


(See No. 178.)

518 g^t^

^>

A' un^, Lest, fearful.

^L^
t)I

Radical No. 61, the heart.


A' MDg^ Phonetic, to take hold of, to undertake.
/js/'n^.

From

(W. 11 F.)

i^ l^ (abbreviated)

to take an instrument in the hand

order to do

work

taken a piece

of

519

who

has'

heart
under-

work

trepidation j5 bsin^ lest


to accomplish

in

When

kung^.

j6 bsin^, is added, the one

91 k'ung^ has
he will be unable

it.

_
buo*, Goods, wares.

pei\ Radical No. 154, money, valuables.

(See

No. 38.)
man changed to
'fb hua*, Phonetic, to change
When pei\ is added, the etymology
t;
is goods which ai-e to be exchanged for
;

money.
520 ^Hfc

IQ

bsi^,
*|

dtb.

^,

it^

To

Articles not for sale are not

regard, to love, to be

bsm\ Radical No. 61, heart.

^ bsP

Phonetic, strips of
(See No. 222.)

meat

sparmg

M-

of.

(See No. 18.)

dried in the sun.

These strips

of,

meat ap-

pear shriveled and worthless, but they


are nutritious.

With the radical for heart.

180

added the idea

one should be
sparing in the use of the prepared meat.
(W. 17 J.).
>& hsin^

'"'M
3C4\

To

shti^,

is

forgive, to excuse.

it^ hsin\ Kadical No. 61, the heart.

hn

ju^.

Phonetic,

like.

(See No. 18.)

To

(See No. 325.)

with womanly

speak

conformity to the

skill in

circumstances, and the disposition of the

man (husband)
When hsin^, is
ifjf

she desires to wheedle.

added, the idea

is

to act

with the higher impulses of


one's nature, or in harmony with the de-

in accordance

sires of the suppliant,

'"^mM

fu\
:f

To

return, to repeat.

ch'ih* Radical No. 60,


/u*

is

(W. 75
to

derived from

fortifications.

The

I.)

(See No. 10.)

step.

to return

Phonetic,

phonetic

forgive.

i.e.,

quarters.

^^

This

kuo^, walls,

seal writing

in the

and the two smaller


above and one below, are
the gates, each surmounted by a tower.
In the lower gate and tower are rechih\ to walk single file.
placed by
center is the city,
circles,

one

With the addition of ;f nothing is added


to the meaning thus the 60th radical is
,

here a redundancy.

was
523

mu*,

To

return to quarters

the original meaning.

grave.

-U t'u^ Radical No. 32, earth. (See No. 13.)


** mu^ Phonetic, the sun setting to disappear.
(W. 7 8 G.) The sun is seen through the
vegetation, $+ mattg^ setting in the west.

181

When

'u^ is added, the idea

corpse disappears in the earth,

that the

is

is

buried

in the grave.

^,

^
:;fC

wei\ Not yet, not. (W. 120 C.)


""* Radical No. 75, wood.
(See No. 36.)
The phonetic is a curved line in the seal
writing

and contrasting

this character

M^

with
mo*, the highest branches or
twigs of a tree, it may be that in ^ the
tree had not yet attained its full growth.
In ?fe the top or end is emphasized
In
it is small, hidden, not yet grown.

525

1^
4^

A^grave, a tomb.

ieii',

J2. t'*.

hS* "^

Radical No. 32, earth.


ornaments. (W. 78 F.)

fen* Phonetic,

vegetation, and

and

pei*,

shells.

shells w^ere the first articles

When dh
means a grave. When

decorating.

the grave

is

more or

# huP,
Plants
used in

added, it
burying the dead

t'u^,

less

is

elaborately de-

corated.

526

-r^
^1^

peP,

>^

shiti',

stone tablet, a tombstone.

Radical No. 112, a stone.

(See No. 42.)

^ peiS Phonetic, ordinary, mean. (W. 46 E.)


Originally this phonetic was a drinking
vessel which had a handle on the left side,
and which was held with the left hand f^ .

There was another drinking

vessel, the

was

used only for the sacmeaning, honorable. (W.


47 C). The^pei^, was a common, permanent thing, not something only seen on
dg:

tsun^, this

rifices,

hence

its

sacrificial occasions.

Hence

its

use with

182
;^,

to represent a permanent tablet,

of.

No. 477.
527

;;j^

^p

^
4n
41
^'
'

To. promise, to allow, perhaps. -C


(Seie Nbl 10.)
yet^, Radical No. 149, words,
^"^' Phonetic, noon. (W. 130 A.) Chalfant
and Wieger give different explanations of
Chalfant appears to conthis symbol.
form more nearly to the meaning imparted
/Isu^

by

sents a

pole

down through

is

a" is

that ones words

will be iulfilled,a

fcannot depend

i^(^

with

coincides

kai^, Generally,

on

is

for the

this

ridge

When

the gable.

When word

noon.

seal writing repre-

noon mark drawn from the

shadow
ing

The

this phonetic.

mark

added,

tlie

the

it is

mean-

exact ^, and
prornise which one
aSre

no promise.

most

part.

Original

meaninga striker to level off the grain


from the top of the measure.
(See No. 36.)
^fc mt^, Radical No. 75, wood.
(modern meaning
chi^. Phonetic, to swallow
since, already).
(See No. 507.) The
striker pushed off all the grain which was
higher than the top of the measure, all
;

cannot be held inside of the measure;


thus the idea of sum, general, average.
thg,t

529

'

^
i^, ^

AueiS
chien*,

Rvtle,

custom.

(W. 131 F.)

Radical Np. 147, to

see,

to perceive.

(See; No. 85.),;


fti\

Phonetic, an adult.
s/w'A*,

This should be

an arrow ^ee No. 100)

but owing

183

to the seal writing of ^/a^ and 3c shih^,


;being very similar (a*^ fu^
shih?)
was

for^. Neither of these phonetics has any phonetic significance, as


-the character is old, having been in
substituted

was

use before the system of phonetics

The

well established.

significance of the

was

original cbmbiiiation

in order to

one niust act as when

corifortn to rule

practicing archery,

observe, M the target,

according to reand adjust the arrow


quirements. To watch % the workmen
^, and keep them to the rules S.
530

huo^. Living, lively

niovable.

(See No. 79.)


s^"'""' Radical No, 85, water.
hold
in
one's
mouth; (W.
Phonetic,
to
iuo*
g&
114 C), abbreviated to =S she^. This
phonetic comes frbiii a different writing of

7K,

'

Sk tP

pronounced kuo^ fixed


kuo' the

In

257).

The idea

(see

No.

shih^ is deleted.

permanent
When water was added

that something

is

is

mouth.
this formed the character for living. This
in the

charactier

showed that the physical con-

ditions were early studied

P^

lively

'

lueh*.

'

ffi

is

Slightly,

mary.

;,

-<

they observed

that nibisture in the mouth was a sign of


health and life. A moist 7K tongue "S is

'

'

an easy mnemonic.

little,

Original

meaning

that separate every


'

in general,

(W. 31B.)
"59' t'/M Hadieai No. l02, a

a sum-

boundaries

# ko*, field H

fietiK

"

field

(See No. 82.)

^ ko\ The

PhohetiGJ eachj

every.

(See

original me'aning of B&

No.

272.)

was

liieh*,

but owing to the tendency of the


farmers to encroach little by little on the
land of their neighbors, it has obtained a
new meaning, of few, slightly.
logical

532

it-ff

H^

aiS E:?clamation of disgust, Alas

P
3t

k'ou^, Radical No. 30, the mouth.


This phoneai*, Phonetic, artemisija, a plant.
tic is made up of the two blades of shears
? (W. 39 B) and + ts'ao\ grass. It is
used here with A' ou* as a simple phonetic.

533

ya\ An

HJj

interjection.

k'ou^, Radical

No. 30, the mouth..


arlJa^ Phonetic, the teeth. (See No, 97.) It is
the 92nd radical. It is used here with
k^ovi^

as a simple phonetic.

BALLER, LESSON XX.


534 ftzL
jrj^

t^o

%,^

To

cast

off,

to abandon

to undress.

iou\ Radical No. 130, flesh (See No. 133.)


yueh, tui*, Phonetic, to exchange, to barter.
;

Original meaning, to dispel grief and give


pleasure, (See No, 72)

<

Shuo

Wen

tion,

but

if

one recalls

to throw off clothing

may
535

The

(W. 29 D).

does not explain this combina-

how

pleasant

it is

when over warm

aid in the writing of the character.

J^
yueh^,

/|V

To

bind,

a covenant, an agreement.

ssu\ Radical No. 12Q,

silk,

(^See

No.

8.)

it

18

Aj shao%

Phonetic,

No.

a spoon.

(W. 54 H.)

(See

6.)

The Shuo Wen

is silent

on

this character.

In order to aid the memory as to its construction one should remember that at
the conclusion of a treaty or contract
there are presents of ^ silk and a feast.
shad^, spoon, stands for the feast.
!

536,

chieh^ or ke^,

Jp'. IS

^ sT

To separate

divided

by a parti;

tion.

Radical No. 170, a moUnd.

(See No. 493.)

a large three-legged caldron a


(W. 155
statesman; radical No. 193.
A.) This being large, it differed from ordinary utensils and -with the addition of
a radical ^vhich indicates lofty, it forms a
character which suggests separation or a
removal from the common class.

ke* Phonetic,

'

^, ^g

shan\ Good, moral. (W, 73 D.)


k'on\ Radical No. 30, mouth.
This character, in

modern form, Avill


radical and phonetic.

its

not break up into


Kang Hsi has used P k^oti^ instead of b"
yet^, word, for the radical. It had its
root in a character composed of two b
chin^, to dispute.
yen^ characters, i.e.
It is now often written j^ and when #:

above ft it implied
yang'' was
that harmony or good feeling was restored after a quarrel. (See^^ i*, righteousAs this character was
ness, No. 471.)
w^ritten

"

complicated

it

was

abbreviated

present form by the scribes.

to

Onea

its

jen^

186

has been discarded, and the seal writmg


is partially followed in the one retained.
538 -gS-

j^^

o*,

Read wu*,

Evil, wicked.

it

means to

Radical No. 61, the heart.


(W. 82 H.)
Phonetic, ugly.

hate*

i^\ hsin^,

P5

j'a',

posed to be

It is sup-

two hunchback men

to each other.

When

heart

is

talking

added, the

person's heart takes the ugly characteristics, i.e., evil,

539

wicked.

-H- -M-

^,

He, she, it. (W. 70 C.)


paS Radical No. 12, eight.
cb'f,

Tnf-

/^

a
phonetic is a

-y- ch'i Phonetic,

the

object.

sieve,

(W. 70 A.)

The

pictorial representation of

In the seal character

the

bottom part of this character is % wtj*,


a stand, and not A pa^. This character
lost its original meaning, and is borrowed
for a personal pronoun.
540

rlfc?

'

peP^, Grieved, sorry, sad.

Radical No. 61, heart.


Phonetic, not. (W. 170 A.)

>L^ hsin^,
fei",

Radical No.

175.

This combination

not explained in the


Shuo Wen, but the etymology is not
difficult to trace.
It is something which
is not ^^ /eiS according to one's desire j&
hsin^ therefore it causes sorrow.
is

541

'f

^
^

sAangS To wound, to injure, distress.


Je^^ Riadical No. 9. a man.
shang^, Phonetic, to wound. (W. 101 B.)
To wound with a spear.
shang^, was

the original writing.

The

yang',

197

which, means to expand, glorious, the rays

^ of the sun, rising


i, was phonetic.
Now
the

fi

^ shil^, are
^ yati^, the

that remains of the

all

two

above

strokes, /-

radical

above the horizon

jen^,

takes

its

place on

the

left.

^^

To

she*,

forgive, to pardon.
Radical No., 155, a reddish carnation

ijfe ch'ih*,

color-

It

is

(W. 60 N.)
composed of iz

hud',

may mean
or it may mean the

pV

hand

66th radical.
significance.

Here

may

it

ofiicial
,

It has

red #,

To

rod.

here

The

43 D.)
It

is

the

no phonetic

It generally indicates action.

which an
petition for pardon

indicate the red,

w^hen the petition

mien^,

holding

marks on a
^to

543 jtt^
'Tf^

flush of anger.

Phonetic, to rap, to tap (W.


right

>fi.

the blush of

It

fire.

shame,
;fe

a man, and

ta*,

is

granted, to strike J^

pardon ^.

avoid, to escape, to remit, to for-

(W. 106 A.)

give.

(See No. 107.)

JLje^^ Radical No. 10 man.


This character does not break up into
radical and phonetic. It is old, and ac'.

cording to Chalmers

it

represents

a man

trying to hide himself by drawing himself


into

his

clothing,

thus avoiding being

seen.

^**

"a

fi

^^^'

(W. 165 E,)


a dish, although

interrogative particle.

It is .a

drum (not g

tou*,

188
is identical) which was beaten
with the left hand. The drum which was
beaten with the right hand was written
thus 5|. The upper stroke is the drum
head, the c> is the drum, and the -tA. the
Observe the character ^ tai^,
stand.

the writing

A dog it is beside himself when a


foolish.
drum is beaten. As this character has long
since lost its original

meaning, owing to

a drum being

this kind of

discarded, the

character has been.adopted for the above

meaning.
545

^^"^>

six

J^

To

dare, to venture.

(W. 146 H.)

P'h^ Radical Ko. 66, to strike.

The phonetic
able,

is

is

a bear,

a bear ^ i^. M neng^,


and the right part of

the character represents the paws.

But

No. 357).
pressed to

person

in : the

make room

who

paws

(See

are sup-

for the radical

has the courage to

strike a

bear, therefore brave.


546

cM, A foundation property.


;

-f

fu"",

Radical No. 32, the earth.

ch'P, Phonetic,

it.

(See No. 539.)

The Shuo Wen does not treat of this combination. As t'u^ earth, is below S

may

be that the inventor of the


character intended to show that the earth
ch'P, it

beneath it (a structure) is the foundation,


or the place where the foundation must
be laid

its

^ earth

^J^.

547
tu^f

To

oversee, to superintend.

.'.

189

mu\

g
qjj

Radical No. 109, the eye. (W. 158 A.)


In the oldest writing two eyelids and the
pupil are represented

was

later the pupil

suppressed.

M,, jft^ shu\ Phonetic, to collect ^ beans 7^. The


character is supposed to represent a stalk
/h of beans with two pods attached. This

meaning

now

With the addia


person who oversees the bean picking and

tion of

is

obsolete.

g mu* it

implies that there is


;

the character

now

used to

is

and is borrowed
younger brother.

mean

for uncle,

seer,

over-

father's

548
ktiai*.

't^,

*|*

Strange, to blame.

bsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart.

'?' ^ kuai^ Phonetic, to till the ground,


(W. 81 A.)
. over the earth .

a hand

The produce of the ground when

tilled

struck the ancient Chinese as remarkable,

and when the radical heart


the character

is

>6 is added,

used to convey the idea

of strange or abnormal.
549

Jdk

1^

shu,

comb.

mu*, Radical No. 75, wood.


;*? 'u^ Phonetic, a child being born, with long

'^^
hair.

(W. 94 F.)

From

:C

(W. 94 E);

the birth of a child, head presenting

the

most favorable position. In the above,


hair is added, and it is the striking part
of the character. With the addition of
the radical for

wood

:^ ma*, it forms the

character for comb, as combs in China


are

made

of wood.

^ = ^ inverted.

190
550

-^^

^"

To

s/^e^

give alms, to bestow, to part with, to

reject.

_^

^, T

shou^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

Phonetic, a cottage.

she*,

When

(See No. 53.)

(See No. 40.)

hand

the radical for

is

added,

it

forms the character to give. Beggars go


to houses in order to get food.
551 >a^, /tfK

PP, 0^

m/ag'*, Ivife

fate

destiny

a command.

(Wj

141.)
A'paS Radical No. 30, the mouth.
lin^. Phonetic, an order, a law. (See No. 61.)
When the order is stamped
it is
published or made known P an order

command by

or

w^ord of mouth.

552

ch'uaif, Entire, perfect,

^Hh!

all,

the whole.

(W.

15 B.)
;*.

Radical No. 11, to etiter. (See No. 35.)


As this character has been placed under

A ja*,

it is not now possible to break it


up into radical and phonetic. The more

plausible explanation

is

that

it is

compos-

A chi and X kung^. It is also writ^ and ^ the work X has been com-

ed of
ten

In making a chair or other


wheii all the parts were finished

pleted A..
article,

and put together

A the article is finished.

553

Ought, proper, respond,

ying^-*,

ji^
i'^\

hsin^,

Radical Nb. 61, heart.

ying^,

Phonetic, the falcon,

( V\

168

J.)

It is

fulfill.

now

made up

written

of

r yen^, a

house - here indicating domesticated - and


'^ cAti? and A jen^
a tame bird which
'


191
serves

man.

These birds have long been

With the
addition of heart the character means
to answer, or obey, to do what one feels
This meaning is placed on
iC is proper.
used for hunting small game.

the character as the falcon


sire

554

fo^,

^ij

ft^

the de-

of its master in seizing game.

Buddha.

J^jen^, Radical No.

fulfills

Phonetic,

rods or

man.
(W. 87 D).

9,

not.

bows

bent

so tied together that their

force is neutralized

for not.

Two

therefore they stand

^ man A

This combination not

may have been

by

selected

the Buddhists

in order to emphasize that

Buddha was

a supernatural being. Another writing


Western man.

555

is

^=MMA

m
S

^
g

yeh\

A final particle.

(W. 146 E).


(See No. 71).

er^ Radical No. 128, the ear.


/*,

Phonetic, a city.
tic value.

(See No. 11).

This character

is

bsieb^ arbitrarily changed.

was

the. name of

of Shantung.
erroneous.

now means

At present

these

ters are entirely distinct

a
556

su\

:^
'

said to be

It originally

city in the eastetn part

It

No phone-

depraved,

two charac-

M is only used as

final particle.

To

glean, to revive.

(W. 121 D).

growing

In the
head of grain is,
weight, hanging to one side

bo^, Radical-No. 115,

seal writing the ear or

owing to its
(W. 121 A.)

grain.

192

Phonetic, a

yff,

This is radical 195.


There is no explanation

fish.

(See No. 284);

any

of this character -which throws

light

etymology. To the present day


gleaning after the field is reaped is an im-

on

its

portant affair in the rural districts. It is


possible that formerly the fishermen left
the small fish after they had remoYi from
their nets the larger ones, but the present
custom is to remove every thing for them-

Both

selves.

fish

and crops $ when

dying for lack of moisture

may

be revived

by water.

To

ch'ieh\

(W. 33 A).

cut, to slice.

Radical No. 18, a knife.


71
(See No. 32). This
f> cA'iS Phonetic, seven.
may have been selected as the phonetic as
tao^,

the permanent, incisor teeth appear about


the seventh year and these are the cutting
teeth.

558

BALLEE, VOCABULAEY NO.

p'ing^,

J[,

vase,

a jug, a

IV.

bottle.

(W. 145
Chalfant on Plate XIV, has a very

T^a^ Radical No. 98, earthen ware.


A).

plausible explanation of the origin of this


radical.

He

believes it to be a pictorial

representation of the
Originally
.,>

^'

written

on the roof.
and afterward

tiles

changed to ^

ping'^,

two men with shields, marchby side, even, united. Simple

Phonetic,

ing

side

phonetic.

(W. 115 B.)

(See No. 235).


i9^
559

J^
^^' ''*'

Jiatig^,

"^o*-

Ju

(W, 75 C).

Clear, luminous, bright.

t'ou^ Radical No. 8,

a cover or

roof.

This character has been given a radica


which prevents its being divided into
radical and phonetic. There is an old
writing )l^,
and it is thus explained

A at the capital, m

The men

those

who

are advisers to the Emperor, are more

The present

enlightened than other men.

writing

of the

modem,

the upper part

character

is

relatively

from i^ kao^,
high, referring to the capital and man is
subs-tituted for the lower n in kao^.
The
etymology is the same as that of the older
is

writing.
560

r-;

:^,

P?
f^H
jf\^
iri

pin^. Soldier, military. (W. 47 D).


pa^. Radical No. 12, eight.
chit^, Phonetic,

A).

an ax or battle-ax.

The lower part of ^

is

(W. 128
riot pa* but a

kuti^ thus in the seal


writing two hands are wielding a battlecontraction of

iV

ax.
561
t'nfS

To push

^ MU shou%
^ chuP
;t

to shirk

to refuse.

Radical No. 64, the hand.


Phonetic, a short tailed bird.
(See No. 21).

No. 172.

Radical

The Shuo Wen

as to the etymology of this


character but it may be that it was suggested by poultry raising. When the feed

is

silent

surrounded by those first on the


spot, the tardy bird pushes and shoves

trough

is

until it reaches the desired place.

m
562 jfct

jb+

ts'&i',

i^

J.

Material,

stuff.

*. Radical No. 75, wood.

power, genius.

ts'aP, Phonetic, talents,

'

phonetic originally
suitable for

was used

building,

was adopted

(See No. 36).

for

its

for material

but gradually it
present meaning.

The upper horizontal stroke


writing,

the

indicates

of a tree

of as

size for

befiare it

wood.

Wood

t^saP.

stances :^

tree

building purposes

:^

when

is

is

of

spoken

attains to that

distinction it is referred
fire

branches

the second horizontal stroke

# t'saP,

ch^afi,

in the seal

large

the ground (W. 96 A).

proper

This

^^

to as

Financial pow^er

was one

of the

first

p'i'

is If

sub-

worked upon by man.

563
shou^, Ripe

^vi, Wi\

experienced

versed in

cooked

intimate.

^, X

huo\ Radical No. 86, fire. (See No. 47).


shu^ Phonetic, who, which, what but originally, a lamb of proper size and condition
for roasting.
(W. 75 E). The right side
phonetic
of the
%, ^ chi*, implies holding
the animal. (See No. 139) J, ^, Ch'un'
is a lamb large enough to be offered as a
present 0, to a superior bT. The writing
has bfeen' contracted to the present form.
(W. 75, ). With the addition of fire,
;

the idea of cooked

is set forth.

ae*^
.

^'

ku\ A girl.
;l^'.-jc
IC ^^^ Radical No. SS, ^^vjioman.

"S.'S

ia^r Phonetic, old.

(See No. 16).

(See No. 17).

This

is

195

simple phonetic.

(W. 24, F). It is not a


fortunate combination for " girl" in a
country where, formerly, a girl twenty
years of age and unmarried was almost
unheard of.

"^m

niang^,
-f/^

j^

f^

A girl, a woman^

a woman. (See No. 16).


good. (See No. 445). Because
this phonetic sets forth respect, dignity and
sagacity its combinations also partake of

itazj^, Phonetic,

same.
shih^,

i^TV, /i,

-f^

jjtj

a mother.

nvp. Radical No. 38,

To

Mother
lose

J^ is

to slip

a good

to

'Bk.

woman ic.

err.

ta\ Radical No. 37, great.

(See No. 113).


This radical was arbitrarily given to the
character and has no further use than to
it up in the native dictionIn the ancient writing a hand is

aid in looking
aries.

seen with the

which indicates slipaway or shooting. There is no resemblance, in the ancient writing, to an


arrow
as there is in the modern form.
This is an old character and it has no
phonetic.
(W. 48 B).
*\

i*,

ping

chan^. To rely on

-^JJ^

_4^

^
^

to fight.

Radical No. 9, man.


chan^, Phonetic, ten feet. Under the Chou
D3''nasty this was about six and. a half
English feet. When a man X is accompanied by a person of over six feet
in

jcti^,

height (revised

measurement),

assurance of not being molested.

F),

One can

A to' fight {t.

on fi a ten foot
^(W. 24 E).'^

rely

gives

it

(W. 32
3fc

man

196

568

M
''

Material; ingredients; to estimate.


tou^, Radical No. 68, a peck measure, a dipper.
(See No. 117).

liao*,

S^

ylv, 7|\ mi^,

Phonetic,

used of other grains.

rice,

The phonetic has no

No.. 47).

(See

phonetic

measured wjth a i|toif, but chaff and straw, on account of


their being of less yalue are not thus
measured. According to the make up of
this character materials of worth are ^
liao\
(W. 98 B),
Grain

significance.

569

7t

Jll

'Ctfc,

1^1

kung^, Public

yt

?\

fair,

just

is

male.

pa^, Radical No. 12, eight.

Because the two

parts of this radical, in the old writing,


are similar in construction and are not
united, it

was early adopted

as the symbol

for separation.

^^

^^^^ Phonetic, private.

presented a
itself into

was

The ancient writing re-

silkworm which has shut

its

cocoon.

used for private,

By

selfish.

extension

(W. 89

This symbol has no phonetic value.


character

^ implies

it

A).

The

the right division

of private J^ property for the benefit of


the public.
570

fu'-'S To

ftfc

spit,

to vomit.

tl

k'ou^, Radical No. 30, the

_L,

t'u^ Phonetic,

the

From mouth P
571

mouth.

earth,

soil,

place,

to the earth , to

local.

spit,

To hack, to chop to throw stones at.


shih\ Radicg,! No. 112, a stone. (See No. 42).
A'an^,

,;197

^^

ch'ien*,

Phonetic, to breathe out.

This character]
stone age

may

date

(See No. 273).

back to the

when axes wereimade

of stone.

and

If so the

combination

phonetic

appropriate?; with the steel

.
,

is

choppers often

'

make

of radical

ax

audible expiration

with every stroke how much more diflficult would chopping be if a stone ax were
;

used

572

m^ng^.

^ ^
jfe fi

hsi^*,

To dream a dream.
;

Radical No. 36; evening.

(See No. 14).

xnen^ Phonetic, dimness of vision. The g mu*


at the bottom of this phonetic is replaced
by ^ hsi^, evening, as dreams belong to the
hours of sleep Or the night. (W. 158 F).
Dreams are frequently hazy and indefinite,
consequently this combination of elements

573

is

not inappropriate.

ts'aP, Property.

B S
:*,t

pei*.

Radical No. 154, precious. (See No. 38).


powers, genius. (See
No, 562). This is a happy combination

ts'aP, Phonetic, talents,

of radical

574^^*

and phonetic as

it

idea of ability in the financial

^^

t'an^,

M
y^

To

covet

portrays the
line.

avaricious.

Radical No. 154, precious. (See No. 38).


(See No. 18).
cA/nS Phoneticj now.

pei*,

The emotion of greied which

is

excited in

articles.
the presence 4" of valuable
charphonetic
in
this
The
(W. 14, -H).

acter

and

is

the same as in No. 18,

its rather

is .the

same

in

nien*^,

unusual meaning of present,

both instances.

198
405 ifeC

mien*, Flour.

;,

'/"

mai^, Radical No. 199, wheat, barley.

This

made tip of 3}S laP, which originally was the character for barley, (See
No. 64), and jfc so/', a man who persists
radical

is

advancing in

in

This

obstacles.

sjpite

of trammels and

may have

been added to

indicate the gradual development of the


grain.

l5

Phonetic, the face.

raiea*,

here

^,

Its use

as a sunple phonetic.
to conceal. (See 122).

"Y nj/eu* Phonetic,

^p^^ ^Jr
-u.

is

(See 486).

sbih^,
jj

i*

form, a pattern.

Radical No. 56, a dart. This radical is not


looked on alike by all scholars. Some are
of opinion that

it

represents a nail or peg

a wall on which articles may be hung.


Still another theory is that it is a tally for
counting or ordering ; when this tally was
in

placed upon an article, this article


pattern.

was

the

Each of these explanation has

advantages, but no one comes up to all


requirements. It seems wise to adhere to
the first explanation and regard it as a

its

dart, as these must


fal

hare been very plenti-

owing to the state of civiUzation, and

not improbable that they were used


as tallies and as pegs. (W. 71, A).
kung^, Phonetic, work. No phonetic significance.
(See No. ,89).
Here the most
it is

"Tt

plausible explanation is:a dart, used for

a peg on which

is suspended

the article ordered.

a pattern

of

id9

^^

KS

y^flj^j

^^ g

/ti*

The sun

open, front.

Radical No. 170, a mound.

(See No. 493).

yang^ Phonetic, glorious, open out, a flag the


sun above the horizon fi tati.*^ ^ vnt*,
rays of light.
This is a suggestive
phonetic.
(W.101,B).
;

578

To marry.

ch'ii^.

5C, re ""*' Radical No. 38, a woman. (See No. 16).


Ga> c/i'u*. Phonetic, to take.
A hand ^ holding
an ear ^ . To hold by the ear, to hold
securely.
A betrothal in .China has been
regarded as more binding than the marriage ceremony in many lands.
(W.

146
579

*>^ (f^

jtm^y Appearance

Ilbll

F).

^^^ tniet^ Radical


i'^ ktt^

to allow

No. 40,

to endure.

a roof.

Phonetic, a deep gorge, a valley.

This
is the 150th radical.
The old writing
depicts two strata or ridges of rock, one
above the other and at the bottom a
mouth, a place where water flowed. This
valley is open and one can see all within,
jung^ there is a cover over the
but in
Here the valley is said to refer to
valley.
the depths of the heart, the emotions
which are concealed from others. Thus
the idea of to contain and to allow is

* ^,

given the character.

(W. 18 E).

580

^35

terrace a title of resipect.


Radical
No. 133, to arrive. (See No.
chih*,
337). The phonetic part of this character
kac^ and :t,}iL chih^. The former
is

faPf

^00

changed both at the top and bottom,


on the top the chih^ \j/ i^ plri.ced, which
indicates the summit, and M chili'^ replaces
the P at the bottom. This character was
constructed before they had definitely
settled on, the scheme of radicals and
is

^
;

,r

phonetics,

kao^ and :^

chih^ both

suggest" height but tieither aid

in

pro-

nuniciation.

Mi

a head, pendent things.


>K, rK raw*, Radical No, 75, wood. (See No. 36).
Ih /> shu^ Phonetic, a wing, which on account

of

being short, Tribrates rapidly while

in

o*,

cluster,

its

flight.

(W. 22.

A).

This

phonetic significance but

it

is

without

suggests the

movement and appearance of pendent


flowers in the wind. The modern writing
is

identical

with

75

naP.

582
ch'P^,

nu^,

wife,

Radical No. 38, a

woman.

(See No. 16).

The phonetic part of this character is not


used alone # and it is not given a pronunciation. It is a hand holding a duster.
It is not an old character.
The hand that
manages the household affairs is the wife.
The present form is a contraction of an
older writing.
583

A fan the leaf of a door,


Radical No. 63, a door, a window, (See
,No, 480).
yii^, Phonetic, win^s; plumes.
It is a represhan*,

&
.

hu*,
(.

sentation of a pair of wings or

two wing

201
quills.

(W. 62.;E),

In appearance

it is

suggestive, but without phonetic signifi-

cance.

fan or the leaf of a door re-

sembles a wing in that its attachment is


at one extremity or side and has a vibrating movement.
584

_
ch'ttang'^,

A window.

Radical No. 116, a cave.

/y

hsiieh*,

ch'uang^ Phonetic, a window.

(See No. 97).

There are-two
forms of the ancient writing, one seems to

grn^

be partly covered by a curtain or shutter

and the other has lattice work w^ithin.


The make up of this character indicates
that

it

dates back to the time

and dugouts were

when

caves

in general use.

585
tz^u^,

Compassionate.

jQ* bsiti^,

'

18).

gg

tzti^

(See No.

Radical No. 61, the heart.


''

''

'-'./

Phonetic, the fine velvety appearance of


luxuriant vegetation.
if

All this disappears

covered by dust or if there is a shortage


With the addition of heart the

of rain.

above beautiful

qualities are transferred

Compassion is that
is admired by all,
owing to the cares and

to the disposition.

quality of heart which

but

is

easily lost

w^orries of

life.

^^

586ift!6t

^
^

ts'ang^,

Wisdom, quick of apprehension,

clever.

Radical No. 128, the ear. (See No. 71).


When
ts^tttiU, Phonetic, the feelings stirred.
A.t is fearful" of being apprehended he is

ei^,

constantly lo jking out of the wind o

w @ to

202

(W. 40, D).

see if the officers are coming.

With the addition of the


idea

is

radical

^ ei^, the

to listen -with the same vigilance

that a criminal uses in trying to elude


The combination is fortunate but

arrest.

difficult

of application at all times.

BALLEE LESSON

'"^M^

Incense,

bsiang^f

186.
this

fragrance.

two seal
The oldest is

There are
radical.

XXI.
Radical

No.

writings of
explained as

representing the sweet odor of millet when

The other rethe mouth because

undergoing fermentation.
presents millet held in

the flavor
588 Jdl&

is

agreeable.

To pity.
bsm\ Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).
iin^, Phonetic, an ignis fatuus*
This phonetic
hen^,

^|

i^\

^^

has been unfortunately changed so that


the original idea is not portrayed by the
present writing. It should be ^. The
light is supposed, to be seen on old battlefields and is tbe result of the mingling of
the blood of men and horses. The light is
indicated by ^ ^ yen^, one fire above
another. The battle is indicated by ^
\

ch'uan^, to contend, as

variance.

two persons are at

With the addition of jfr

heart,

the character represents the emotion of


pity that one would experience on seeing

an

ignis fatuus if he believed it

ed as above stated.

was

(W. 126 D).

caus-

203

^^

^W

chitiy

Wme,

spirits.

>^,7)C sbu?, Radical No. 85, water.

(See No. 79).

yu* Phonetic, a jar for holding liquors. The


old writing is not a bad picture of these
jars.
When ^/ water is added to the
phonetic the character
spirituous beverages.
590

am
bu^,

is

used for

all

(W. 41 G).

lake.

y'./jC sbuP, Radical No. 85, water. (See No. 79).


H bu^ Phonetic, dewlap. This phonetic is made

up of old "S^ kt^, and ^ jou\ meat. The


dewlap is made up of a fold in the skin
and is tough, hence the idea of old or
tough

is fitting.

this character is

Its use as

a phonetic in

rather far fetched, but

dew on the

heavy the
dewlap of the ox plows through it and is
wet like the prow of a vessel in a lake.

when

the

grass

is

591
bsia^, Blind.

ma*. Radical No. 109, the eye. (See No. 102)This


bai*, Phonetic, to injure. (See No. 436).
but
signification,
phonetic has no phonetic
it indicates why the eye is blind, that is, it

had been

injured.

592

5
m
BB,

#1
^f

Itmg', Deaf.

Radical No. 128, the ear. (See No. 71).


Itmg^, Phonetic, the dragon.. (See No. 286).
^j^^ dragon is supposed to be deaf and
er*.

with the addition of the radical we have


a dragon's ear, or a deaf ear.
598

^^^

fext^y Pain, to

pain,,

to ache.

204

J^

ni*

Radical No. 104, disease.

This

is

in the

ancient writing the representatidii of a


bed v,rith a horizontal line at the top to
indicate the posture of

a person when

ill.

The dot on the top of this line has been


arbitrarily added by the scribes.

^^:^

tuB^, Phonetic, winter. (See No. 170). This


suggestive and very appropriate
is a
phonetic as the pain which is .experienced
from cold is very intense and there are few
persons who have not experienced it.
Pain beirig a pathological manifestation
the above radical is also a happy se,

lection.

594
ch'iieh^,

f"
An

Lame.

niS Radical No. 104, disease.

(See No. 593).

cAiaS Phonetic, scabs and ulcers. This phonetic

not found inmost modern dictionaries.


The idea of a swelling is set forth by an

is

addition

chia^ of flesh

jou*.

Most

lame joints are swollen and enlarged.


595
t'ii?.

The

leg,

the thigh,

M^
.

Sg

JO"*. Radical No. 130, the flesh. (See No. 133).


The
jg^ fui*, Phonetic, to retreat, to decline.
idea of to retreat seems to be derived from

the apparent

movement of the

sun,

^ each

morning it slowly J^ ascends until midday


and then slowly recedes. This is not like
Wieger's description (W. 31. C). The
162 radical added to the phonetic is a redundancy as it contributes nothing. The
limbs in walking go through the same
movement, each one is one half of the

205

time ddyanci-ng and -one half the time apparently, receding.


596

To reward,

shang^,

^
^ sbang*
pei*,

to grant

a reward.

Radical No. 154, precious.


Phonetic, a house.

(See No. 52).


estate,

(See No, 38).

(Archaic meaning).

Houses, which includes real

and money

represent all that

^ pei* are here used


is

of value or

to

what

would be appreciated as a reward.


597

nn

tz'u\

To bestow,

to confer on

an

inferior, to

give.

pei\ Radical No. 154, precious.


i*,

Phonetic, to exchange.
represent the

which

is

rapidity.

a creature
and moves with great

house

agile

(See No. 38).

It is supposed to

Some

lizard,

think that the idea of

"to change"

is dependent on the creachanging its colour to that of the


object on which it rests. The lizards in
North China have this power to a certain
extent, but it is not noticed when the
animal is in the house. With the addition
of the radical we have the idea of giving,
that is exchanging articles of value. If
the giving is always on one side it sooner
or later ceases. (W. 101 C).

ture's

598 <<<
tsai^,

i/^

\)\

Calamity, divine judgment.

buo^, Radical No. 86,

fire.

representation

of a flame in the old writing,

^^

J|| III ch'uaz^,

Phonetic, streams.

It represents

stream which is formed by the union of


other streams < I chuan* is a small

206

stream; {{ T^ kuai* is a stream which is


formed by the union with another stream.
The overflow of rivers is one of the great
calamities of China.

Fires are not very

common

in

North China

but at times they cause great loss of pro~


perty and < floods and iK fire make up
the character w^hich stands for divine
judgment ; as these are regarded as calamities sent from Heaven.
;

599
hsien^, Leisure, idle.

l^J

P^ men\

600

Radical, No. 169, a door.

moon. (See No. 43).


coming in through the
moonlight
The
cracks of the door and doing nothing is
taken as a symbol of idleness or leisure.

jaeA*, Phonetic, the

^
i'o*,

A lesson,

task.

q ycH^ Radical No. 149, a word.


ra

(See No. 5).

kuo\ Phonetic,

fruit.

(See No. 10).

(See No. 411).

To

so

use ones opportunities that the instruction

yen^ received

may bring forth results, ^

kuo^.
601

chin^.

^.^

To

plough, to

till.

The old writing resembles a harrow more nearly than


it does a plough.
It probably was a tree

/e? Radical No. 127,

a plough.

with branches so cut as to scratcE furroughs in the earth. .(W. 120 E).
yt ching^, Phonetic, a weU. A very necessary
part of a farmer's equipment ii| .North
China where irrigation is required for
niauy kinds of agriculture. Breaking the
.

207

ground and watering

the symbol for

is

cultiYating or tilling the

soil.

602

Aa^^ "To

call,

k'ou^, Radical
hsieti^

to halloo.

No. 30, the mouth.

Phonetic, to

chaic).

wound by biting,

all.

(Ar-

With the addition


mouth the meaning is changed

(See No. 305).

of another

from biting to

calling.

603
ch'u^,

%
^

To remove,

to do

away

with, to sub-

tract, to discount.
1$

-^

fu*

Radical No. 170, a mound.

yv? Phonetic,

I,

me.

(See No. 493).

With the
which means lofty

(See No. 40).

addition of the radical


the meaning of the character can be remembered by the following :If one extols
or elevates himself he is sure to be discounted.
601

chun^, Seed

class or kind.

ho^. Radical

M.

chung*, Phonetic, heavy.

No. 115, grain, grain on the stalk.


(See No. 556).

heavy end of the stalk


grain

(See No. 22).

hoi^ is

The

where the

M is found.

905

chuaag^, Serious; a farm.

^^
jfj^

,;

ts'ad" Radical No. 140, grass.

(See No. 22).,,

chuan^, Phonetic, strong. (See No. 355).


With the addition of the grass radical the
character is used for a farm or serious.
The lajtter meaning is difficult of explanation, but the first might be explained as
\

208

the strong
ts'ao^,

^
^

chia*^,

St>

luxuriant vegetation, ^^

of a well ordered farm.

Growing

grain*

Radical No. 115, grain, growing grain.

/^o^

(See No. 556).

a family.

cA/aS Phonetic,

With the addition of the

(See

No, 221).

radical

it implies,

crops for the family or household.

^i
J\ ^

607 ^1^

sheng^,

Si-

measure equivalent to one tenth of a'


ton* a peck, to promote. The old

writing of this character

is

similar to the

writing of the character for peck save that


it has an oblique line across the handle.

This

line

(^

p'hh,

is

supposed to

indi-

cate that one tenth part of the ton* has

been taken out. (W. 98 B).


Radical No. 24, ten. This by some is
regarded as a contraction of two con-

shil?,

tracted fives

Phonetic, a peck.

toti^,

This has no phonetic

significance, it only aids in explaining the

meaning of the character

in the old writ-

Why shen^

has the meaning of to


promote is not easy to understand, unless
this measure, being the smallest in common use, any change is necessarily an
increase or promotion.
(W. 98 B).
ing.

608

^
^IJ

F,

plough, to plough.

Radical No. 93, an ox. (See No. 50).


Phonetic, to cut grain, (archaic) profit.

niu^,
7i*,

Standing grain and sickle was adopted as


the symbol for, to reap. The addition of

209
iiUf:; ;

OX forms the character

for plough as that


animal was used for pulling the plough,
the use of which was a necessary step
before reaping.
(W. 52 F).

BALLEK LESSON XX IL,


609
sheng*, Remainder.
pei.

Radical No. 154, precious.

^S& &p: cheng* Phonetic, to curve

for

a boat B-

was
it

with

(See No. 38).


fire

the planks

In this process the plank

partialh' destroyed

by the

fire

before

could be bent into the desired shape, but

that part of the plank which remaineict

was now adapted to the


By adding the radical K,
idea

is

requirements.
precious, the

remnants are of
fy chot^ boat has been con-

set forth that

The

value.

tracted to

/3

in the

modern

writing.

610
sheng*,

To

conquer, to excel.

tj h\ Radical No. 19, strength. (See No. 212).


^^ cheng* Phonetic, to curve with fire the planks
for a boat.
(See No. 60y). In the process of bending the planks the strength
of the

fire

plus the strength

men's hands
of the

;tj

of the

work-

f^ overcomes the resistance

plank,

thus with the addition

of the radical for strength, the character,

to conquer
611

^pl*

k'e^.

class,

/2o^ Radical

is

formed.

(W. 47

J).

series.

No. 115, grain, standing grain.

(See No. 556).

^^

tou^, Phonetic,

a peck measure. (See No. 117).

210
It is

without phonetic value, but suggests

the idea of the coiner of the character.

In

measuring 4- toi^ grain %. ho^ each kind

was

stored in separate bins, and thus the

idea of class
612

m^

fe?,

To

the representation of a crane in flight


is

folded on itself

rests

on

this fold.

chiao^,

the

side.

by the straight

line

in

the

(W. 11 A).

center.

is

and the long bill


The pinions are seen
The body and tail are re-

neck

presented

^^^

This radical

Radical No. 183.

fly.

on either

613

set forth.

is

To commit

to,

to hand to, friendship,

(W. 61 D).
t'oa* Radical No. 8, above. Kanghsi says that
the meaning of this radical is lost. The
meaning " above " has been given it because it is always used at the top of a
intercourse.

-i.

The

chai'acter.

original or old writing

did not have this radical

writing
/u*.

it is

in the

modem

arbitrarily introduced.

This phonetic

Phonetic, father.

is

also a

modern innovation, having no connection


with the original writing, w^hich represented a man sitting with crossed legs,
thus each limb is occupyin:^ the place of
its

From

fellow.

commit

to or to

this the

hand over

idea of " to
is

obtained.

eK^_y;yj
chih^ He, she, it

sign of the possessive.

a stroke ti the left. (See


This radical having been ar-

p^ieh^ Kadical No. 4,

No. 176).
bitrarily

given

it

destroys the original

211

which was a small


plant y issuing from the ground
.
The
need of a character for the above process
not being great, and owing to its being
easy to write, it was adopted to represent

idea of the symbol

'
,

the meaning given above.


615

&fc
'PH

To make a

chieh^,

fruit
Tfl

^, ^

contract

to produce, as

a knot.

ssu\ mi\ Radical No. 120, silk.


Phonetic, fortunate, lucky.

(See No. 8).

This phonetic
is used

chiF,

is

made up

for

of

which often

shih*^,

shih* in the archaic writing,

k'ou^ the mouth.

To announce a

and n
fortu-

seems reasonable to believe that this phonetic has been


abbreviated from ^ chieW, to be level head-

nate

affaii:

ed.

or condition.

chieW

It

another writing of knot.

is

The abbreviated phonetic has as happy a


meaning as the older form but does not
aid in determining the pronunciation

When a

thing

The addition
plies

fortunate

is

make

of the radical

tying or making secure.

it

secure.

often im-

(W. 24 C).

616
hud'. Numerous,
hsi*

a company, an

associate.

Radical No. 36, evening. (See No. 14.).


to^ many,
The radical should be doubled
as its use here has no reference to the

evening or

much.

new moon but

to

many

or

(See No. 184).


(See No. 411).

io, Phonetic, fruit.

^ to* is combined with


idea of much

or

many

numerous as the

fruit

When

this phonetic the


is

brought

on the

tree.

ovrt

as

^12

617 ^J.

_^

ST

'^
-p

chi*,

yeti'i

plan,

device, all told, to reckon.

Radical No. 149, a word.

shih^, Phonetic, ten.

The

(See No. 10).

oldest form of ten

seems to be a contraction of two conthis was aftertracted forms of five ^


wards contracted to 4 and as this was
;

difficult

to

make it was

the shape of a cross.


acter

finally written in

This

is

an old char-

and the phonetic only explains an

idea without aiding in pronunciation.

If

a person can count "a yexi^ up to ten


they are able to reckon, to plan.
618

^*

To

ch'ang^,

k'ou^.

-f-

taste, to experience.

Radical No. 30, the mouth. (See No.


This selection of the radical is un-

17).

fortunate as

-^

it is

Phonetic,

shang*,

This

should

taken from the phonetic.

a house.
complete

(See

the

No. 52).
character,

but in the present instance the important


or distinctive part is not yet touched.
H,

chiW, something pleasant to the

tastcy that

which

the edict

of the Emperor.

may

is

pleasant to hear, as

be regarded as a

The

spoon

fc

p?,

and

the

lower
something agreeable to the taste held
It is
in the month, hence to taste.
fortunate that few characters in their
transition from the old, to the new writing, have undergone such destructive alterations.
(W. 26 K).
part in the old writing is -^ kat^,

619

chietP,

To

select,

to pick up.

shau^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

(See No. 53).

^^

chieh^.

Phonetic, to select,

phonetic

A paS

made p

of ;^,

hung on a

tree

is

tied to or

eight,

This

to choose.

a bundle
is added
written, one stroke on either
;

shu*,

to this

side of the bundle, to indicate that it

is

(See No. 569). (W. 75

opened or divided.

With the addition of the radical for


hand the act of selecting is more emphaticA).

ally
pai^.

flj^

:^ ^
/^^^

p'ti^

Tftr

To

brought out.
ruin.

Radical No. 66, to tap, to rap.

(See No.

17).

pei*,

The

(See No, 38).

Phonetic, precious.

object of this combination

is

evident, yiz.,

the result of hammel"itig sea-shells

is

their

destruction.
621

To

hsiang^,

To submit,

descend.

to surrender.

mound. (See No. 493).


(W. 31 F).
the 34th, radical ^ chih^, a man

fa\ Radical No. 170, a

j^

chian^,

chian^,. Phonetic, to subject.

This is
overtaking another, written

in

two ways,

above it is upright, the usual writing, and


below it is inverted. The idea of the
combination is, a suppliant overtakes a
man and prostrates hiinself in token of
subjection.
The meaiiing ot to descetfd is
set forth in prostration or inversion of the

suppliant.

The meaning of to submit

the above idea carried


prostration
o

,,

'

reader.
,

a, little

is

farther,

implies submissibtt or sur-

Wiegeir puts this character under

the 35th, .TAdicak

The

radical

fu*

214

added to

this phonetic simply complicates

the writing and as to etymology,

it is

redundancy.

622^
tr

su',

^'V jez^,

common.
Radical No. 9, a man.

Vulgar,

^,(ti\ ku^f Phonetic, a valley, a ravine. This is


pa* characters supercomposed of two

imposed one above the other which indicates a gorge of great depth, below is O
k'ou which stands for a water-course.
(W. 18 E). The addition of the radical
implies that the nian is a rustic from the
ravines or mountains, uncouth.
623 >ex&

OS
^

TM^ Like
-4^

*:

undecided

still.

No. 94, a dog. (See No. 424.)


In modern writing, w^hen used at the left'

ch'tian^ Radical

of a phonetic, the present form

is

used

in

order to occupy less space.

g^

chiu^ Phonetic, liquor.

tation

is

A.

liquor after fermen-

completed and the dregs have

settled, divided

pa\

were

If

the

Chinese,

a
thirsty dog ;;^ the resemblance to water
is striking, but the odor would cause him
colorless

liquor

to hesitate
624 %ft'o*^^,

JIJ

placed before

about drinking.

To support with

the hand

(W. 41 G).
;

to com-

mission.

^
rll

shoi^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

^t

t'o Phonetic,

(See No. 53).

a plant just appearing above


the ground befeiiring the cotyledons. The
stalk seems often too delicate to support

these first leaves

and on

this account they

215

attract attention

thus the idea of to sup-

by this phonetic. When


the radical for hand is added the meaning
of to support is changed from the plant to
the hand. (W. 33 B).
port

625

c/ju',

^^

shib^,

set forth

is

a pattern, a custom. (W. 82 D),


Radical No. Ill, a dart, an arrow. (See
rule,

No. 100).

]^

chu* Phonetic, a square.

This

is

an instrument

X kun^, the ordinaryThe square was the guide when


building or laying out a plot of ground.
larger than the

square.

When

^ shiW

pointed,

is

added

determined,

it indicates,

irrevocable.

apThis

meaning is derived from archery after the


arrow is shot one knows the skill of the
archer, as its position on the target
cannot be changed. Thus this combina;

tion
626

M&
/a*.

jgj^

is

used for established custom.

The hair

of the

human

piao^ Radical No. 190, hair, shaggy hair or


In the old writing it is the same
locks.
cVati^, long, save three strokes
as

are added on

long locks.

^, f^

head.

the right, these represent the


(Cf.

No. 131.)

pa" Phonetic, a dog led by a leash, by a strap


behind the shoulders and in front of one
foreleg. During the Manchu rule, prisonThis practise
ers were led by their cues.
from the
down
handed
been
have
may
dim past as the Chinese have long worn
long hair, dressed in different styles as the
dynasty determined. The long braided

216

looks like a leash and thus


phonetic was adopted.
(W. 134 A).
hair

627 >SK

A sparrow

ch'iao^,

or small bird.

172, , a

chui^ Radical No.

the

short-tailed

bird.

(See No. 21).

'^,

/|\ As/ao',

Phonetic, small.

It is

pa^ eight, to divide.


is

made up

The idea of to

of

divide

given to this numeral because in the

seal writing the

two parts

are identical

they do not touch, thus they suggest


Between these two parts there
is a vertical line.
This is an object which
is to be divided and as that will make it
smaller, this combination is used for small.
arid

division.

Add

to this the radical for short tailed

bird and the sparrow family has an ap-

propriate appellation.

(W. 18 N).

628
tiiao^,

A bird.

Radical No. 196.

pictorial

representation of a long tailed bird.

BALIiBE, LESSON XXIII.


629

Jfcfe
lii,

Toow,

to

drift.

(See No. 79).


7jC shuP, Radical No. 85, water.
t^u^
Phonetic,
position
a
fetus
in
the
easiest
/^

for delivery,

a head

viz.,

presentation.

to :fe 'a^ the delivery of a


save the present phonetic depicts a
child with long flowing hair.
With the

This

is similar

child,
:

r.li

addition of the above radical the character


is used foi:, the; current or the flow of a

>.;'

"
-

.river,

(W. 94 F).

21.7

'

630

Jk

kuan*, Accustomed to* practised

f
M,,

Radical No. 61, the heart.

hsln^,

vCi^

in.

(See No.

kuan*, Phonetic, long strings & haati* of cowries, g.

pei\ to pierce, to

to string.

tie,

The

sea-shells were kept on a string and only


opened when it was necessary to do so to
make change. Thus with the addition of
heart a character is formed which means,
usage, custom or experience. It having
become as familiar or common to one as
the condition of being strung was to the
cowries.
(W. 153 A).

'

631
tiao*,

f ,^

^^

To

fall

down, to

lose.

shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand

(See No.

53

(See No. 56).

cho^ Phonetic, high, elevated.

It represents a kind oi mast w^ith a


hopper shaped box half way from the
ground to the top. Manj' characters with
this phonetic have an ending like the
character under consideration, and it is
probable that. the phonetic has been abbreviated from one of these. The addi-

tion of the radical

632
lo^,

-^
|M

signifies, to
i^ if

ones

^ is not good a fall ^ is inevitable.

A gong.

chin^,

Badical Noi 167, gold or metal.

(See

No. 13).

sbou^

In climbing such a mast

fall;

hold

*^o^>

Phonetic, a net,

made

^
-

of silk

chuT^.

These

a gong and

sieve.

tni*',

net

int

wang'

ssu^ for catching birds

nets, in! shape, resemble

vvhen the radical which

is

218

used for

kinds of metal

all

character for gong


633

p'o*,

is

added the
(W. 39 D).

is

formed.

Broken, to break.

Radical No. 112, a stone. (See No. 42).


ri^ p'P, Phonetic, the skin.
(See No. 224). The
shih',

present form of
p^o* is quite different
from the old writing and this accounts for
the variance of the phonetic. (For old
form see K'ang Hsi). Although the combination of this character has been arbitrarily changed its present form is not
inappropriate: if one comes in contact
with a rock or stone, the skin is apt to
be broken.

634

.._
kuei*,

To

kneel, to

bow down

to.

Jg, tsa". Radical No. 157, the foot. (See No. 484).
j^ weP, Phonetic, peril, hazard. This is made up

from f^ weP, a man standing on a rock in


order to get a better view. When B.

means he
restrains his movements owing to the
height of his position and danger of falling. With the above radical the emotions
of one on a rock with a precarious footing
chieh^ is added, (See No. 42), it

is

given to the suppliant, he regards him-

self

"'=

Bp -^

er*.

Radical No,

126,

and, yet,

The archaic meaning


horizontal

stroke

164 A).
The use of this
is

(W. 59 H).

with apprehension.

is

is

still,

but.

the beard.

The

mouth.

(W.

tTie

radical as

above

set forth

said to have originated from the fact

219

that the beard

suspended from the chin

is

and the above connectives act as appendages for connecting together the various
parts of the sentence.

636

A garden,

an orchard.
fl weP, Radical No. 31, an inclosure.
J^ yuatp Phonetic, trailing robes. This is a
combination of :aK i^. clothing and
yiian^,

chuan^, to attach, to drag,

(See No.

at the end of a trace.


This is
contracted to "^, which is placed at the
top df the character, and ri which is

385)

placed between

and lower
parts of 3St i*, making ;g and with
the additional top
yuar^. With the
ra.dical which often means a fence, placed
around the phonetic we have the character for garden.
A garden with its tall
stalks and long vines gives one the imupper

the

pression that the inclosed plot of earth

has donned
637

its

long garments.

>^
^

iJ

'^

ta^ to reply, to respond to.


Radical No. 118, bamboo.

c/ju^,

he?. Phonetic,

union,

(See No. 103).

agreement,

The

bamboo, harmonize

(See No. 7).

joints of

-g-

ho^,

harmony.

chu\

or answer to

positions on the
and
stalk, as to size
shape. From this the
idea of to answer or respond to is ob-

each other,

in their

tained.

638

ggi^

^1^^

i ,^

To

sow, to let loose.


shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53)
scatter, to

2'20

saH* Phonetic, to pound J^ p'a^ meat ^ until


the fibres separate, like shredded hemp,

JH^

jjijli

p'ait

(See No. 24).

added to

this

scatter or

When

the hand

phonetic the idea

disperse

conveyed.

is

of,

is

to

The'

modern writing is quite arbitrary and it


only by consulting the seal character
that the etymology can be traced.
is

639

M
^-,

huan^, To

g
fi:

talk wildly, to

lie,

lies.

yen^, Radical No. 149, word.

(See No. 10).


g* huang^, Phonetic, wild overgrowth. This

derived from

^ wang^

(See No. 123) an

entering, in of the rivers,

When

overflow.

-*f

is

ch'uan^, an

^^^

ts^ao^

added it
of weeds or
is

an overgrowth
vegetation on
wild lands.
When word a" is added it indicates wild,
indicates

worthless

640

worthless talk or

lies.

(W. 12J).

wa", M^ilitary, warlike.

Jh

chih^,

^i^

Radical No.'TT, to stop.

(See No. 10).

ko\ Phonetic, halberd. (See No. 2).


For
some unaccountable reason the stroke
'

across the handle of the halberd has been


placed above the

the

(W. 71K).'

left.

The

:3c who stop Jh the hostile


thus allowing the people to

lancers

incursion,

horizontal stroke on

proceed with their peaceful occupation.


641

J.

t'i\

To

shave.

U 71 tao\ Radical No.


.

ti*,

IS,

/.

(See No. 37).

wound on a spool. (See


The hair grows as;if it were

Phonetic, a thread

No. 86).

knife.

221
"

642

being unvvowild from a hidden spindle and


the idea of to shave was set forth by
placing a razor 7J tao^ by the side of this
phonetic.

,^

cb'iijg^,

y,7^
R.

m.

Clear, pure, correct, as

an account.

shaP, Radical No. 85, water. (See No. 79).


ch^ing^, Phonetic, light green, the color of

sprouting vegetation.

As

(See No. 63).

the tips of recent sprouts are translucent,

they are regarded as being pure and with


the addition of water, which

is

trans-

parent, the character for clear is obtained.


643
/aH^, Blue, indigo.
H*,!''!'

(See No. 22).

ts'ao% Radical No. 140, grass.

to watch.

chien}, Phonetic,

(See No.

294).

This is a simple phonetic and consequently


has no logical explanation.

614

tt

hsin^. Nature, disposition, a quality.


'^

J^

^C^ bsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).
sbeng^, Phonetic
to grow, bear, produce.

A plant that grows more


and more. A whorl w^as added to ili 5l
showing increasing growth (W. 79, B, F).
When t bsin^, heart, is added the
Radical 100.

character

is

used

for

the

natural

in-

clinations or desires of the heart.


645

cbia^, Tools, furniture.

>f

,^

jin^.

Radical No. 9, a man.

chla^, Phonetic,

is

a family.

(See No. 221). This

an unauthorized character and

found in the old dictionaries.

{explanation

is

what

man ^

is

not

The only
jet^,

sup-

M cbia^

with tools and


furniture are necessary in the home.
ports his family

m^^

buo^, Tools, furniture.

4 yv

jen^,

/^

huo*, Phonetic,

jt'^

Radical No.

a man.

9,

A pictorial representation

fire.

of a flame of fire.

This, ik like No. 645, is


an unauthorized character. It is supposed
to have originated from the expression
-^rKl^^'X. ten men make one mess or fire.
The mess includes the utensils for cooking.

"^m

fif,

^^i".

square cloth for tying up bundles.


(See No. 51).

Radical No. 145, clothes.

fu^,

Phonetic, to hide, to stoop.

This

is

com-

and dog, it- It was first


posed of man
used as the character for, to ambush, a
man ^ assuming the posture of the dog
it in

With the
becomes a sug-

order not to be seen.

addition of

?, cloth, it

gestive phonetic, because it surrounds the


articles inclosed,

^hides them.

BALLEE, LESSON XXIV.


648

^^t

M.inl

exhaust.

chm^.

All, entirely,

rnin^,

Radical No. 108,

dish.

pictorial representation of

This

is

a dish with a

pedestal such as the Chinese often use at


feasts.

^.

cbiti*

Phonetic, ashes which remain after the

This phonetic, in modern writing,


has one less horizontal stroke than in the

fire.

ancient writing.
for the use of

It is difficult to account

cA/q* as

a phonetic

in

223

^K Kuei Shih Shuo Wen


has the most plausible explanation he
says that H is a contraction of ^ hsiii^

this character.

and 'X huo', fire. Thus when the fire


has consumed the fuel, its force is expend-

fuel,

nothing remains save the ashes. The


radical JDL min^ indicates the stove. It
might have been a brazier for holding

ed

coals for

warming

the hands of scribes

;$:.

649

To

A'o^

thirst, thirsty.

^,7jC sbui^ Radical No. 85, water.

a' ji

hd" Phonetic, to ask.

(See No. 79).

the addition of the radical the idea

To

ask

for

With

(See No. 271).

water

7jC

is

because one

is

thirsty M.
650

hsieh^. Vicious,

depraved, heterodox.

(See No. 11).


i\ Radical No. 163, a city.
nl Ja^ Phonetic, tooth. (See No. 97). This is
a conti'action of the original phonetic ^
hsieti', a garment like a buskin w^hich
wraps around the legs, a,wry. The con-

g,
'

traction has deprived the character of a

proper phonetic.
this

was

the

The

name

radical added

to

of an ancient city in

Eastern Shantung. The city may have


Owing to the
had a bad reputation.
original meaning of the phonetic being,
this character has been used for
awry,

depraved or hetrodox.
651
t'ing',

A .\jen^
*^,

To

stop, to delay

Radical No.

9,

Phonetic,

t'ing^,

suitable.

a man.

(See No. 5).

pavilion, terrace.

This

is

224

W ^a6\

ting^, a
high, and
the
lower
combination,
person.
the
p,
of the ^ao* is deleted. With the addition
of the radical
the idea is
When a ^

formed of

Ifi

man comes

^ -while
:

to a pavilion

on a

journey, he will stop, ff to rest.

652

M.l^M M. chien\ The shoulder.


jou\ Radical No. 130
1^ ^
Phonetic,
door.
jg

/zu*.

meat.

(See No. 133).

(See No. 5). A glance


a
at the development of this character will
reveal why ^ Au*, a door has b?een added
it has gradually been substitiited for a
curved line which represented the arm.
;

Because this line was only used for this


one character, its form was not easy to
remember; first P shih^, a person in the
sitting or reclining posture, was substituted, and afterwards it was changed to ^
ha\ This shows that early in the development of the written language, unusual symbols were gradually replaced by
\

those in
expense,

common use and this


in many instances,

etj-mology.

The

facility

oft recurring elements

changes.

too at the
of logical

of remembering

brought about these

The ^ represents the

about the shoulder

joint.

In No. 361, P
in farm-

ba* is referred to as " a farmer "

ing the shoulder of

muscles

man and

beast must

be strong, the former for carrying burdens


and the latter for pulling the plow. This

may

aid in remembering the combination.

653

yuan\ To be

willing, to be desirous of,

a vow.

225

"S

yeh*, Radical No. 181,

archaic meaning

is,

leaf of

a book, the

the head.

(Se^-

No.

105).

]^, J/U

yiiati^.

Phonetic, a spring.

It is represented

as gushing out from a

hillside

han*, or

a projecting cliff. The little dot at the top


of /t\ ch'iian^, and the short horizontal line
are the springs and the other lines are the
rills which are fed by them, (See W. 125
F). ;^ yeh* is here used to represent the
brain or the soul that which issues fiom
;

the soul are desires and aspirations.


654

1^
T^f

chiang^'*,

>]*

flPi,

To

take, to hold.

Radical No. 41, an inch


ing, a hand.

ts' an*,

archaic

mean-

li.fl chlaiJg^, Phonetic, three archaic forms of the

character under consideration show its


development. The first one is a meat-

block and meat. The second is the same


plus salt and the last is the first plus the
for preserving the meat.
pickle or brine

The modern character

is

series plus -^ ts'un*, the

the meat and places


(W. 127, B).
block.
655 /tdt

.,

tai*,

^
Mf
^^' ^
-Fr.

_
To

treat, to

..

wait

the

first

of this

hand w^hich takes


upon the meat-

it

for.

(See No. 78).


ch'Jh\ Radical No. 60, a step.
place
where
court,
a
the law
ssu*. Phonetic, a

-^ rule

is

constantly iH (continually as

the growth of a plant), applied. (See No.


This phonetic has no phonetic
125).
value, but it sets forth the way one should

226

tr^at others, viz

The

propriety.

6onstantly%.ccording to

radical

appropriate, but

is

not particularly

serves to distinguish

it

the character from others which have the


same phonetic. Characters which have
this radical generally indicate action.

^J
IJ

bs'mg^,

IT/)

To

punish, punishment.

Radical No. 18, a knife. A pictorial


presentation of the instrument.

Tt 9^

tao^,

ch'ien^ Phonetic,

"^"l"

balanced scale pans.

two

seal writing represents the

This

as being even.
phonetic,

ching^,

was not

a well

re-

The

objects

the original

is

the archaic

writing and this accounts for the pronunciation.

The

was

well,

of a plot of ground

squares and farmed

in the centre

divided

by

into nine

eight famihes, the

central square w^as farmed for the state

by the joint labor of the eight families.


The well being in the centre, w^as where
all

pubUc functions were attended

to.

The

knife indicates that punishment, generally

decapitation, w^as inflicted.


657

To
wau^.

fa^,

^,

fine,

to punish, punishment.

Radical No. 122, a net.

(See No. 38).

There was a mistake made in putting this


wang^, as it destroys
the phonetic which was ^ li\ to blame or
accuse one M with a fault and thus,
entangle I^ wang^, them.
To this is
character under

added the
torture.

knife

which

is

an instrument

of

227

658

To

go astray.
i_ cho^ Radical No. 162, stopping and starting.

J^

tap,

*^*

deceive, to delude, to lead or

(See No. 10).

TN

mP, Phonetic,

(See No. 47).

rice.

There

is

older writing than that referred to in

still

No. 47*

This depicts nine grains of

without any

rice

them as
they are identical in appearance it would
be impossible to keep track of any one
grain if their position were disturbed. It
5:>

may
rice

lines dividing

be that this

was adopted

was

why

the reason

as the phonetic of this

character.
659 -^
if*^

huo*,
i^\
-dg?

To

doubt, to mislead.

hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).


huo*, Phonetic, an appanage, or feudal holding
(archaic meaning).

(See

No.

70).

As

had no boundary there


must have been continual strife between

these appanages

barons of contiguous regions, as one could


never be sure on whose territory he was
when nearing the imaginary boundaries.
Add heart to this phonetic and we have a

good symbol
660 CSSt

lili)

jp

for " to doubt."

wang^, The full moon to expect, to hope, to


look toward.
(See No.
yueh*. Radical No. 74, the moon.
;

43).

^_J^

wang^ Phonetic, (abbreviated), a solemn imThe explanation of this


perial audience.
phonetic

when

is

that the minister

ctieti,

in the presence 5. of the sovereign,

received light from

him as the moon

228

from the sun. The E ch'en^


is
deleted and Cl wang^, destroyed or
ruined, is substituted. This is a very old
character and the absence of the radical
does not leave a definite phonetic this
receives light

is

because the character

was

in use before

the principle of radical and phonetic was

(W. 81 G).

adopted.

JQ2>,

chi^.

ix^

Anxious, hurried, urgent.


Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).
Phonetic, to catch up with.
(See No.

i> hsin",

S
^''^
"ft

c/^J^

324).
This phonetic indicates a person running
after another and laying hold of him a
;

situation requiring haste

and with

the

addition of the radical for heart w^e have


the feelings of the pursuer set forth, he

is

fearful lest he will not be able to overtake

his

man.

662
hsieh^,

ch^ieti*,

To

to stop.

rest,

Radical

No.

76,

to

owe,

to

lack

archaic meaning, to exhale, to breathe.


(See No. 273).

J^

ho''

Phonetic,

an old

why ?

(See No. 271).

etymology
breathing

is

reading of this character i^ as

now obsolete. The


why not stop for a

"i2o^" but that

6B3

There

is

is

spell ?

Sweet, pleasant.
"H* kan\ Radical No. 99, sweet.
"^ she", Phonetic, the tongue.
t'ien^,

(See No. 23).


(See

No.

73)^

229

This phonetic has no phonetic significance.


The old writing of this character was
@. The present writing conveys the idea
of sweet owing to the adoption of the

above

radical, viz., that

to the tongue,
664

is

sweet

"fr

"S".

suan^, Sour, acid, grieved.

yu\ Radical No. 164, wine.

^^

ifc

1=

This

is

com-

posed of JiJl g P, the exhalation of the


breath and ^L J^ jenr, man = ;fc ^ yun^, to
consent and
^ sui^, to walk slowly.
It is probable that the acid was obtained
by a process of fermentation and as this
is a slovsr, steadily advancing condition,

the present phonetic


q>|V

(See No. 589).

walk slowly.

tsun^, Phonetic, to

665

which

mo^,

To

shoti',

is

appropriate.

smear, to rub over, to wipe.


64., the hand.
(See No.

Radical No.

^^, n\ md^, Phonetic, the tips of the branches of a

The

tree.

horizontal

line

indicates the

part of the tree referred to just as in


the lower
the character i^ pen^, root
horizontal line does the same. With the
;

addition of hand, which generally indicates


motion, the character for rubbing Jfe is

formed.
ch'iang'.

To

take openly by

force, to

snatch or

grab.

^ shou\

Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


This is a conts'ang^, Phonetic, a granary.
traction of

shih\ food.

(See No. 75).

230

The lower part

is

deleted to

make room

P weP, the store-room for grain. The


granary was the most important asset
which the farmer possessed, it was his
money, it was his very life, therefore he
used all diligence in guarding it. When
for

the radical for hand

added it implie^s
hand of a forager or robber removing
grain by force.
is

the
the

667

ch'eh\

,^

To

receive, to meet, to accept.

shou^ Radical No. 64, the hand.

^,^ ch^ieh\

(See No. 53).

a culprit.
meaning of this

Phonetic, the daughter of

(Archaic).

The modem
a concubine.

composed of ^ kati^, fault, crime, against a


superior Jt
shang*, and
ft hu* a girl
or daughter. Children of offenders were
appropriated by officials. With the addiphonetic

is,

This

tion of

hand

is

this

was

first

used for the

taking of a concubine from among the


daughters of the vanquished but it now
has no restrictions and simply means, to
take, or receive.

668
lieti^,

^'^

^, 11^

screen.

chu\ Radical No. 118, bamboo.


lieti^,

(See No. 7).

Phonetic, the roof and wall ol a house,

frugal.

(W. 121 K).

From

r T J'^"^

roof or shelter, and M.


chien^, stalks of
grain held together by a hand, corn stalks

bound together to form a wall. When the


radical for bamboo is added to this
phonetic

it

indicates the screens which are

231

made

669^

the size of straw and

Suddenly,

//iji^

'C^

hsin

^ "^

^'"^

together.

all

at once.

Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).


Phonetic, a flag of three pennons attached

to a

woven

ym
iV^S

670

of bamboo, split into strips about

Used to signal a negative


reply.
When the heart is added it indicates that the action was not intentional
but^nstinctive, sudden.
(W. 101 A).

staff.

A slave girl.

ja^,
koti^

6, a barb.
no phonetic to this character
owing to its being an old symbol which

Radical No.

There

is

cannot be broken up.

a forked

stick

abbreviation of

Some take

others think
;4c Hi

it

to be

was an

it

mu*, wood.

Slave

wear their hair in two tufts, wrapped with a cord, which stand up from the
girls

head and, with the body, resemble the


character
671

ya^, therefore

a slave

girl is

called ygHjra^ t'ou^.

jjj[

To mete

out words, to give a command.


A'oa^ Radical No. 30, the mouth.
fen\ Phonetic, to divide.
(See No. 181).
iiti^,

As

with -^
seems to

this Phonetic is frequently used

ke?, to give, the phonetic itself

infer giving, after the division is

therefore

tion with

^ /en* implies the

A'ou^, the

made

mouth, in combinaseparation of

an order from ordinary speech and giving


the same to the person addressed.
'''''';

672 ntX^
'ia\

'

''

To

'"

give a

Command.

232

/^

Radical No. 30, the mouth.


Phonetic, to give. This represents two
men, the one on the tight is only the hand

pl

A'o*,

?)3

fa*,

of a
is

man

"^ giving something, (the article

not pictured), to the man A on the left.


k'ot^, the mouth, is added it

When n

indicates the giving of

a command.

BAIjLEE, liESSON XXV.


PJJ

Eh

yin*,

To

to stamp, an

.print,

official

seal,

stamp.

chieh^,

Radical No. 26, a joint' or

(See

seal.

No. 42).
)|^ f?T~

chad', Phonetic,

the right hand.

This

is

pictorial representation of the right hand,

palm down and

resting

on the

tips of the

an old character and the


phonetic has no value as such,- but it
indicates a hand pressing a seal. It also

fingers.

may

This

is

indicate the use of the imprint ot

finger-marks as a seal. The Chinese have


long used finger-prints on bank notes.

With the addition of a

joint, or seal

have the character for the

we

latter.

674 -*ihui^.
J(*

Ul

Ashes, dust, lime.

Aao^ Radical No. 86, fire. A


sentation of a flame of

pictorial reprefire

in the old

writing.

^,^,

^ ya*, Phonetic,

the right hand, (Archaic).

has no phonetic
bination

was

significance.

first

It

This com-

used for ashes

the

product of fire w^hich can be handled.


Limestone, is burned and converted into

233

lime and this can be handled, but

to contain

said

which

fire

is

it is

apparent

"when brought in contact with water.


675

:^ ^K
^R, Tw

rH

P^^s^ To

help,

class,

guild.

Radical No. 50, a cloth, a kerchief.


No. 143).

chin^,

^ ^^ pan^.The ^

Phonetic, a

leafy

fen^,

bough.

is

a region, a country.

fief,

a primitive representing

The

|5

part

is

the

part

is

the seal which

official

residence.

(See

The ^

f*

residence
is

city,

the upper

and the lower

kept in the

represents the

official

wooded

tracts surrounding the official residence.

The

oldest writing of this character

was

with ^ po*, silk, wealth. From Q paP,


white and rlJ chiti^, a cloth, a kerchief, or
rolls of silk which are still used as legal
tender in Mongolia. Thus the help which
the emperor recognized was the financial
aid received from his nobles.
676

JL
I

f
r*^

tnan^. Hurried, in haste, busy.


i^ hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart,
(A
'^

vrang^, Phonetic,

(See No. 18).

to hide, lost, to die.

(See

No. 123).
To lose ones senses because of pressure of
duties is the etymology. This would be
sufficient to enable one to remember the

composition of the character were it not


for <^ wan^, to forget, being made up of

same radical and phonetic in the case


"
hurried," tC the heart is at the side
of

the

and

it

may

the radical

aid in recalling the position of


if

we

recall the expression

234

" Hurried until he

case of to forget

is

.^>

beside himself." In
" That has dropped

entirely out of mind."

The heart has

dropped to the bottom of the character.

To

cbu\

,Jf

^,^
R Q

aid, to help.

U\ Radical No. 19, strength. (See No. 212).


tsu^ ch'ieh^ Phonetic, a small stand used at
sacrifices (archaic)

The lower strbke


parallel strokes

is

moreover, also.
the ground, the two

above are rungs.

In the

sacrifices for the dead the apparent idea


is

to do a favor to the departed, to aid

them, but this requires utensils J[. tsu^ and


perform the
;tl li* strength in order to
ceremonies according to prescribed rules.
678

drawing, a picture.
pg t'ien^ Radical No. 102, a
hua^,

representation of a
-,

field.

pictorial

field.

J"* Phonetic, to trace hues, to draw. (See


No. 7). The radical and phonetic do not

compose the whole character


stance "as
inclosed

formerly

the

EQ

in this int'ien^

was

with a p weP, but this has been

reduced to one stroke and that

is

at the

bottom of the character. This phonetic


has no phonetic value, it indicates how
dravving is accomplished, by showing a
pdncil tracing the boundaries of a field.
679

Cheap, mean, worthless.


pel*, Radical No. 154, precious.
(See No. 38).
chiett^, Phttnetic, to destroy, narrow, small.
(See No. 13). This phonetic is generally
chien^,

^
^

235

attached to characters which have the idea


of small or mean in this instance the
;

meaning

is

cheap, mean, worthless.

interpreted
680

A^
iH^

so^,

The

with the phonetic can be

radical, here,

:the value

is insignificant.

lock, to lock.

chw\ Radical No. 167,

gold, metal.

(See No.

"

13).

'^ so^ Phonetic, a small /h object not la:rger than

a cowrie,

^ pei*.

These small shells were


also used as money. With the addition
of the radical, metal, the combination is
used to represent a lock, a small metal obIt is a safe preject, round like a cowrie.
money
under
lock and key.
caution to keep

W^

To

pao^,

eat to the

s/z/A^

pao^, Phonetic, to

full,

satiated.

Radical No. 184, to eat, food.

(See No.

75).

wrap

up.

(See No. 327).

When one

has over eaten he realizes the


aptness of this combination, the stomach
feels as if it had difficulty in surrounding
its contents.

682 T-f,

kung^, Merit, efficacy, good results.

y/

^
-r

Radical No. 19, strength. (See No. 212).


kuvg^. Phonetic, labor. (See No. 89).
This is not a bad combination to fulfill the

li\

idea of efficiency

one must work and

exercise all the energy available in order

to be

efficient.

683

^^

lao^,

li\

To

toil,

to suffer, weary.

Radical No. 19, strength.

(See No. 212).

236

yin^, Phonetic, the light of many lamps in a


^miSa house. (W. 126 F). There is
but little phonetic value in this symbol,
but there is much significance as to the

meaning of

the

with

night

to toil

to labor through
light.
This
at the bottom to

artificial

phonetic loses the

ik.

give place to 4;he radical.

U
SPt opj
Ji

684:

\|l.fc

i^u',

A drum,

to drum, to arouse

207

No.

it is radical

A drum

bulging.

3.

chot^,

beaten by a hand holding a stick J^ pW.


The lower part of cbou^ is not
tou^, as
one might think, it is a drum placed on a

The straight line above the drum


is the skin and all above this line is supposed to be ornaments.
(W. 165 C).
stand.

Written

^^^

^ ^A
,

An

san^,
7e/i*,

M the radical is ^ skin.

umbrella, a parasol.

Radical No. 9, a man.

This radical was


has nothing to do
with the original character, w^hich was a

arbitrarily given as

it

pictorial representation of

The archaic writing


satisfactorily.

686

chan^, To

swell,

an

umbrella.

sets this forth very

See Chalfant, Plate XIV.


swelling.

P^ jou\ Radical No. 130, meat. (See No. 133).


cAun^, Phonetic, heavy. (See No. 22). This

phonetic also conveys the idea of being

and consequently is a
combination for a swelling.

large
687

P^

chtao^,

To

quarrel, to dispute.

k'ou\ Radical No. 30, the mouth.

satisfactory-

237

^ sAao\mean

Phonetic, small.
talk

is

(See No. 176).

a very proper

Small,

definition of

to quarrel.
688 If3^

To make a

nao*.

disturbance, bustle, noise.

n,^|> tou\ Radical No. 191,


with

to fight, to grapple

an antagonist.

made up

of

two

jEL^

This

chii^,

radical

is

to lay hold

of,

(W. 11 H). (See No. 139).


a market. (See No. 256).
The market place is where each man is
alert to his own interests and altercations
which lead to disturbances are not uncommon. This symbol has no phonetic
value but it does aid in explaining the
meaning of the combination.

to seize.

ni shih\ Phonetic,

-'

\/ts'

rKE

tsa^.

Mixed, confused.
Radical No. 172, a short- tailed bird.
(See No, 21). In giving this character a

chui^.

radical the phonetic

was destroyed

in the old writing is

tree,
is

^ chP,

^ a flock of birds on

collection or

a coming together.

the logical phonetic and the radical

but the latter is


w^ritten in an unusual form and consequently the above radical was adopted.
A garment made of odds and ends of

should be :^

i^,

clothing

cloth, thus the idea of

mixed or confused

is set forth.

680

chieh\ Elder sister.

^ nu\
R

Radical No. 38, a

woman.

(See No. 16).

jQ_ ch'ieh^, Phonetic, a square bench. It resembles


a chair without a back. This is a very

238

common

of furniture.

article

Women

were regarded more or less as chattels


and the make up of this character was
not regarded as humiliating.
691

mei*,

3C
^_

nii^,

A younger sister.

Radical No. 38, a woman. (See No. 16).


not yet a tree in full leaf and

wei*, Phonetic,

branch, but probably not of large size.


(See No. 524). With the addition of the*
rapdical for girl

for

younger

or

woman

sister is

the character

formed.

692
sai*,

pei*,
sai^,

To

contest, to rival.

Radical No. 154, precious (See No. 38).


Phonetic, to w^all in, to shut up, to cork.

An empty

space

by

kung^,

men (W. 47
is

added,

it

^ H,

the

T).

is filled with bricks,


hands
of the workf=^
When ^ pei*, a reward,

gives the idea of competition

to the labor

the one

who works

best

is

rewarded.
693 **M.

4b

ch'ietf.

S,"^

choi^

To

depute, to send.

Radical No. 162, to run fast and stop, to


go.
(See No. 10).

c/2';eH^

Phonetic, to carry earth in a ^]dui\

basket, for erecting

wall,

g (W. Ill

C).

This being an important undertaking, an


officer was deputed who had charge of
the construction. The sending of a per-

son to have charge


radical S- cho*

is

is

implied

694

yu\ Prepared

when

the

added to the phonetic.

before hand, already.

239

^
H&

shih^ Radical No. 152, a pig.


(See No. 221).
/"^ Phonetic, to pass from one hand to another, to haiid down, to give
I, me.
(W. 95 A). The seal writing depicts one
hand giving to another. This may be
just a repetition of the act of passing
from one hand to another, as a person, at
;

times, will

mind

is

do unconsciously, w^hen the

Add

occupied.

the radical plus

makes it an elephant ^
and we have a symbol w^hich is suggestive

the part which

of the archaic meaning,


-

excursions

viz.,

back and forth, indecision. A caged elephant goes from one side of the cage to
the other for hours without stopping. He
is all ready to escape at the first opportunity.

695
pei*.

yV,

"t

Ml

Complete, to prepare.

Radical No. 9, a man.


P^^* Phonetic, to prepare, to
This is composed of
j^t^,

make

^ ^

ready.
ching^,

de-

behaviour, (See No. 407) conyviag^.


tracted, the P being replaced by
preparation
the
how
indicates
The ching 1
ferential

is

to be made,

indicates that
for use.

viz.,

what

(W. 54

with decorum, and |g


is

G).

prepared

is

wanted

This phonetic

was

originally vised for the preparation of the

household necessities by the women.

has had

many

dififerent

addition of the radical

is

writings.

modern.

696 _ ^

k'aang^, Waste, wilds, desert.


jih\ Radical No. 72, the sun (See No. 12).

It

The

;;

240

enlarged,

a large

a covering, a

shelter

broad,

Jiuang^, Fhonetic,
hall.

From

and

^ huang^,

)" yei^,

yellow, the hue of loess.

(See No. '07).

yellow or imperial house

naturally

is

made large, spacious. (W. 171 A). It


is evident that ^ buavg^ was originally
used as a synonym of earth or soil, and

thus J^ kuang^, a hall, resembles


t'ang^,
a hall (See No. 408), as they both are
used for holding large assemblies and both
have the earth as the floor. Kuan^ is

not

now

all

the requirements,

used for a hall, as t'an^

it is

and

When

used for broad.

kuan^

the sun

is

is

added

the symbol for a desert or barren

waste.

notwithstanding

hall,

the earth for a floor,

^ k'uang*

and

fulfills

is

is

it

has

non-productive

large, barren tract of

earth with the sky for a covering and the

sun the only occupant.


697

yeh^,

waste, a desert, savage, rude,'^wild,

rustic.
IP,

Radical No. 166, cultivated

fields.

(See No.

82).

^^ ^

yiP Phonetic,

To

hand to the

pass

something from one

other, to

hand

over.

(See

a reading of Sf which
^ ^^SC Tuan
Shih Shuo Wen has a good description of

No. 694").
is yit^,

but

There

it is

this character

9\-mitm.
it is

called

"

is

archaic.

Bj'^m:tMM ^f mit^M
Beyond the limits of the

% ch'iad

beyond the

city

limits of

241

the chiac^

it

is

beyond the pasture

pasture region

all

mw*

called pasture, ft
it is called KF

yeh^."

was not maintained

in

cases outside the limits of the chiao^,

and in such cases the yeh^ was immediately beyond the limits of the chiao^.
The
$P chiao^

was

w^here intercourse

with the barbarians was


were not allowed inside the

^ chiao^,
They

held.
g,

/*

lest

they

should learn of its, vulnerable points <and


thus attack the stronghold This charac.

ter

was originally written ffi indicating


it was covered w^ith forests.
After

that

the forests were cleared off the composition was changed to the present form,

which is t'u^ land for fields H t'ien^.


During the feudal times the Sf yeh^ was
given into the charge of the military to
manage, and timber, grain and straw
w^ere

demanded as

taxes.

There were

three grades of grain tax, one for farming


land, one for buildings
living in the district in

and another for


idleness.
The

that the squatters or occupants handed over to the proper authorities the taxes or a rent.

j-r? indicates

698

Jj^ )5^

sbih\

To

bestow.

fan^, Radical, No. 70, square (See No.


503).
This radical has been given to the character because the original classifier

among

the modern radicals and

written J^ yen^, the old form

is

it is

is !^.

not

now
It is

242

a banyan
down and
has

tree

with branches hanging


A. As this tree

striking root,

many

of these accessory trunks it is


here used as a symbol for many. (W. 117
B).
-{fii,

'^

yeh^, Phonetic,

(Archaic,

also.

a drinking

This combination indicates a


pouring out ifi, at frequent intervals 1i^ as
or something freely
wine at a feast
vessel.)

M-

gixren,

699

(W. 107, B).

_.__

haP,
*I*

To

repent, to regret.

*t^ hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart (See No. 18).
(See No,
ife meP, Phonetic, each, every, many.

The combination of

269).

radical

and

phonetic implies that mistakes or crimes


are committed through thoughtlessness

and when one repents


heart

swarms

it is

because his

nieP (archaic meaning)

with the thoughts of his misconduct and


causes him regret.
700 =!/#

kaP,

j^

To

change, to alter, to correct, another.

p'a^ Radical No. 66, to tap, to rap (See No.

17),
exha^-l
of breath. As
Phonetic, exhalation
on
followed by mha a
tion is immediately
appropriate
was adopted as
I

p
^

i.

this
for,

symbol

"to change."

(W. 85

B and

No. IQ^

701

'^iJ

lo\

A camel.

ma\
/fo*,

Radical No. 187, a horse (See No. 261).


Phonetic, to go on one's way without
heeding others.

(See No. 272).

243

The camel is a beast of burden for which


^ ma^ is a generic symbol. The camel
moves along the road apparently oblivious
to his surroundings
is

thus the combination

a happy one.

702

t'o\A camel; to bear on the back,

(of

an

animal).

*^

ma^

Radical No. 187, a horse (See No. 261).


fo^ Phonetic, another. Archaic meaning, a
cobra, or snake that raises its head from
its coil,
its

enlarges its neck and darts out

tongue, (W. 108 A).

The head

of this

reptile being large attracted attention, as

seemed more than the body could support. Maliy of the characters which use
this as a phonetic have the meaning of to
bear or sustain. The camel is generally
used as a pack animal.
it

703

yao^,

The

loins,

the waist.

P^ jou\ Radical No. 130, meat,


mr yao*, Phonetic,

to want,

the loins, the waist.

(See No. 133).

to need.

Archaic,

Be-

(See No. 16),

cause the original meaning w^as usurped

by its present ineaning, in order to make


a character for the waist the. radical for
flesh

704

^^

cVutig^,
l|l

was added.

An

insect,

reptile (See

ch'ung^ Radical No. 142, a

No. 232).

worm, a

snake,

probably the cobra.


k'vtii^, Phonetic, Insects that are numerous at
certain seasons of the year, such as

flies.

244

mosquitoes and silk worms.


(W. 110 C). This phonetic is more of a

lice,

locusts,

than a phonetic and when the


radical is added the character takes the
sound of the radical.
The multiplication of one symbol indicates
that the character is used for something
which occurs in swarms or great numbers.
classifier

705
mi*,
rfa

Honey.

cA'uBg^ Radical No. 142.

An

insect,

a worm.

(See No. 232).


Jj^ mi*, Phonetic, quiet, close, still, silent, secret.
From '^ mien^, a sheltered place, and

pi* (See No.

504).

When

one

is

in

dilemma, or has to decide {i^ shoot) between two, (A pa^ to divide), modes of
action, a quiet or secret place is desirable.

Both these

qualities are included in the

When A ch'ung', here used for


a bee, is added we have the character for
honey. The bees make their honey in the
phonetic.

darkness of a hollow tree or other secret


place.

706

i^

wan^,

^
S|

III

To draw a bow,

bent, curved.

kuag^. Radical No. 57, a bow (See No. 55).


luan* Phonetic, to adjust, to quarrel. The
oldest writing represents a

entangling three threads

hand

Tt

dis-

their lower
ends were contracted into
shih^, ten.
A later writing has "b yen^, word, taking
the place of the middle thread, as the
untangling of thread; it done in common,,
;

often leads to impatient

words and

re-

245

ciprocal

finding

fault

ing of quarreling
92 D).

thus the mean-

was

(W.

developed.

In shooting an arrow the bending of the


bow is very marked and so ^ kung^ is a
fitting radical for the character

bent, curved
707

mM S
/I,

cbieW,

To

meaning,

%.

loosen, to explain, to open, to untie.

chiao\ Radical No. 148, a horn. (See No. 250)


? The phonetic of this character is made

up of two radicals which do not occur


together in any other character and consequently it has no pronunciation. ^ ^
IS 3t

gives

^ 71

4^

the

following

explanation,

" Dividing

a cow's horn with


f>l
:ft
a knife.'' Horn is put to a number of uses
and this has been true for thousands of
years. A horn being hard it was a difficult
thus a symbol
operation to divide it
which represents dividing a horn is used
as the symbol for to open. A bodkin, 73,
made from the horn, ^ of an ox, 4^, and
;

used to untie

H2

M knots.

35

mate, to pair, marriage.


yt^. Radical No. 164, a jug for holding wine.

j.n

fei^,

p'ei*,

^"^

Phonetic, imperial concubine.


-^ belonging to oneself B.

A woman
Contracted

This combination of radical


yu^
and phonetic was used for the wine
(contracted),
drunk at a wedding feast
to

chp.

and eventually.it assumed the meaning of


mate or pair. ( W- 84 A).
;

246

709 rC||
'*

7i*,

Gain, interest, profit, acute.

Archaic, to

cut grain.
7J,

Ij

^, ^

knife,

a reaping hook.

standing grain.

(See No. 556).

taoS Radical, No. 18, a


(See No. 37).
ho^, Phonetic,

In order to secure the benefits fij //*, firom


the ripened grain it was necessary to reap
it, in other wrords to cut 73 the stalks'

^.

^J

Ic,^'

^1 *,

/ei*.

To

bridle, to curb,

to restrain, to

force,

i]

li\

Radical, No. 19, strength, force.

(See No.

212).

^,^,^

ko\ Phonetic, hides, skins with the hair on.


(See No. 163). Leather or rawhide is
exceedingly strong, and w^ith the addition
of ;^ /r*, strength, a good symbol for to
curb or restrain
lieh,

;^

7,

To

is

formed.

crack, to split, to rip open.

Radical No. 145, clothing.

(See No. 51).

S[J lieh*, Phonetic, to divide, seriatim.

The

original writing of this phonetic

was

a river, <, ch'tian" (See No. 598)


which on account of breaking its banks
has caused Jgreat destruction ? taf^, by cutting 71,
new channels through the fields.
'^ll,

!lj

tai^ is

the

^ or A

in seal writing

human bones

the flesh has decayed


fortune.

these are

as they are found after


;

a symbol of mis-

Rivers have been the cause of

much misfortune in China by


ing new channels.

their form-

247

The addition of the

radical

i^,

formed a

character which originally meant the rem-

nants of cloth left after a garment was cut


out another old meaning was the sound
of the tearing of cloth but it is now used
only for the meaning given above.
;

712 A-

:^

/ari^.

To be

c/z'/A*,

Radical No. 60, to step with the

Qffi, >^.3^

like.
left

foot.

(See No. 503).

fang" Phonetic, square.

This seems to be a simple phonetic, but


Wen says that the symbol is
composed of two boats tied together
forming a square, therefore the boats
must have been similar in shape and size,
thus they resembled each other. The
radical ^ may have been selected because

the Shuo

a step with the


ceeded
713

4^
fu^,

by one

left

foot

like it

is

naturally suc-

with the right

foot.

Like.

ch'ih" Radical No. 60,

a step with the

left foot.

(See No. 78).

^^

^^*

/*

Phonetic, (See No. 554).

This phonetic may have been selected as


the two rods or bows which are tied together are of equal strength and thus
neutralize each other, consequently they
are similar or alike. For the use of the
radical see No. 712.

^o^ ^ dove, a pigeon.

-4^

J^

xiiad. Radical No. 196,

'^

hd^, Phonetic,

a bird.

(See No. 628).

harmony, agreement.

(See No.

248

103

The

1.

fact that doves are not quar-

caused

relsome

the

selection

of

this

phonetic.
715

____

ts'uP^,

To

urge, to hasten.

yV jen^, Radical

No.

9,

a man.

a high mountain
a surname. This phonetic is made up of
a mountain, and # chuP, a
lU shan,
short-tailed bird. Grouse do not live on
the low hills but are found on the higher
hills and mountains, as they there find
more seclusion and shelter. The addition
of the radical for man may have been
suggested by the energy required if one
wrishes to follow a flock of rock grouse up
a mountain if this is tried the appro-

ts^uP, Phonetic, very high,

priateness of the

composition of fS

is

never again questioned.


716
sbou*,

An

animal, a brute.

No. 94, a dog, a pictorial representation of the animal. (See No. 424).
^^"*
Phonetic, the domestic animals dis"^, W\
tinguished from
ch'itp, wild animals.
The domestic animals w^ere
nit^,
122a',
yang",
chi", it cb'uan^
sbih\ the
-J^

ch'ixan^ Radical

horse, cow, sheep, chicken,

The archaic

w^riting

dog and

depicts

two

pig.

ears,

then the head and below are the hind legs

and a

tail.

sufficient to

(W. 23. I) This symbol was


convey the idea of domestic

animal but w^hen the radical for dog is


added it means wild animals chased bv

249

dogs.

The

pictorial effect is unfortunately

entirely lost 'in the

717

1^

To wait

upon, to examine, to spy.


Radical No. 9, a man.

szu*,

IRJ
-q

/^

WI wl

modern writing.

jen^,

to manage.

^^"^' I*honetic,

man

(a

by

who

This

is

hou*,

orders P, a prince, and

a princess) reversed to
indicate the subordinate or servant who
receives orders.
It is the imprint of
the prince. The prince has informed his
minister of his desire, impressed or imextension,

printed his ideas on him, and the latter

them

puts

into

man

execution.

When

the

added the character


represents the superior f with his attendant "Pi who waits upon him.

radical for

718

is

-fftt

^^

liehr,
i^^

Burning,

fiery, virtuous.

i|l(^

bao\ Radical No. 86,

^ii

lieh*^,

fire.
(See No. 482).
Phonetic, to arrange in order (See No.

With the radical !k. we have the


fierceness of fire added to floods.
711).

719

wang^,

^
E!

net.

mi^ ssB Radical No. 120, silk. (See No. 8).


vvan^, Phonetic, a net, to capture with a net.

The idea of capturing or taking is set


forth by Cl wang^, to destroy, (See No.
Owing to the I^ wang^ being
123).
written

in

an

radical for silk

is

abbreviated

placed at the side.

720

shao^,

little,

form,

to diminish.

the

250

ho^,

Radical No. 115, standing grain.


No. 556).

(See

'^ hsiao* Phonetic, like, similar. The archaic


meaning was, to be like one's father,
not a degenerate. The idea of small is
attached to this phonetic as the child is
smaller than the parent. A small piece
"

of the father's flesh.

When

block."

chip off the old

^ bo^, a stalk of grain,

very small thing,


721

added the character

is

stands for the above.

ys^, Elegant, decorous, polished, cultured.


'gl chui^ Radical,

No. 172, a short-tailed bird.

(See No. 21).


ja', Phonetic,

There

is

a tooth.

(See No. 97).

evidence that this character

was

S hu*, reciprocal,
^

originally written 51 but

being very similar to


ysf, the latter
has entirely supplanted the old form and
ys?, hasfthe advantage of being a per-

fect

phoneticbut, devoid of any suggestion

S hu*,

conveys the ideas of


satisfaction.
A person who is reciprocal
is courteous and is generally in high favor.
of elegance,

111

chao^.

15

To

beckon, to

call,

to proclaim.

f ,^

shon\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


;g cbao\ Phonetic, to summon, to call. The
archaic meaning

mouth as a

was

to criticise,

^to

use

With the addi^ it has the meaning


of to beckon:^, as the hand is used in
that act. This is a term used in summon-

the

knife 7J.

tion of the radical

ing a person to appear at court.

251

723

1^
^^

hu''

To

call,

to expel the breath.

3ft

i'ou^ Radical No. 30, the mouth.


S< hu^' ^ Phonetic, an exclamation an interrogative, a sigh
a sound which is tittered
after the completion of a sentence. The
"5 ch'iao^ is the breath meeting with an
obstruction. The ^ is composed of y
;

p'Jeb^,

a sign of action and

perse or scatter.

is

over-

between impeded
respiration and unimpeded, is taken as
a symbol for wonderful. (See No. 258,
853). The radical for mouth is added to
indicate a call.
come.

724

The

A pa^, to dis-

The obstruction

\^
^^^*'

i@/ ^H^

difference

To produce interest,

to stop, a

full

breath,

respiration.
iti*

hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart.

ft t^u^ Phonetic,

self,

(See No. 18).

the nose (See No. 104).

believe that during a full


ch^i* of the heart is expelled
breath the
when the outside air isf'brought in through
the nose @ and goes to the heart j5. As
breathing is necessary for the maintenance
of life, the meaning was extended to interest^on a loan, a requirement necessary

The Chinese

for the continuance of the loan.


725 ^1

^||

hsiin*,

To

instruct,

to teach,

to exhort,

to

persuade.

^ yen\ RadicaFNo.
Ijr

ch'uan^, Phonetic,

149, a word.

river.

(See No. 10).

(See No. 598).

Instruction should be continuous as the


flow of a river, a continual flow of words,
"

For

it is

precept upon precept, precept

252

upon precept
line

726

-M^

here

ai,

upon line, line upon


there a little."

line

little,

c&'uan^ Authoritjr, power; the pee of a steelyard.


:7[C

mu*, Radical No. 75, wood.

Phonetic,
H" Awan*

the

heron.

(See No. 22).

(See

No.

428,

511).

At

first

why

tf

glance
is

to understand

used as the phonetic

character, but

which use

it is difficult

of this

a study of the characters

this phonetic, plus the habits

of the bird as set forth in i^ R, Kuei Shih


Shuo Wen, aid in the understanding of

The heron is supposed to announce by his call the approach of rain


hence he is possessed of great intelligence.
He stands by the hour in the water motionless, watching for food ; when within
its use.

reach, action

common name

is
is

prompt and sure. His


^ ^, " the old waiter,"

or " patient waiter.''

Probably the poised

attitude suggested the use of this i)honetic

with wood M^, (the steelyard beam being


made of wood), as a fitting symbol, for
the pee on the steelyard. The string
suspending the pee resembles the long
neck and its shape is not unlike the body
of the bird. The pee only indicates the
weight when in precisely the correct position,

For

thus

it is

just

and unwavering.
and ability

these reasons, authority

to give a just decision, are given to this


character by extension.

253
ping^, Authority,

;feff

:^ mu\
"p^

a handle.

Radical No. 75,

pin^ Phonetic,

wood

(See No. 22).

the 3rd of the ten stems, re-

ferring to

fire.
(See No. 437).
has authority over wood, hence the
combination, to the Chinese mind, is suggestive of authority. Wood, in a sense,
is the handle by which fire can secure a
hold on the structure.

Fii-e

728

wu\

Foul, unclean, stagnant water.

\^

>^,7K

V-p

-^

k'ua^, Phonetic, to boast, to overpraise.

"^

viP Phonetic, the breath, 5 having overcome

"^

~^_

shui',

Radical No. 85.

(See No. 79).

an obstruction, spreads

in all directions.

It seems reasonable to think that this

character

was

originally written PH

i.e.

yii^, a basin, a tub, with the addition of


water i^ it is the symbol of water which
has been used for w^ashing.
;

UpJ

fu*,

g^
fij*

To

be near, to follow, to lean on, possessed

by.
/u* /bu*

Radical No. 17u, a mound.

(See No.

493).
(See No. 672).
fa\ Phonetic, to give.
Tuan Shih Ml ]^ Shuo Wen explains this
character more

fullj'

than

the

others.

a mound or small hill. A


up to the mountain, a small
state must do the same with reference to
a large, powerful state, and is obliged to
adopt the customs and usages of the
latter and pay it tribute, if.
P

-$.

fou^ is

foothill looks

254
I

'^^^

iaie/z*,

^t<&

To put

out (as a

to destroy, to

fire),

exterminate.

7jC shuP, Radical No. 85, water (See No. 79).


mieh* Phonetic, to extinguish or kill
;

^ hsii^

to wound
I'S with a halberd l yiieb,
and iK. fire. This phonetic was originally
the full character, but later water was
added to indicate the substance used to
extinguish fire.
(W. 71 P.)
731

t'.

^^,

yxs

tse^,

chaP To reprove, to punish, to lay a


charge on duty, to be responsible.
;

^^ )^

pei\ Radical No. 154, valuable.


tz'u* Phonetic, thorns.
tree.

The modern

(See No. 38).

It represents

a thorny

w^riting entirely changes

no trace of thorns
There are two meanings of this
character 1. To reprove or to punish.
The thorns
tz'u*, indicate torture, and
indicates
a fine. 2. The care and
pGJ*
M.
worry,
The
z'*, of property, K pei*.
possession of property brings responsibility.
(W. 120 H.)
this phonetic so that

remains.

gPl

^
rj-i

^
^

ch^ou^,
shoii',

To draw

out, to shrink, to levy.

Radical No. 64, the hand.

(See No. 53).

The old writing


represents a sprout which is drawing its
strength and nourishment from the seed.

yu^, Phonetic, from, origin.

There
has ^

is

another old writing of tt which

H liu^,

to keep, retain, for phonetic

when ^ shot^
that the hand

something

is

added, ^, the idea is


taking away a part, but

is

is still left, liu^

, = H.

255

Ppr

^33 tNb

cben*,

'

'/^

To

arrange, to form into ranks, a regi-

ment of soldiers.
ch^en% To arrange, to

state to a superior, old,

stale.

iu* Radical,

No. 170, an elevation.

(See No.

493).

There are two phonetics


ings of this character.

Chalfant regards this

in the old writ-

One is ^ jS" shen^.


as a symbol for a

thunderbolt, something terrible

the shock

of their serried phalanx, the ancient war-

may

have been pleased to liken to a


thunderbolt. The other form is 1^ ^, not
"M. ittngf, east, but two hands supporting
or planting a tree. It seems to indicate
the planting of trees on a hillside, perhaps
a park. The present forms of the character seem to be a combination of these
two old forms. (W 50 H.)
riors

734

fcn^, Leprosy, scrofula, paralysis, insanity.

Radical No. 104, sickness.


fetig^. Phonetic, wind.

22?

(See No. 593).

The Chinese divided the wind

into eight

and northregarded
were
as having
Some
east, etc.
good and some as having bad influences.
This is not an old character and is not
described in the Wl %, but leprosy or insanity was supposed to be caused by bad
f wind. Rabies in dogs is attributed
to the evil influences of a certain kind
kinds, east, west, north, south,

of wind.
735

chin^, Terrified, alarmed.

256

ma^

Radical, No. 187,

a horse.

chin^. Phonetic, to reverence.

(See No. 261).


(See No. 407).

which a horse ^ experiences


in the presence of that which he regards
as being more powerful than himself.

The

736

a
ya^,

terror :

To wonder

at,

admire, to take exceptions

to.

Radical No. 149, a word. (See No. 10).


Et jaS Phonetic, a tooth. (See No. 97).
Tuan Shih
says that this character,
yeix^,

HK

S, meant to meet, or
when one meets a noted

originally w^ritten
receive

a guest
is a feeling of awe or fear.
It
used for surprised, or to wpnder at.
;

person there

now is
737

^t
Everywhere.

pien*, p'ien^.

^1^

ch'Ih*

Radical No. 60, a footprint of the

a step with the

foot, or

pieif, Phonetic, flat

the door.
jfc

an

left

left foot.

inscription

Kuei Shih's Shuo

hung over

Wen

explains this phonetic as the

^R

IS:

official

register of the inhabitants of the Empire,

Therefore

:#.

f5J

it

With the addition of

must

include

if ch^ih*,

all.

to go, the

idea of going to every house in the land

is

set forth.

738

t^an^,

To

lie

down, to

lie.

shen^, Radical No. 158, the body.

(See No.

291).
"j^ shatig^, Phonetic,

This

is

a house.

(See No. 52).

an unauthorized character and is


in old dictionaries.
The ety-

not found

mology of it

is

not

difficult.

When

lying

257

dfo'wn

them to

persons desire a roof

protect their bodies

above
from heat,
1^3

cold or stonns.
739

fe

la}.

To draw,

to pull, to lead.

^ shou^
-^

//*,

Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


Phonetic, to set up, to rise, instantly. (See

No. 216).

The

old writing of this character

was

Jft

which indicated the putting forth of


great strength, but as the three ;fy li*

7a',

characters were more

than

"iL

was sub-

to stand, the latter

li\

stituted,

to write

difficult

and

its use is

explained thus

in

exerting great strength in pulUng one has


to stop and take a firm stand.
740

^
-fr.

/d^.

To

uphold, to help.

shou'y Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


fd. Phonetic,, a husband, a man. (See No.
IS; 3t says *, 5t
234). Kuei Shih
hand
of the husband
The
husband.
a
Wt

#K

and the meaning is now


kind of assistance.
any
extended to
assists the wife

741

^B

JQ

t'u/*,

To

retreat, to decline.

(See No. 10).


cho* Radical, No. 162, action.
retreat
to have
to
ts'm* Phonetic to refuse,
'^
walked with difficulty ?? all day long e,

5_

and

refuse to

ward on
vandng.

go

farther, or to

go back-

account of the difiiculties of adThis phonetic

may have

been

saggested because the sun, each morning,


slowly ascends until midday, when the
indications are that it will continue to go

258

higher

but at noon

it

starts to descend.

With the addition of L. it forms the character for to retreat. Compare No. 402,
to advance.
742

J^

^3i
'^^

S
]^^

^^

To

chii*.

gather, to assemble.
(See No. 71).

er^ Radical, No. 128, the ear,


ch'ii^,

Phonetic, to lay hands on, to take.

(See

No. 578). The oldest use of this phonetic


was for the cutting off of the left ear of
captives and presenting them to the officer
this was evidence of the
in command
;

number of captives taken.

The meaning

gradually extended to the holding of persons and things in general.

men

When

three

added it is the symbol


by the
of an assembly brought together
cbung^

axe.

desire of people to hear

"S^

what

is

to be

thus the speaker, figuratively, holds


This character
his audience by the ear.
radical
and phonetic
is not composed of
said

as most characters are, as the radical

is

part of the phonetic and the three men are

but their presence


has a logical significance. (W. 27 K.)

still

743

/^

sis
cbP,

'^

To

unaccounted

for,

assemble, to collect, a

cAui^ Radical

No.

172,

fair.

short-tailed

bird.

(See No. 21).

This character
>fC mu*, Phonetic, wood or tree.
was originally written /i^ three lines coming together at the ends forming a triangle-

was afterwards supplanted by a tree


with three birds on it, and later the number was reduced to one. (W. 14 A, 119 G).
It

259

744

/a?
*

pan*,

Jl

Radical No.

jen^,

'^

A comrade,

to attend on.

a man.

9,

ps"*> Phonetic, half.

""

When
idea

is

jen^ is

(See No. 118).

added to

set forth that

this phonetic the

two persons

are

usually seen together and are regarded as

a pair and one


single

is

the half of the pair.

A is but half a Jman. The


not limited to two persons, only ;

man

usage

is

it

applied to several persons

is

whose

vocation necessitates their being together.


745

*ft
pLQ,

chu?,
J

To

pursue, to follow.

cAo* Radical No.

162, to go, or to pursue.

(See No. 10).

a terrace, ramparts, a city.


(See No. 310) With the addition of 5_ cbo*
the idea may have been to follow the
person or enemy even down to his strong-hold, to his ramparts. This phonetic is
also used for troops w^hich guard the city
and thus this character is sometimes explained as the legion on the march pursuing an enemy. (W. 86 B).

tm'S Phonetic,

746
lir^,

g_ P

1*,

Near, contiguous, neighbor.

Radical No. 163, a

lin^

Phonetic,

an

city.

(See No. 11).

ignis fatuus.

(See No. 588).

The reason

for using this phonetic in the


character for " near " is owing to the

necessity of being within close proximity

an ignis fatuus before it is seen. A city


which is not farther away than this light
to

is visible

must be

close at hand.

747
cAieA^,. Pure, clean, neat, tidy.

260

^V

^/ shuP,

Radical No. 85, water.

(See No. 79).

chieh^ Phonetic, to adjust, to regulate.

Tuan Shih

says that * cb'i* in this


II
combination indicates the cutting of a
bundle of hemp threads, thus making them
of one length and the ^ signifies that
they are tied up into bundles after having
been washed ? and cleansed.
748
ren^, Stern, majestic, strict, tight.

30, the mouth.

/:'ou^ Radical No.

(See No.

17).
'

1^

yea' Phonetic, to lay hold of a person and

him to move forward. The modern


writing is quite different from the original
that shows a hand striking X shu' a
bear
^ (as in tfc katf see No. 545) in a
cave )" yen^, accompanied with great
outcries "^ hsiiat^. The modern meaning
force

emphasises the sternness of outcry, such


as is heard in the court when the magistrate

browbeats a witness.

(W. 146

H).
749

ne
cht^,

p
',

To

order, to enjoin upon.

k'ou^, Radical No.

/IP sba^

30, the mouth.

Phonetic, a

tail,

made up

^ sha^,

of

(See No.

an appendage.

wep,

a silkworm

tail,

This

contracted,

is

and

in the process of spin-

ning its thread as the worm is constantly


moving during this operation, this iJart
;

of the phonetic indicates motion.

the

two

parts indicate a

tail

Thus

which

is

261

When

constantly wagging.

added

CI

i'oa^

is

seems to indicate a last injunc-

it

an appendage or command added

tion,

has been talked through.


For another meaning of ^ sha^ see No.
after the business

800.
750

3a_

Watchful, respectful.

chin^.

^ yen\
^^^

Radical No. 149, words.

(See No. 10).

M contracted and earth

ciun^ Phonetic, yellow,

(W. 171 B.)


When a" yen^ is added the idea may have
been that one should be as careful and
watchful as to what he says as a potter
is in shaping the clay.
.,

potter's

clay,

loess.

751
shin*, Cautien, attentive.
i*

>ll^

hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart.

cben^, Phonetic, true.

heart
752

E^

mo^

',

^ shou^
^

To

is

(See No. 18).

(See No. 218).

true

cautious and attentive.

feel,

to rub with the hand, to caress.

Radical, No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).

ma', Phonetic, hemp.

wads
wood and
use

of

(See No. 24).

hemp

Painters

for rubbing oil into

for painting.

that this character was


md', to grind,
as
formerly written
consideration
are
under
character
and the
It is probable

sometimes interchanged. J> may have


been first used as the symbol for rubbing
the hands together, the hands acting as
the upper and nether mill-stones 5 and
gradually
rubbing.

it

was

used for any kind of

26'2

753

^^

cheng*^,

i=t

Evidence, proof.

yen\ Radical No. 149^ word.


teng^, Phonetic, to ascend.

(See No. 10).

(See No.

240 and

243).

This phonetic indicates cUmbing to a high


platform and
is to proclaim, from a'

high platform, to publish abroad.


754

^
fi

Evidence, according to.

c//u*,

shou^. Radical No. 64, the hand.


chii^

(See No. 53).

Phonetic, wild boar, to fight, to struggle.

fc, shib^, and a tiger j^ bu^


and neither one letting go his
grip on the other. (W. 69 D.) With the
addition ofiand the idea of holding firmly
Evidence is that which a
is set forth.
person affirms and holds without wavering in spite of any opposition.

wild boar

fighting,

755
jraiJ^,

To

display, to publish; to extend; to

w^innow.

,^
"^

shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


jrang^, Phonetic,

to ex;pand,

glorious.

(See

No. 541) The hand placed beside the


phonetic indicates that something is exhibited in bright light in order that all

may know and

^P

ch'ai^,

^ ,^

To

understand.

break, to destroy.

shou^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

jS: ch'ib\

Phonetic, to attack.

abbreviation of J^.
>&

1*

that

(it is
it is

katH^

(See No. 288)

an

This means to attack,


doubled and

repeated attacks) a

man

means
in his

263

own

house

/**

yetf.

added it stands
(W. 102. D).
wo^,

PJK

To

lie

the

hand

is

for to break or to destroy.

down.

cKen^, Radical No. 131, a minister, a states-

man.

When

(See No.

i^ jen^, Phonetic, a
for

man

20).

The proper position


the presence of an official

man.

in

w^as the prone posture, and the above

symbol
82 F).

is

used

for,

"to

lie

down."

(W.

758
;u*,

^
"~^

:^
fM
3^

i\

mattress, a cushion.

Radical No. 145, clothing. (See No. 51).


Phonetic, to shame, to insult, to reveal
with the hand "sf ^ a disgraceful condi-

/"*

tion,

122).

cA'efl^,

The

to be pregnant (See No.


7H* seems to be

a simple

phonetic and the radical 5K indicates that


the mattress is made of cloth.
759
chui*,

^
?ft
'^

cord, to let

down by a

rope.

(See No. 8).


ssi?, mi'' Radical No. 120, silk.
chuP, Phonetic, to pursue, to follow. (See No.

745).

The

radical here indicates a rope or cord


and the article suspended follows the
lowering or raising of the rope.

760

Tax, duty on merchandise.


i2o^ Radical No. 115, growing grain.
No. 556).

(See

(^ *"'^ Phonetic, to exchange, to barter.

(See

shui*,

^
:=.

^,

264

No. 72).
The character indicates the
giving of grain
ho^ to -the government

for the privileges derived.

761

//*,

An

officer,

(See No. 231).

magistrate.

k'ou\ Radical No. 30, ,the mouth.

(See No.

17).

(See No. 368).

chasig^, Phonetic, ten feet.

In the seal writiiig the basis of the character


is
it sbihP, a scribe, a hand
holding a stylus. This is also the char-

acter for history, as

was

it

the w^ork of

the scribes to record history. 'M H* has


one stroke above the ^ this is a contrac;

tion of Jt shang'*.

Thus

this character

stands for those scribes -who


tors or rulers of the literati.
762
hsP,

Jf^
rfj

j^

mat, a

table,

c&iV, Radical No. 50,


No. 143).

repast,

direc-

feast.

a napkin, a

shu* Phonetic, all (contracted)

vsrere

towel.

all

(See

the indivi-

duals of the house gathered about the


light of the hearth to

eat.

times meals were served on a

made

In ancient
flat surface

of stone, and the family partook

while reclining.

The J^ is composed of
and ^ kuan^, light.

f^ yerP, the house,

The

light of the fire

was

all

the illumina-

The rlJ chin^ was originally


and
is
described as being a flat

stone on which the meal w^as served;


This eventually gave place to a mat. ^,
shu* is a logical element rather than a

tion they had.

written

phonetic.

265
^63 J|fe

^^

A'an^S Joy, peace, repose

healthy, delightful.

jer/ Radical No. 53, a shelter. (>See No. 132).


The phonetic is not easily separated, as
it is only in the modern writing that /T

jen* arbitrarily appears.


f^ keng^ (a
pestle in two hands) is the hulling of rice,
and
is the same, save that in the

^^

latter rice -M is represented.


rice

was

firm and could stand the violence

to which

it

was

subjected in the process

The meaning of peace,

of hulling.

and

grain of

repose,

satisfaction is supposed to refer to

the rest which came after the labor of


hulling the daily portion of

rice.

(VV.

102 B).
V64 _.

chien^, Strong, vigorous.

J^ jen^, Radical No.


J# 2^ cbien*, Phonetic,
'f

No.

(See

(archaic

9,

a man.

to write regulations

7),

for the

long strides,

(W. 169 B).

out).

able to

fulfil

march

yii^

k. %, yirf

^ cb'ih'^ lengthened
A man who was

the regulations

was strong

and vigorous.
^^

:^r;

^^

chin\

To

shib*^,

Radical No. Ill, to reveal.

prohibit.

(See No.

164).

by doubling
the radical for tree. ^ bad omens Ty:
from trees #,
(W. 119 M).
The ^
when seen was regarded as a fevelation
of divine or supernatural disapproval, and

jsk Ha', Phonetic,

forest

indicated

thus the character stands for prohibition.

266

766 "gt^

latig^,

g, R

i^

A son,

a bridegroom, gentleman, secre-

Radical No. 163, a

liang^. Phonetic,

The character
of a city

city.

good.
^15

(See No. 11).

(See No. 445).

was formerly

a city of excellence.

the

name

The mean-

ing given above -was an expression of the


hope of the family in the son or bride-

groom, that he would bring benefits equal


to that of a powerful city.
767

n^
p'ei*,

|*pf

To

entertain, to visit with, to aid, to

match

to add earth about the roots of

plants.

-^,

o ^,

R
?\

Radical No. 170, a mound. (See No. 493).


*'o* Phonetic, to cut a speaker short by

/u*

The dot on the top


indicates the interruption, and the 5 /oh*
is an adverb of negation i.e. saying P no
interrupting him.

^.

a strange phonetic to
a character w^hich means "to

This seems

like

be used in
visit with," but persons when chatting are
constanth' interrupting one another as
they speak, in order to get the real meaning, or to correct a w^rong statement.
If
one is not on intimate terms with the
speaker this is not possible.

Bhr

/u^

^||a

To manage a boat

(archaic), to yield to,

to assent, to serve, clothes.

^
/S

yueU, Radical No. 74, moon.


y^

(See No. 48).

Phonetic, to hold the seal, authority.

In the modern writing

yiieh^

has sup-

planted f^ chov^, a boat, and consequentlj"the etymology is not apparent without a

267

study of the old writing which represents


the hand
which wields the authority P

on the boat M, the captain. The character also sets forth the opposite of to govern,
viz.,

to be governed

this is the action of


the boat under the direction of the captain,
to yield, to assent to to be attached to,
;

as to a girdle, therefore, clothes.


IT*

tai
i\

A bag,

a pocket, a

purse, sash.

Radical No. 145, clothing.

f|3

chm\ Radical No.

^K

tai*,

50, cloth.

Phonetic, a substitute.
cession or substitution of

to supersede
It

may have

'T /en^

(See No. 51).


(See No. 143).

Order

men

-t

of suc-

a reign

a dynasty.

been the custom, when one

got a substitute to give him a talty

which when presented


allowed him to occupy the position of the
one for whom he was substituting. The
addition of
or ftJ may have been sug-t

i*,

(See No. 576)

5fic

gested

when

material,

trying to carry grain or fine

a cloth

w^hen used to carry

[ft

it

or the clothing SK
could take the place

of many persons.

ti
H

ch'ia^,

^ shou\
g

To

pinch, to

claw

to twist.

Radical No. 64, the hand.

(See No. 53).

a pit, a pitfall, a snare. This


chiu*, a mortar, or hole in
comes from
the ground or rock for pounding grain. Q
hsien* is a pitfall or trap with a man in it.
When ^ shou^ is added the idea is that
with the hand something is held secure as
if in a trap.

hsien^ Phonetic,

268
'^^^

^St

7^

^^'^ I^^s-d of grain, ear.


Ao* Radical No. 115, standing grain.

(See

No; 556).
(See No. 385)
not the original phonetic of this
character, but it has become generally
used. It may be that it was used as a
recognition of the grace of heaven,

Aui* Phonetic, grace, kindly.

This

is

t'ien^, in

giving the increase of the

field

or the gracious part of the standing grain


The
is that where the seed is borne.
original writing was 31^ ^ sui'^, a hand

gathering the heads of grain.


772
wei^,

To

escort, to defend,

a military

station,

walk.

(See No.

Tientsin.
hsing^, Radical No. 144, to

161).
wei* Phonetic, refractory

Two men pulling

thongs, rawhide.

A in opposite

directions

on an object o, or hide, in tanning it.

The indicates
opposition, refractory. Compare ^ 4* f
ch^iiarf, opposition, error. The refractory
have to be bound v^rith leather thongs,
hence the meaning leather. As leather is
the reverse of

*!=.

strong and used to protect delicate articles


is here a suggestive phonetic.
The

it

addition of the radical fi indicates the


guarding of something while on the march.
773
ch'iieh^, Deficient,

"^.^

a vacancy; broken,

ibu* Radical, No. 121, earthenware.

264).

defective.

(See No.

269

c/jueF Phonetic, to divide, to break. (See No.


109). A dish
/bu*, which is broken ^

is deficient.

774

In want, poor, weary.


p'ieU Radical, No. 4, a stroke to the
No. 176).
is?,

'^

}iJ

i*\

chii^

ih stospped before

The inference

(See

written back-

The explanation

wards.

who

chiU, PhoHetic,

left.

is

a person

reaching the line

that he w^as exhausted. 1^


has nothing to do with the sign of the
possessive

'ii

is

"^ chiU.

775

Ww. ^K

^^^' Dearth, hungry.

^r

shiW, Radical No. 184, food, to eat.

(See No.

75).

cAf Phonetic, a small table


,

a contraction

for

ml.

ch?^\ Phonetic,

When
is

little.

food -^

is

(See No. 34).

scarce

M a small table

When

large enough.

food

is

scarce

A.,

a time of dearth fL. The character's


original meaning seems to have been
dearth or famine and hungry is an extenit is

common

condition

o*, e*,

Hungry.

shifi.

Radical No. 184, food, to eat.

(See No.

as hunger
during famine.

sion,

is

the

776

75).
vro^,

Phonetic,

I.

(See No. 2).

This character

according to Kuei Shih Shuo


'^

was

originally written H^

Wen

# K IS

o*, fi)

IC szu^y

;;

270

to feed, and

^ me.

It

was

contracted to

the present form.


777

^P

k^t^,

Dry, decayed, withered,

(as

a palsied

limb).

>^
-^

inu\ Radical No. 75, wood.

(See No. 22).

hi\ Old. Phonetic. (See No. 17). Old wood


is probably decayed.

778
k'uei^,

To

peep, to spy.

a cave. (See No. 97).


shoot an arrow (archaic)
rule, custom.
(See No. 529). To shoot
hsiieb*.
W\ a glance through an opening
The present writing of
breaks up the
etymology, as the
fu should be
sbib^.
In archery the eye aims along the arrow
shaft but here the eye shoots a glance
through an opening.

y\. hsueh*, Radical No. 116,


4if^

kuei^, Phonetic, to

779

k'ung^,

To

rein in, to

draw a bow,

to check,

to accuse.

^, f

shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


k'ang^, Phonetic, vacant, empty.
(See No.
302).

This phonetic plus the radical seems to


have been first used for draw^ing the bow
in shooting an arrow one increases the
vacant space
k^ung^, between the string

and the bow.

In prosecuting a person

was not unlike

it

shooting an arrow at him


if the accusation was substantiated, the
defendant suffered perhaps more than if
hit

by an arrow.

271
780

^1 1^

)m,l^\

chou^, Completely, to extend everywhere.

i'ou Radical No.

30, the mouth.

(See No.

a modern replacement of
17).
S contracted to 7. This character is a
primitive compound which cannot be
broken up into radical and phonetic. It
is ffl )ft yung-" (See No. 476) and R chP,
Here

it is

to reach to, contracted, (See No. 324).

Every
is

bull's eye

has been

hit.

Efficiency

expressed in this character.

781

To

weP,

surround, to inclose.

p^ weP Radical No. 31, an

enclosure.

(See No.

28).

thongs,

H^ w^ei^ Phonetic,

rawhide,

refractory.

The meaning of the pho-

(See No. 772).

be that H is a leather case


protecting that which is precious, but
more probably it means refractory, 'M- and

netic

may

therefore

when

it is

in CI it

means " incar-

cerated."
782

cb'ou^, Grieved, sad.

iCi"*

Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).


(See No.
ch'iu^, Phonetic, autumn, harvest.

*t^ bsia\

169).
In the autumn the grain is often blighted
with frost and appears as if scorched with
When one's desires are thus
fire ifi.
blighted,

it

causes sadness of heart.

783
j^i/ig*,

7S

Hard, obstinate.

sbih\ Radical No. 112, stone.


ketig^'*, Phonetic, to change.

{See No. 42).

(See No. 226).

With the addition of stone :ff sbiB the


idea is to change and become hard like

272

This refers either to a phyacal or


mental change.
stone.

784

shen^,

yv,

To

stretch out, to explain.

jen^,

shen^. Phonetic,

Phonetic No.

9,

a man.

to extend, to stretch.

(See

No. 227) A man who is taking a rope and


measuring off a fathom, six feet, with his
outstretched arms. A man who is able
to explain or straighten out the tangled
cord.
785

As?, Rare, seldom.


\\}

(See No. 143).

chin\ Radical No. 50, cloth.

The phonetic here is not a character which


is

separated from the radical.

sents the texture of cloth


chiri^

was

:Jt

It repre-

and the

ill

As the threads

placed below.

it conveys the idea of


thus by extenloose as opposed to close
(W. 39 G).
sion scattered, rare, seldom.

are clearly seen

786 >t
iu*.

Statute, law.

if ch'ib* Radical No. 60, to step with the


(See No. 7).
vu* Phonetic, to write.

left foot.

With

tlie

acter

is

addition of

ch^ih^ the char-

used for written regulations for

the march, and by extension, law^.

Jl^

tang^,

clan,

faction,

an

associate,

a cabal.

hei\ Radical, No. 203, black.

shang*, Phonetic,

a house.

(See No. 178).


(See No. 52).

The Shuo Wen says that the

M indicates

that the raeffibers of this society are all


smoked with one smoke, that is that they

273
niieet

meet

They

together in the same room.

dark H, secretly, form a cabal.


The '^ shang* here represents the leader
in the

of the clan or association.

J^^^^To

crowd, to gather in a crowd, to


embrace.

^f^

^,

shou^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

m ^1 J^^^ Phonetic, a

city

The

w^agtail.

harmoifiy, union

first is

the

the old form of the

&

with a moat ^ embracing it, iDut the second form is now^ in


general use. < = ->- and e. = ^ as in ^15.
With ^ it means the bird that haunts the
torders of moats and ponds in harmonious
(W. 12 G). This
flocks, the wagtail.
character, a city

phonetic

is

used to express

harmony

of

with the addition of the


it means to jam or press as a
radical
crowd, and embrace with the arms.

and

action,

789 tJkf

jt^

To crowd,

to press out.
shot^. Radical No. 64, the hand.
ebi',

ch'P, Phonetic, even, together.

The hands

(See No. 53).

(See No. 455).

working together

#, to

crowd, to press ^.
790

iu^
Jl^^ >f

To stoop,

7efl^
/a',

to bow, to condescend.

Radical No. 9, a man.

Phonetic, a palace. (See No. 388).


This is not an old character, but

it

has

The etymology is
When a man A comes to an
apparent
ofiBcial department }U to pay his taxes #,
the customs of China require him to show

come

into general use.


:

274

and reverence to the official in


charge. Thus by extension to bow and

respect

condescend,
791 A-j^

fa*,

To
in

fall

i^.

prostrate, to

ambush

fall

a decade

on the
in

face, to lie

dog days

to

subject.

yV 4

a man.
J^ ch'uan^ Phonetic, a dog, a pictorial representation, fv is a man A taking the cringing
attitude of a dog i^ or compelling another
Radical No.

jen^,

to

take

9,

it,

another.

to

i.e.

humble or subject

(See No. 647) (W. 25 E).

792
hsien^ Conspicuous, to

make

plain, glorious.

Radical No. 181, the head, a page, a


man. (See No. 105).

yeh*^,

motes

a sunbeam, volatile,
minute, fibrous. When a sunbeam
shines into a dark room, small motes hke

hsier? Phonetic,

silk fibres,

ing in

it.

in

M ssu^, become visible M. floatWhen M yeb^, the head,


is

added the original idea was that the


decorations of the hat w^ere very a]Dparent.
The character is now used for anything
conspicuous.
793
7on*' /u*, Dew; lou*, plain, to expose, to disclose.
yu\ Radical No. 173, rain. (See No. 61).

lu\ Phonetic, road.

Shih say's

(See No. 279).

#^

Kuei

m ^"^^'^^mWm^ "Dew

the secretion of the dark, female pow^er


of nature, dew comes from the earth.''
is

Z,u* 5

seems to be used for earth

l!l

as

rain from the earth instead of the ordinarj'

275

Rain that wets the feet


only, as when walking in grass wet with
dew.
" The dew is the path
of the rain M,
and when it falls on grass it turns it white
disclosing each stem and leaf."
rain of heaven.

794

ffi

Mad,

k'uang^,

^ ,J^

wild, raging

cA'uan^ Radical

presumptuous.
No. 94, a dog, a pictorial
;

character.

3E,

jt.

w-aK^ Phonetic, rambling.

(See No. 350).


This character indicates that dogs have
suffered from rabies in China from the

very beginning of their civilization. This


character is described as a mad dog. The

animal wanders around from place to


place without any definite aim, and thus
this is a very apt phonetic for this disease.
The character is not confined to this one
disease, it is at present used for

any kind

of mania.

"^m
^

yii*,

To

instruct, to illustrate.

k'ou\ Radical No. 30, the mouth.


a small boat, a primitive barge,

/>^ yiP Phonetic,


'**"

sampan, ^m,san'pan\M.ZiB^.

"The

commencement of boat-building." Joining

A chP of planks to
the rivers

k'oti',

{{

kuai*.

form a boat

fj

to

sail

With the addition of

the mouth, the idea

is

conveyed

of giving instructions in the building of


the boat

any
796 AtsM
k'uti^,

To

by extension

kind.
bind, to, hamper.

instructions

of

2T&

nri

^
im

\Z'

it

ings of this phonetic

^^.

rest bj^

shoti% Radical No. 64, the hand.


k'un*, Phonetic, confined.

II.

tree,

^, to stop and
to take a nap under a tree

by rocks or

I.

which

tree

(See No. 53).

There are two writ-

is

hemmed

in

weP,

large trees, and thus restricted

or wilting from confineThis last is the one which is in


general use. The addition of band implies
that there is an act of repression. It
in

grow^th,

ment.

were two
characters but they have become

seems probable
different

that

these

merged into one. The reason for this


view is, the two meanings, viz., sleepy
and cramped and hemmed in. The first
seal w^riting is in accord w^ith the idea of

sleepy, to stop

a nap.

ll;

under a tree :^ and take

It is difficult to explain

why

this

character should have the tw^o meanings

had
797
tan^' *,

it

To

sprung from one symbol.

caiTy a burden on a pole, a load or

burden.

^, f

shou^ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


fe cban^ Phonetic, to talk impudently.
(W. 59
ti).

from f' weP, a man A standing


on a dangerous crag f (See No. 634), and
A pa^, to scatter, and e" yerP, w^ords to
recklessly scatter indiscreet words.
The
This

is

radical

was

first

indicates

that the character

used as a verb.

One who talks

a heavy, dangerous burden to bear and this eventually has been

indiscreetly has

277

798

extended to mean a burden of any kind.


(W. o9 H).
.

-H-

raiiao^

sprout,

the sprout of grain

wild

tribes.

-H^

ts'ao'-,

i'ien^ Phonetic,

Radical No. 140, grass.

field.

(See No. 22).

(See No. 212).

The sprouting vegetation W of the cultivated field 15. That which is planted just
appeai-ing above the ground,

149

s.

(W.

B).

799

Bright sunlight, to dry in the sun.


(See No. 12).
^'*^ Phonetic, elegant. This phonetic originalshai^,

Wjgl

jih\ Radical No. 72, the sun.

meant

etc., animals
but it early took
on the meaning of elegant, perhaps owing
to the graceful appearance of the animals.
The upper part ^ li*, is a primitive representing decoration. These animals were
decorated with horns. jM In* deer is a

ly

which

antelope, deer, jS

lived in droves,

and tail.
hsi^, Phonetic, west.
(See No. 26). The westem sun is much warmer than the eastern,
picture /^ of horns, body, feet

thus this

is

a suggestive addition to the

character, but, like the other phonetic,

without phonetic

is

significance.

800
tu^.

-^

:;^

-7^

Solitary, only, childless.

ch'uan Radical No. 94, a dog.

pictorial

representation.

sAa* Phonetic, a silkworm sjjinmng its thread.


(See No. 749)
is

(W. 54

spinning a cocoon

I).

it is

If

a silkworm

working alone

278

and

for

itself,

and when

this phonetic is

used -in this combination the idea of


" solitary " is derived from the above

As dogs do not usually roam about


ijacks the dog radical is appropriate to

fact.

in

form the character for solitary or alone.


^^,

ao^,

ycS^

The southwest comer of a room, where


the Lares w^ere placed, mysterious.

ta\ Radical No. 37, large.

(See No. 54).

This character cannot be broken up


radical

The above

and phonetic.

is arbitrarily'

writing.

given to

it

iiito

radical

in the ^modern

The Shuo Wen says

thfe

cha-

racter stands for the south-west corner of

the

one

room
is

f\ ttiieti^,

the dark corner, w^here

obliged to grope with the hands

order to differentiate 3^ pien^ the


articles. 5^
pien^ is the track of a wild
f^ in

animal and these w^ere easily distinguished, the one from the other, only by hunters
or those who frequently saw them thus
this is a symbol for discrimination (See
No. 837). As there w^as more or less
obscurity about such a corner, by extension the character has acquired the meaning of mysterious. (W. 123 F).
;

802 ^fi
mi*,

5fe^

pi'^,

s/2/A*,

Secret, private, divine.

Radical No.

113,

spiritual

ijtifluences'

(See No. 164).


Written 4 with a pen^:^.
Radical
No.
115, standing grain.
/^o^
(See

No. 556).
il^^ pi*,

Phonetic, must.

(See No. 504).

279

M pi* originally

was

used as a term for a

god or deity and the manifestations of


his will must >^> be complied with. |J5 is
another writing of the same character.
The meaning of secret may have originated from the fact that the will of the gods
could not be known unless set forth by
revelation or omen.
803
chati*,

part of a day,

briefly,

jih\ Radical No. 72, the sun.

Sj? chair',

temporarily.
(See No. 12).

Phonetic, to decapitate, to cut in two.

This

phonetic

is

a war chariot with

scythes according to the Shuo Wen.

It

may

have been used to exterminate


captives, and so, by extension this symbol
Df came to mean beheading by an execu-

The character may inean to


w^hirl or brandish ^ a battle axe Jr. (W.
128 A). See ilf (No. 812). When a day

tioner.

jih* is

divided the time

is

necessarily

short.

J^S
>f

pi*^,

J_
n

To

c/2o*

iu"

press upon, to

Radical No. 162.

ill

use.

(See No. 10).

Phonetic, abundance.

character

When

there

should
is

(See No. 267).

be

written fg

The
pi*.

an abundance of men, a

crowd of people, they press one another,


and if the throng is great, the weaker
a very
ones suffer from the pressure
suggestive symbol for oppression.
;

805

]j^

tieh^,

To

stumble, to

fall.

ja

^
rti

Radical No. 157, the foot. (See No. 484).


(See
sMb^, Phonetic, to lose, to err, a fault.
tsu^.

Am

No. 566).

error

mis-step, leads to

^'^

s^m\ Personal,

T^
A

of the foot

J,

fall !^.

selfish, secret.

Ao^ Radical No. 115, standing grain. (See


No. 556).
(See No. 569).
szn^ Phonetic, private, selfish.
Grain %. was used for paying taxes and
the residue

By

807^

was

extension,

personal /.property ^L

selfiish.

yu*. Passion, lust.

i^

Radical No. 61, the heart.


This is
yu*. Phonetic, to long for, to desire.
(See
No.
of
cHiao*,
135) the
made up
hsin^.

upper

lip,

or the flesh

^ above the mouth,

P k'otf. In this phonetic the upper lip


seems to be regarded as the center of selfThe

restraint.

deficiency of restraint

to gain, the master3\

added
808

sfe.

indicates

which allows desire

When

stands for passion or

;& bsin^ is
lust.

from view^, to shade.


sbou% Radical No. 64, the hand, (See No. 53).
yeif Phonetic, a man making a long stride,

yen*,

To

it

cb'ien*

screen, to hide

quickly

by

extension, to cover, remain.

man making a
and covering ground the length of
shenP,
the outstretched arms, a fathom.
(See No. 784). When hand i sbou\ is
added the hand covers or screens from

The

old w^riting, depicts a

stride

:;;*;

e"|3

view.

281
809

.Wffl^ iRetired, in

|5,#.

private

life.

Radical No. 170, a mound. '(See No. 493).


V7I2* Phonetic, carefnl, care, taking an interest
in,
freedom from care
to enjoj^ the

/a*

of the work
kung^ of one's
hands ^> ^. The *ij> hsin^ indicates peace
of mind of one who has what he needs
results

and

desires nothing else

P fu*

place,

The

(W. 49 G).

a modern substitution, meajiing


where fonnerl5^ was written U a

is

hiding place.
810

ni3h\ To deceive, to conceal.


nm\ Radical No. 109, the eye.

mam^ Phonetic,

(See No. 102).

equality. (See No. 306).

When

both eyelids are closed (equally tight),


then one cannot see. An old meaning of
this character

now means

to

Bji

was

to close the eyes.

It

hoodwink or to cause one

to have closed eyes to the real condition


of affairs.
811

ja^,
-f|

To

sprout, to bud, a germ, a shoot.

ts'ao" Radical No.

140, grass or vegetation.

(See No. 22).

^ j^.

Phonetic, a tooth.

(See No. 97).

an interesting process and


is watched by those interested in children.
The sprouting of seeds seemed to the
originators of this character to have a
Dentition

is

striking resemblance to tliat process

occurs at the

and the germs appear


showing above the gums.

life

it

commencement of the new


like teeth just

282
812

^ai

by

cbien*, Gradually,

TK,

^'^"^^'

degrees.

Radical No. 85, water.

*ii chau?, Phonetic,

(See

No.

decapitate,

(See No. 79).

to cut in two.

Water

803).

cuts

way

its

through great rocks but ages are required


This impressed the scribes

in the process.

and they adopted

this process as

a symbol

for gradually.

813 ^tt.
ku^, Grain, cereal.

5[^

.^

^jXi

^^

hd^,

Radical No. 115, standing grain.

(See

No. 556).

^& ^2
I

a cover

and vegetation d:, ^ chihi^. By extension, the husk


of grain, the shell of nuts' or of an egg.
The 5: shu\ to strike, (See No. 165) is
added, as frequently the husk requires

ch'iao^ k'o^, Phonetic,

much harsh treatment,


moved from the grain.

before it

is

re-

814
^iL.

li*,

^^

tap,

kernel (of grain).

Radical No. 119,

small grains,.

rice,

No. 47).

ly

/i*,

(See

r,:

Phonetic, to establish, to stand.

(See No.

Grain in bulk cannot be piled up


a bin it is only a single
kernel %t. that can stand jt alone mthout
216).

unless

it is in

support.
815

S
^^

chih^,

'^j

branch of a

tree.

y^

mu*, Radical No. 75, a tree, or wood.

No. 22).
chih^, Phonetic, a bow, a branch, to advance

money

the 65th Radical.

(See

283
V

This phonetic originally was used for the


branch of a tree. The old writing shows

a hand with a branch as if stripping it


from a tree. The radical ;ic is a modem

'

816

superfluous addition.

^
[^

yin*, Shad3', to shelter.


-^^,

lj|

[^

ts'ao' Radical No. 140, grass.


yiti^,

Phonetic,

(See No. 22).

dark, Hades, female,


This symbol often refers
as being over cast now^
cbin^,
shade,

secret, cloud 3^

to the skj^
it is

cloudy

superfluous.

The

ytin".

fu*,

When -'^ is added it

high,

is

indicates

that the shade comes from trees or some


thatched or artificial shelter.
817

liang^, Cool, fresh", cloudy.

J-^
;

^,7K
-^

Radical No. 85, water. (See No. 79).


(See No. 98).
ching^, Phonetic, the capital.
^"^''

the most important place


and
in the Empire,
by extension it is most
cool w^ater is most desirable
desirable
and refreshing.

The

capital

is

818

u*, A ferry, to ford, to cross a ferry.


Radical No. 85, water. (See No, 79).
shui\
J/ ^JC
capacity
tu*, Phonetic, to measure, a degree
made
up of J^.
to cross. This phonetic is
;

=^
shn\ contracted, (See No. 762), and
yu*, the right hand which measures by
The important
(W. 24 M).
spans.

thing in fording a stream is to be sure


that the water 7j< is not deeper than you
are able

^ water

M to ford, W
7j<.

or,

to pass across

284

819

j^^ ^,

pao*,

^^Iv, /=Ri

To expose

to the direct sunlight

violent,

cruel.

jih\ Radical No. 72, the sun.

(See No. 12).

This character does not divide into radical

and phonetic.

The

writing shows

old

the idea which the character

definitely

w^as intended to convey

which was to

spread f^ grain
out HJ in the sun H to
dry.
On account of the strength of sunlight it has

820

.^iju

poS A wave, a

tjJC

come to mean

violent or cruel.

ripple.

V',7jC shu^, Radical No, 85, water, (See No. 79).


p'r, Phonetic, the skin.
(See No. 224). The

waves and
layer,

821

ripples are like

^ p'P, of the water.

superficial

(See No. 832).

;jA
^2H^*,

4^C
J/

7J^

Waves,

profligate.

shui\ Radical No. 85, water.

good

liatj^, Phonetic,

a thing.

(See No. 79).

the original nature of

(See No. 445).

&

It is the nature
of water 7jC to form
waves, the waves tS seem impertinent,
rude, lawless, profligate ^.

I(JQ

A pillow, to pillow to sleep,


yt^ mu*, Radical No. 75, wood, (of which pillows
chin^,

are

^ ^

made

in

China) (See No. 22).

go away, to withdraw a
man )L who walks out of a space t-r ^
(See W, 34 E).
When wood 7|C mu" is
added it forms the character for pillow
and is thus explained when the head is
pillowed (asleep) the man makes journeys
jfc yiti^ all over the world in his dreams.

yin^ Phonetic, to

285

823

^g

^
^

chtng^f Quiet,

still

clean.

(See No.

ch'in^, Radical No. 174, pure, fresh.


63).

ch&rt^. Phonetic, to wrangle, to contest.

(See

No. 315). This character W^ was originally


used for thoroughly
blended colors
ch^iti^, but it is now used for quiet or

The proper character

still.

for this

was

a cessation at H*, of wrangling


cheng^ but in modem composition the

1^ chitig*,

proper character
824

,^

The

tan^,

^=

^,^
-^

is

never used.

gall, courage.

Jon\ Radical No. 130, meat. (See No. 133).


chan^ Phonetic, to talk indiscreetly, oversee.

"^

The reason

(See No. 797).

for this

bination of radical and phonetic

com-

may have

man

does indulge in indiscreet


statements, he not onlj'- needs to be a
man of muscle M jou*, in order to stand

been

^if

by these statements, but also a man of


courage or gall. The gall bladder is'considered to be the seat of courage.
825 jL-l*

Timorous, cowardly.
Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).
(See No. 67). If the
Phonetic, to go.

ch'ieh*,

J2C
il^\

'^

hsin',
c/i'uS

heart ;&
826
cbii*,

)^\

i|

HP |#

is

gone

* there is no courage.

Afraid, to fear, to stand in

AsiV, Radical No. 61 the heart.


,

awe

of.

(See No. 18).

Phonetic, the timid look BB of the bird H,


needed to preserve life, looking to right

ch'ti''

and to

left.

When a hawk has caught

286
his prey, he is

an enemy should attack him.

lest

it,

on the alert while devouring

With the addition of

hsin\ heart, the

'I'

timidity of the bird

to the

referred

is

emotions.

^"^

To go out and

ying^,

j^

a guest.

cho'^ Radical No. 162, to run and stop,

No. 10).
J[p^jT5

receive, as

aB^^ Phonetic, high, noble.

an

who

official

the seal

high dignitary

Here

holds the seal ^.

stands for the

man

(See

official.

The other part of the

No. 42).

phoiietic

facing the opposite w^ay

A li,
from the usual position.
is

(See

looking up to the

as

official

man

This
if

is

desiring to

attain to the rank of the latter.

When

added the idea of respectfully


going out to meet a guest or high digni1_ chd^ is

tary

is

expressed.

yan^, to look

has the same phonetic.

(See

up,

W. 26 G)

828

Lead or

lien^,

-^

chin",
//en^,

tin ore

lien^,

a chain.

Radical No. 167, metal.


Phonetic,

to connect.

This phonetic
it is

ii is

is

(See No. 13).


(See No. j^po).

suggestive of a chain as

used for things connected.

made

nected

The chain

of many rings of metal

^ like

a string of

carts,

^ con-

^, going

L, one after the other.

829
lii^,

f^

Many

shih^,

times, repeatedly.

Radical No. 44, a person' in the recum-

bent posture.

^>

/,'|\

(See No. 449).

lou^ Phonetic, the part of the palace

where

287

women

The
idea of the phonetic here is not the same
as that in lou^. This M lii^ is a very old
character and it is easiest to explain it by
commencing with the P shih^, which is a
contraction of M Tvtt^, a room (See No.
(See No. 392).

are confined.

337).

niP are

wa^, a negative

two

chung^

4", i<,

characters used in the

A#

pa^ kua^, w^hich indicate an empty space


and it indicates that in this room M,

where the women were confined, there


was no # furniture, it was empty. The
character eventually came to mean a
space as opposed to a solid substance and
w^as used for the holes in the lattice windows. From this the idea of "frequent 'J
is derived, as in a w^indow there are many
of these spaces.
830

a herd, a multitude,
yang^, Radical No. 123, a sheep.
cb*uif,

flock,

all.

(See No.

253).

a princely man. It is composed of^ yiti^, and P k^ovt; a magistrate


who holds in his hand ^ authority
) and who utters
his decrees or orders.

cbun^, Phonetic,

As sheep are orderly

in their actions the

was adopted with

above phonetic

yang^, sheep, for a flock of sheep.

means a
831

yiian^,

A hem

flock of

any

It

now

kind.

of a garment, a collar,

cause,

a connection, because.

^ szu\ Radical No. 120,

#.

silk.

(See No. 8).

I'

2.88

t'uati' Pho-netic,

pigs with bristles.

By

exten-

sion > accessories, as bristles are accessory

(W. 68

to the pig.

added

it is

When

I).

silk

is

used for the trimmings of a

garment. The bristles of the pig were


regarded as decoration and harmonized
with his general appearance.
832

W.

p'O^,
-\r.

t'ti',

a mound, a

declivity,

hill.

(See No. 13).

Radical No. 32, the earth.

(See No. 224).

p'P, Phonetic, skin.

of this phonetic plus dt


hill,

and plus

v'

t'u^,

sbuP, for a

The use

earth, for

wave

(See No.

820) leads to the supposition that the


two characters were originated by the
same scribe. The w^ave is an elevation
on the surface of the water and a hill is

an elevation on the surface of the earth.


In skinning an animal the skin is prone
to lie in wrinkles this may have siaggested its use as a phonetic in the two in;

stances.

833

ch'uaxtg^^,

To piash

ahead, to bolt out or in

rudely.

men\ Radical No. 169, a door.


a1a^ Phonetic, a horse.

out phonetic

force,,

(See No. 5).

(See No. 261).

but

it is

With-

suggestive of

dashing forward if once a horse ^ strikes


the side of a door P^ w^hen going through,
he will ever afterward go through with a
rush PS.
;

834
fotr',

To throw

at, to give over, to join.

28^

^ shou\
^

jXi sht^'

-^

Radical No. 64, the hand, (See No. 53).


making a quick

Phonetic, the right hand

motion, to strike. (See No, 165). With


the addition of shou^ i the hand, a good
character for to throw is formed and to

mean that one

give over or to join must

throws himself on the mercy of another,


as the prodigal did in the far country.
835

Cured, recovered.

ch'iian^,

(See No. 593).

ni\ Radical No. 104, sickness.


ch'tiaii^,

Phonetic, entire,

552).
This character

Wen, but
of

its

tii^

it is

(See No.

not found in the Shuo

is

not

difficult

to see the idea

when

the disease f^
the
ch'iiati^,

composition

has run

finished.

course

its

patient recovers.
836

yiian^,

A fountain,

the source.

yj^ i/ shaP, Radical No. 85, water.


f^ yiian^, Phonetic, the origin,

a spring.

(See

No. 653). The modern character has f


shui^, water, added, owing to the present
writing of the phonetic having no sug-

'

gestion of water

character

left in it.

depicted

The

original

the streams issuing

from under a ledge of rock.


837

fan^,

^
'

^
*

To

interpret, to translate.

szu\ Radical No. 120, silk. (See No. 8).


{an\ Phonetic, the tracks of a wild beast,
aborigines, discrimination. The ffi is the
ball

of the

foot

and the

rest

of the

290

the imprints of the claws tR


(cf. No. 801).
Hunters became expert at
recognizing the footprints of the various

symbol

is

animals and could


beast made them.

The character

at a glance

tell

for " to interpret or trans-

late" should be written

M fan^, hnt through

the carelessness of some scribe


substituted.

what

^ fan^ was

It was probably used

first

some

tribe

for translating the writing of

or person w^ho wrote different symbols

from those

common

in

use.

Observe that

shen^, to

judge or investigate, uses the


same phonetic the judge in his courtroom
t^ miet^, investigates
fan^ the testimony
:

and pronounces sentence accordingly.


838
kaei^.

Women's rooms, w^omen,

men\ Radical No. 169, door.

female, girl.

(See No. 5).

kueP, Phonetic, a small stone scepter or baton,


anciently given to nobles as
(See No. 161).

rank.

sign of

The character

ft

have been first used to


a feudal lord in distinction from the large door used by the 3E
wang^, the prince, and it was afterwards
used to designate the door of the women's
apartment, and finally wae used foi

ioei^ seems to

indicate the door of

women
839

jang^,

To

m general.

clamor, to cry out, to scold.

mouth.
bsiang^ Phonetic to remove, to assist, to per"^' '^
feet.
It is necessary to study the old
k^ou^. Radical No. 30, the
;

291

writing.

It is to take off one's outer gar-

ment 3^ i^ and assist a in a common piece


of work X kun^. The nn hsiian^ indicates
that there is much discussion, perhaps

many

orders given. X, seen only in oldest

w^riting,

was changed

into

Si

indicated disox'der or confusion.

chP and
(W. 16

and 72 H.) With the addition of n


mouth, to this already boisterous
phonetic we have a strong character for
clamor. The modern writing gives but
I.

k'ou^,

little clue

to the original composition.

840

f
^*

^
rft*

nien^,

To

expel, to drive out.

sbou% Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


When
nien^, Phonetic, the Emperor's chariot.
the Emperor went on the street the
ordinary traflBc was suspended and the
streets

The addition of

must be vacated.

hand t shou^ to

this phonetic

may have

formed the character adopted

for

the

clearing of the thoroughfare for the pas-

sage of the Emperor's chariot.

drawn by two men ^.

(W. 60

It

was

M)

841

yen*,

To

disUke, to loathe.

Radical No. 27,


Jf^ ban*
Bfc

a projecting

cliff.

satiated, ^M* kan^, with


I* yen* Phonetic, to be
meat
B jou*.
dog it ch'iian^,
The fe i^ and "M* kan^ of the old forms have
been changed to g in the modern charSatiety seems to have been the
acter.

aim in the ancient feast it is indicated


bv S i^, belching. By extension, the M
;

292

means

yeii^

disgust, aversion.

han* re-

presents the retreat from the place of

(W. 65 G).

feasting.

842
r>

^^

>

f'H
:;fC

ch'i\

To

mu\

Radical No. 75, wood.

reject,

to discard.
(See No. 22).

This character does not exhibit radical

and phonetic. The seal writing represents


a newborn child in a scoop and two hands
in the act of throwing it awaj^.
(W. 94
This indicates that infanticide has
G.)
long been practiced in this country.
843

^, f
-Q

kuaP, A staff, a cratch.


sbou\ Radical No. 64, the hand.
ling^,

(See No; 53).

Phonetic, separate, extra. (See No. 474).

As a staff is something used by man in


walking and is not a part of himself, this
phonetic aids in explaining the character

but

is

w^ithout phonetic force.

844

i
(^

chUtt^, Dust, the w^orld.

t'u^ Radical No. 33, earth.


7u*,

Phonetic,

On

deer,

(See No. 13).

an antelope, a

gazelle.

the upper part are the horns, below^

are the feet and the

body

is

in the middle.

The original writing of %. ch^en^ was not


always the same. ^ indicated the dust
which a herd of deer or elk caused to rise
'

when they

ran.

There

is

now

but one

deer.
845,

fitl

To stamp,

to*'^,

to knock off (from the feet).

Jg^ tso^ Radical No. 157, the foot.

7^

tc?,
'

(See No. 484).


Phonetic, bushes with branches hanging

with flowers.

'

(Sfee

No. 581).

When

foot

293

added to this phonetic, there is the idea


of something hanging or adhering to it,
which can be removed by a stamp of the

is

foot.

'^

ytf, Oil.

y\i shuP, Radical No. 85, water.


yir, Phonetic, from, origin.

(See No. 79).

was originally
and it was adopted
This

There

oil.

is

(See No.

the

name

732).

of a river

as the character for

no etymological ground

for

this use.
847

-^
J^

a married w^oman.
nff, Radical No. 38, a woman.
(See No. 16).
chou^ Phonetic, a dusting cloth attached to a

fu*,

w^ife,

Invented in the 21st century B.


C. When in tivP, a woman, is added it is
used as the character for a married
handle.

w^oman or

broom-stick.
848

-^S

we?.

To

one w^ho handles the


(W. 44 K).

wife, the

dread, to respect, to be in

t'ien\ Radical No. 102, field.

awe

of.

(See No. 212).

This character cannot be divided into


radical

and phonetic.

i'ierP field,

was 6

Originally the

^ fu*,

B3

a demon's head,

and ^ chao^, claw^, and finally )) A jen^,


a man, a frightened man, was added as a
demon's head

most

and a

tiger's

fear-inspiring objects to

claw^s

man.

are

This

character has undergone so great a change


in

modern writing that the etymology

entirely lost.

is

294

^^

hu\ To protect, to defend.


a word.
(See No. 10).
huo* Phonetic, to hold a bird H in the hand %
to protect it. This is a bird of the falcon
or ha^wk tribe, carried on the arm 3C.

^^

yen^, Radical No. 149,

^R^X

According to
Kuei* Shih* Shuo^
Wen^, the bird is eminently able to foresee
good fortune or calamity, and there is an
intimation that they were kept and protected in order to secure good fortune.
With the addition of word,
yctf, the
character stands for protection or, to

defend
850
JFu^

To

float,

to rove, to travel.

7^,7K shu?, Radical No. 85, water. (See No. 79).


ife^ y^^ Phonetic, the motion of the arms of a
swimmer fluttering of a flag. The phonetic is a contraction oi'^yt^, a sw^immer.
The S^ yen^ (See No. 698) a fluttering
motion, here means the overhand swimming strokes.
The ^ "^ tzv^, a child,
;

indicates that the legs of the

swimmer are

hidden by the water and thus invisible as


those of a child wrapped in long clothing.

The water
addition.

radical

By

shuP,

is

a recent

extension this character

is

used for the verb, to travel.


851

standing so close together that they


require to be transplanted, to move.
Radical
No. 115, standing grain. (See
bo^,
No. 556).
P, Stalks

toS Phonetic, many.

(See No. 184).


This
phonetic assists in explaining the meaning

295

of the character, but has no value as


phonetic.

When

and

growth

their

plants are crowded


is

thus stunted, the

farmer often transplants


room for development.
^^^

^ and

so allows

ch'Ja\ Timely.
i^^

hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart.

yf^ ho^, Phonetic, joining, union,

(See No. 18).

harmony.

(See

No. 103). That which occurs just at the


right time or just when it is wanted, j5
hsin^, is called timely.

853

XQ

ch'iao', Skillful, lucky.

~p kun^, Radical No.


of work.

~^

48, work,

workman, time

(See No. 89).

ch'iao^ Phonetic,

difficulty

which has met with an

in

breathing, air

obstruction.

(See

No. 258). This is a phonetic which inthese


dicates curves and waves of air
kun^, a reprecurves and twists plus
;

sentation of the square,

when brought

skilful, as a workcan combine curves and angles


his work must be skilful.

together, are used for

man who
in

854

p'aP,

^,

-f

To

arrange.

shou\ Eadical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


a primitive with two sides
fej^, Phonetic,
opposite to each other.

The

(See No. 276).

objects are placed in a certain position

with reference to each other and with the


addition of hand this forms the character
to arrange.

296

855

ij^

shih^,

*=*

it?

vt?!

JJ"^

To

swear, an oath.

yeii\ Radical No. 149,


^^^^'

word.

(See No. 10).

Phonetic, to break, to cut in two.

In the

oldest writing this phonetic represents

an

ax which has cut a branch

In

ancient times

when one

in two.

desired to affirm

a statement as true, he took an ax and


cut a branch in two, the idea being that
he expected such a retribution if his state-

ment was not

With the addition of

true.

word, this character

ej'efl^,

is

used for

an oath.
856

^
J^

To break apart with

the hand (as bread).


Radical No. 64, the hand: (See No. 53).
jgS pi^p'i*, Phonetic, a prince, a man who pro-

pa?,

shoti",

on criminals

has been changed to

nounces n the sentence


hsin" (See No. 274).

The

shih^,

chielf, seal,

sentence

modern

the

in

was

writing.

As the

generally death, the char-

acter also means to

by cutting asunder.
means to break
open with the hand a case where the

When hand

is

kill

added

it

addition

of a

radical

very

materially

reduces the original severity of the phonetic.

E^

a*,

The bank, the

shore.

^^ shan^, Radical No. 46, a mountain, a pictorial


representation in the old writing.

=p

kan^, Phonetic, arms.

the idea
defense.

(See No. 110).

Here

that arms T kan^, are used for


The radical llj shan^, a mountain,

is

297

ako include T han*, a projecting


as mountains and the cliffs are the

should
clifif,

guardians against the encroachment of


the sea.
858

yao^ To shake, to sway to and fro.


shou\ Radical, No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).
(^ J ad- Phonetic, an earthen vessel for cooking
or keeping meat. (W. 130 C). There is
no explanation of why this phonetic is

used with the radical t hand, shod', for


the verb to move, and consequently it
must be regarded as a simple phonetic.
859

huan^, Agitated, apprehensive,

iit

to scare

very.

*i^ hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).
huang", Phonetic, barren, wild, reckless.
(See
No. 639). This is a good phonetic and

when heart

'I'

of the barren

hsin\ is added the condition


and worthless land is trans-

ferred to the heart.

It suggests the idea


"
of being
scared out of one's w^its."

860
yir', Silly,

i^

S^

stupid.

Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).


In the old writing
the head resembles that of a demon. (See

bsin^.

yvL^ Phonetic, a monkey.

No. 447).

It

has a prehensile

tail

(W.

For some reason a monkey

is

regarded as stupid, thus when heart

is

23 E).

added the character indicates a monkey's


heart
861

cbji^,

f ,^

To

stupid.

grasp, to restrain.

sbou\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).

298
fel

a sentence (See No. 80) to


admonisli or warn, and with the addition
of i sbou^, the hand, to lay hold on one,

chu^, Phonetic,

to prevent his going.


nally from

^ cbii* is not origi-

pao^, as stated under the

but from f
5 cA/V, a
primitive representing a creeping plant
twining over and circling round other
things.
That 1 cA/V is here w^ritten

80th

cl^aracter,

^ pao^, to w^rap, is misleadBecause the tendril 1 cbin^ and the


placenta *J> pao^ both have the idea of to
wrap, or contain, the modern forms are
often identical and they are used interchangeably.
precisely like

ing.

862

Hb*
~ij*

shou^,

To

keep, to guard.

*-*-

mien^ Radical No. 40, a house.

-^

ts'un^, Phonetic,

(See

an

No. 69).

value but

it

inch,

a measure, a hand.
without phonetic

It is

explains the use of the char'^ mieti^ is

an official's residence and here the law "^ ts^un*, is kept


and used in the administration of the
'^
office.
Another explanation is that
raien^ is a house on the frontier w^here

The

acter.

soldiers

frontier

XP^

i^,

j^

To

are

stationed

to

protect

the

from encroachment.

bequeath, to

lose,

to give.

cho^ Radical No. 162, to run and stop.

(See

No. 10).
k'uei\

honorable. This is from


a basket, (See No. 693) and K pei\

kuei^, Phonetic,

299

a basketful A of precious things,


M, valuable. This character has undergone many changes and the present
precious,

writing does not indicate the original


meaning.
Kang Hsi gives three old
writings which are obsolete. The best

way

remember the character is to


regard the valuables -M kuei^ as moving
^, changing hands, either as a present or
to

bequeathed

jt.

864

ch'un\ The

lips.

^ ^ jou\ Radical No. 130, meat,


Phonetic,
7 to 9
J^^ ^

flesh.

ch'en^,

122)

Mmmi^

(See No.

a.m.

time,

Ch'ang'' Chien^ Shuo^

Wen'2

gives the following explanation :M, /^


cb'en^ is

from

represents the

the ground)

man, change

Zi

germ
and \l

germination

i^,

(it

striving to get thru


fi

(See No.

an inverted

huaf",

488

the seed

being changed into a plant,) and

is

H old

writing of Jb shang^, up
(the plant
grow^ing up out of the ground) and
;

is

half indicating that at first the sprout is


covered w^ith the earth. As this is the
season when vegetation commences to
grow it is a most important time for
farmers.

Why

this

'

was

selected as the

not apparent, unless


the cotyledons of plants such as beans
phonetic for lips

is

reininded the scribes of the

lips.

865

Xt

wan^, Crooked wrong, a grievance.


mu\ Radical No. 75, wood. (See No.
;

TJC

22).

300

Zp

-^ wang^ Phonetic, vegetation which grows here


and there w^ithotjt any order. (See No.

With the addition of tree ?ic mu*


irregular growth is transferred to the
and this is a symbol of a crooked,

350).
this

tree

wrong

or unnatural growth, a tree so

contorted that

useless for building

is

it

purposes.
rIJX

jjE-

867

chieh^, To prohibit, to caution a precept,


yen\ Radical No. 149, a word.
(See No. 10).
This
cbieh*, Phonetic, to warn, to caution.
phonetic is made up of two h^nds fl" and
a halberd ^. It implies an ocular warning.
When b" yen^ is added it implies a
verbal w^arning.
(W. 47 E).

rd^

liffe

to
a house in ruins, useless
abandon.
yitf Radical No. 53, a covering, a shelter, a
fei*,

r*"

Ruined,

house.

^-

fa^,

an

Phonetic, to shoot

Some

(See No. 214).


etic

arro"w, to send forth.

explain this phon-

as y^ po*, to separate the

feet,

to place

the feet apart as one does w^hen shooting

an arrow

^ from a bow ^

ing the arrow

is

sent

away,

When shootis

lost

this

the idea stressed in this combination


and when f yerf, a house, is added it
indicates an abandoned house one which
owing to its location or for other reasons
cannot be used.
is

868

chieb\

To borrow,

means

of.

to

avail

oneself of ;

by

301
-H' ts'ao^, Radical No. 140, grass or vegetation.

(See No. 22).

an #4i

n,%Q

a field plowed by the Emperor,


appanage, to borrow. This is made up
of ^, :^ leP, a harrow (See No. 601) and
^, "^ hsi^, dried meat old, ancient. (See
No. 222). The crops from the Imperial
field w^ere used in sacrifices.
This phonetic is made up of the products of the field,
grain, and the results of the chase, dried
meat in a word, the articles used as
food.
By planting and hunting one could
supplj' himself w^ith these articles and the
original meaning was, "to avail oneself
of," and this meaning w^as extended to

chi^ Phonetic,

" borrow^."

It is now^ w^ritten w^ith the

grass radical

when used

in this sense.

869
hui*,

Weeds growing among

grain, dirty, un-

cjean.

^^

ho^, Radical

No. 115, standing grain.

(See

No. 556).
sui*,

Phonetic,

197).

harvest,

a year.

(See No.

As Jupiter's phases indicated whe-

ther or not

war was

to be waged,

decided whether the crops

properly cared for

w^hen

tIc

it

thus

ho^ were

war was

being

weeds were not removed


and thus the fields w^ere dirty, as the men
were called away from their agricultural
carried on the

pursuits.
270

at

tu^

M^
,

The

belly.

Joti\ Radical No. 130, meat, flesh.


133-).

(See No.

302
-j-

t'u^ Phonetic,

(See No.

earth.

This

13).

not found in the Shuo Wen


and hence is probably a modern invencharacter

is

The

tion.

t'a^ is a simple phonetic.

871

Aou^

Illicit,

careless,

if.

(See No. 22).

-H* ts'ao\ Radical No. 140, grass.

kov^, Phonetic
entice

a hook

curved, crooked,

to cross out from a

This

list.

to
is

a creeping vine,
This
(See No. 861), and P A'o^ mouth.
phonetic is often written ^ kou^. Because
a creeping vine extends its growth in any

composed of

cbiu^,

direction, it is regarded as being selfish,


careless,

and by extension

illicit.

872
.

-.

'

'HU,

t^ox^,

To

steal, to pilfer, secretly, stealthily.

-^v jen^, Radical No. 9,

^ yvP The

a man.

Phonetic, a small boat.

was
still

(See No. 795).

original writing of this character

% t^ov^, and
in

where

fif

has to be looked up
the Shuo Wen under -^ nii^, woman,
it

says the vulgar writing is f^


It is evidence that the incongruity
i'ovi^.
of using
nii^, w^hen in the courts and
it

jails ninety-nine

out of a hundred thieves

are men, w^as recognized and consequently

was

the -^ nu^

replaced

person of either sex.


,

phonetic

is

not apparent

women were
-fip;

Sp

tu*,

by
-i;

jen^,

w^as used as

perhaps boat-

notorious for their thieving

propensities.

873

Why

Jealous, envious.

30S

-^ n^^
J^

Radical No. 38, a


No. 16).

bu*, Phonetic,

This

is

woman, a

single door.

girl.

(See

(See No. 480).

another instance where

are maligned by the scribes as

if

women
jealousy

were confined to the female portion of the


race.
The Shuo Wen says that 5P
tu is the jealousy of women and ^, chi*
the jealousy of men. If this is correct
why is
nv? used in both characters ?
The present character represents a woman
back of a ^ door giving vent to her
jealousy where she is not seen by others.

human

874

Sediment, dregs.

cba},

f ,i^

shm\ Radical No.


ch's?,

85, water.

(See No. 79).

Phonetic, a proper name.

(See No. 397).

was

at one time used as the character


for a railing and also for the foundation
It

of a pillar, but none of these meanings


aid in the explanation of the present

combination, therefore

it

has to be put

in the class of simple phonetics.


875

J.^
cbing*,

i. u\

region,

a place

state or condition.

Radical No. 32, earth.

(See No. 13).

cbing*, Phonetic, the end, limits

boundaries

yin^, of men
where the pronunciations
With the
;L differ; only, nothing but.

addition of

t'u\

the stress is
boundaries, to the

earth,

removed from the


region in which the language

is

the same.

876

cb'u^ Painful, distressing

orderly, well-done.

304

^ mu\
ag;

Radical No. 75, wood, tree.

(See No. 22).

Phonetic, a place planted A?v^itli trees.


This phonetic contains the radical, the
lin'.
upper part is a grove or forest
in
part
the
foot
lower
is
shu^,
The
JE

ch'a^,

(W. 112 C, 119 N). It is a


difficult thing to walk through a thicket.
The idea of orderly may have been suggested by the regular order of the trees
which were planted in the grove.
motion.

877

wa^,

Iirt

i'

i|l^

To awaken,

to discern

to recover.

hsin\ Radical No. 61, the heart.

31 wu^

"

my.

(See No. 18).

composed of S.
wti" five (See No. 30), and
k'ou^ the
mouth, # wu^ is a verj^ lofty appellation
Phonetic,

for

of

I,

all

I,

as

mj'self,

things

3l,

it

It is

represents the creation

my mouth

by the w^ord of

n but man has ever been prone to elevate


himself and with the addition of f hsin^,
heart, consciousness, w^e have the symbol
,

for,

^78

,)BBff

p'iao^,

t^Tf^

7K,

7^

1^

to discern.

To

float, to drift.

sAuf, Radical No. 85, water.


p'iao'^,

Phonetic, a signal,

255).

The

(See No.

ticket.

old writing represents

floating in the air as


shui",

(See No. 79).

water,

is

a signal

added,

smoke

when

the floating

v'

is

transferred from the air to the water.


879

____

,,

^
J^

c/zeS

To

cover, to hide, to screen, to intercept.

cho* Radical No. 162, to run

No. 10).
sAu* Phonetic,

all

and stop (See

(See No,, 762).

If

a person

305

or went

away

from, 5_ cbd'', the light


of the hearth ^. he was not seen, as
left

this

was

the light in the house at

all

night.
880

/g^
-^^

ts'aP, Variegated,

gay,

ornamented

with

diverse colors.

shan^ Radical No, 59, to adorn with feathers


or colored hair. It is intended to represent feathers or long hair.

TIC,

to pluck with the fingers

ts'aP, Phonetic,

f^>

from a tree :^ to choose.


(W. 49 B). With the addition of
shan\
to adorn with feathers or long hair, we
have flowers and long hair or feathers
fruit or flowers

thus the character contains


articles for
881

-b^
Jpg^

^
^

all

the natural

ornamentation.

taa^, To obstruct, to withstand.


shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).
tan^, Phonetic, to be equal to. (See No. 478).

A hand

shou^,

must be equal to

requirements before

it

"^ the

can obstruct or

withstand M.
882

^h.

jru*,

I^r

That which
quarrel

-^

decides

who

is

right in a

a prison, a jail.
94, a dog, a

cA'uan^ Radical No.

pictorial

representation

The Shuo Wen explains this character as


being two dogs J it ch^iiatf. The phonetic

yen^ but though it has no phonetic


force, it assists in explaining the meaning.
is

The two dogs personate two

who

are

mutually

criminals

incriminating

each

306

other

J^t^, in order to secure

is

lighter

not a pleasant pastime


an apt symbol for Hades or prison,
This

sentence.

and

is

883

To marry a husband.
Radical No. 38, a woman.

chia^.

ir
^C

u',

(See No. 16).

a home, a family. (See No.


The bride leaves the parental roof

cA/aS Phonetic,

221).

and a new home

M.

started.

is

cbia^,

This combination of radical and phonetic


forms a good character for the above

meaning.
884
p'ieh^,

.^
'raJC

To throw away,

to give up.

shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand.


pi*,

(See No. 53).

Phonetic, mean, poor, ruined.

With the hand

(See No.

added,
which indicates the action of discarding
or throwing aw^ay w^orn out clothing ^^
w^e have a verj' good symbol for the
211).

above meaning
885

fsrti

r^n.
Jp3^

tien*,

A grand

hall,

t shou^,

W..

a palace.

JSC shu^ Radical No. 79, the right

jerky motion.

The phonetic

hand making a

(See No. 165).

not now^ used as a character


the buttocks.
The explanation
given in Chu Shih -^ R Shuo Wen is as

t'on^

is

follows:
thief is

^mmmm^mBm^^t

bound and spanked

"a

in the hall."

here used for M. tien*. A


place for the administration of punishment

The second

is

seems to have originally been the chief


use of the IS tien*, but as their ciYilization

307

advanced it was used far Ifaifge gatherings


of any kind.
(W. 22 D).
d

^|t

IP,

fence, to inclose.

chu\ Radical No. 118, bamboo.


IP,

(See No. 7).

Phonetic, to part, to separate.

(See No.

351).

To separate off, M IP, a plot of land with


a bamboo j^^ chu^ fence is the explanation
of this character.
887

^,ft
F*-*

A bamboo hedge

a species of bamboo
with spines.
chu\ Radical No. 118, bamboo (See No. 7).
paS Phonetic, a kind of boa (See No. 53).
It may be that a serpent B w^as selected
for the phonetic because it, like a hedge,
has length without much width and fj
chtP, bamboo, is a common material for a
hedge, or a fence.
pa',

S88

The

p'u^.

vine.

Radical No. 140, grass or vegetation.

H*]}lljl ts'ao*.

(See No. 22).


p'u^. Phonetic, to fall prostrate

child.

of

1,

The

''1

to crawl, as

pao^ here takes the place

chiu^ of the original writing.

The

pao^ is
reason for this change is that
one of the 214 radicals and 1 chit^ is not.

Thus the meaning was a


spreads

"Sf,

M-

vine

which

(See No. 416).

S89
t'ao^.

The grape.

ts^ad, Radical No. 140, vegetation.


22).

(See No.

308

j^

a furnace for pottery. This


seems to be a simple phonetic. It is a
of a kiln ^
representation
pictorial
inside.
(W. 54
with porcelain ware
^'
D).
is
a recent character, coined
about 100 B.C. An emperor of the Han
Chang^
Dynasty in 138 B.C. sent
Ch'ienS to the region of the Caspian Sea
on a mission and this man brought back
grapes, alfalfa and large horses. He saw^
that grapes w^ere good for men and alfalfa
w^as good for animals. This man also
established a trade route to that part of

fad'. Phonetic,

m%

(See Giles' Biographical Dic-

the world.

tionary, under Chang^ Ch'ien 3i %,

K'ang

Hsi*s Dictionary under

and

^ t'ao^.)

890
ya^,

To

press

down, to

repress.

:j^ t'u^ Radical No. 32, the earth.

to

yen*, Phonetic,

satiated.

disUke,

to

(See No. 841).

represents a

man

w^hose stomach

tended and uncomfortable.


of db t'u^ earth,

to be
This phonetic

loathe,

may

is

dis-

The addition

imply that a hole

is

to be filled with earth dt and solidly


packed JE as an over-distended stomach
is packed with food.
891
pien^,

whip.

ke. Radical No. 177, to skin.

pien*, Phonetic,

492),

ment

The

(See No. 163).

convenient, ready.

was

originally

of torture, but

w^hip for animals.

(See No-

an

now

instru-

used as a
convenient {M piece

it is

309

$ may

of leather

stimulate,

some,

in'

recollections ot a slipper sole.


892 Jt^^

You. (A polite term). This


authorized character.
bsiti^, Radical No. 61, the heart.

tiin^,

j3$
^L^
(j

nP, Phonetic, you.

of heart

jC?

an un-

is

The addition
intended as a mark of

(See No. 3).

hsin'-, is

Some think that the origin of ^


was from i^^ ^ nP lao^ which ih the
spoken language was contracted to nirf,
and this character was coined for the new
respect.
nir/,

sound.
893

t'ang^,

bath tub.

a dish or

JUL min^. Radical No. 108,

894

^ fan^,
hsing^,

IF

hot water, broth,


min^ and
form a good character for the

t^ati^. Phonetic,

above

vessel.

also read tang''.

Form,

figure, shape.

shan^ Radical No. 59, feathers, long hair.

^T

No. 415).
ch'ien^ Phonetic,

two

(See No. 235).

(See

shields of equal height.

Shields with decorations

were common. An
article if not decorated is spoken of as
lacking in appearance or shape.
in

1p0

7iV,

various

Two, a
acter)

y^^ >|
~'

RJa

jeti^,

couple.

(An unauthorized char-

Radical No.

ifazi^*,

designs

9,

a man.

Phonetic, two, a pair, an ounce.

No. 35).
It is probable that this character
originally used for

used for

two

two

meri,

of anything.

but

it is

(See

was

now

310

896

J^^

ching^, Bright sunlight

a view

appearance

circumstances.

-^

jih\ Radical No. 72, the sun.

(See No. 12).

ching^, Phonetic, the capital.

(See No. 98).

When

ching^
H jih*, is high,
then one can get a view of the landscape
or can learn tlie appearance of the sur-

the sun,

roundings.
897

wo*,

To
a

use great effort

and bend the mind to

subject, to strive after

business, duty,

must.
li\

Radical, No. 19, strength.

(See No. 212).

1^"* Phonetic, to display one's skill in wielding,


^5t
mao^, (a three pronged
3L p'u^, arms,

halberd).

The

;f3 li*,

strength,

is

a modern

addition.
898

/I

chieh*,

i\\

Boundaries w^hich separate men, one


an assistant, one who waits on, to

alone;
assist

yv
/\^

jenP,

pett3^

Radical No.

9,

a man.

pa^, Phonetic, eight.

(See No. 32).

It

has no

phonetic pow^er, but in the seal writing


helps

to

character.

explain

the

Man, A

it

meaning of the

jerp, is in the center

and the A pa^, separates him from others.


The meaning of to assist has been added
without logical sanction.
899

IQ

sbao*.

To

connect, to join, to tie together, to

hand down as a trade.

7^ szu\ Radical No. 120, silk. (See No. 8).


S chao*^, Phonetic, to summon, to call. (See No.
The original meaning seems to
722).

311

have been a father summoning, S cbao\


his son and requesting him to continue, ^
szu^,

the family trade or profession.

900

^.i|li

chP, Utmost, very.


>tC

mu\

chi* Phonetic, haste, urgent,

Radical No. 75, wood.

A man who watches

(See No. 22).

a struggle

for

life.

for the favorable

opportunity of heaven and the advantages of earth. A man is seen in the seal
w^riting, between heaven and earth
erh*
(the radical) he is striving w^ith voice n>
and hand, %, to gain his end. (W. 2 D),

With the addition of

;^ mu*,

tree,

the

character stands for extreme, the very

The tree, in its position between


heaven and earth, attains to a much
hiffher altitude than does man.
top.

901

p'aii^,

To

look at, to hope

wa\

X^

Ien\ Phonetic, to divide.

for.

(See No. 102).

Radical No. 109, the eye.

(See No. 181).

When one

hopes B^ for something the eye


/en\
@, /^^^ is prone to spend a portion
of its time looking for it.

902

niu
^'^"''

JlX.

'i'^e

rump

thighs, the haunches, the

division, share

a band, a gang

a strand

of a rope.

%,H
-^

iou\ Radical No. 130, meat. (See No. 133).


shu^ Phonetic, a long pole projecting before a
war-chariot, a spear, to kill. (See No.
seems to be
The meaning in
165).

taken from the

first definition given,

thighs are an extension of the body.

the

The

312

idea of a strand or a part or share seems

come from an ancient usage of the


word the Shuo Wen says that the ^ shu^
to

is

here used for

^ shu^,

tinguish between.

The

different, to dis-

a rope are
a business conof a certain number of
fibers of

divided into strands, and


cern

is

made

lip

shares.
903

kung^,

/g

mine.

Radical No. 112, stone.


(See No. 42).
kuang^. Phonetic, broad. (See No. 696). The
sbih^,

Shuo Wen says that this should be w^ritten


m. Here ^, huatig", (See No. 207), is
used for i, t'u^, yellow earth, with '^,
shih^, metal-bearing stone. Another A!\rriting is M.
S04
hsii*,

^
H

thread, a clue, to succeed to.

szu\ Radical No. 120,

(See No. 8).

silk.

This character
w^as invented to represent a connection
between w^hat has already been said and
what is to follow. The seal writing
Phonetic, this, that,

che^,

it.

indicates that it reaches in

two

two

directions,

crossed branches, and beneath

tzQ*,

what

contracted, the starting point for


follows.

the character
ing in

is

Thus the composition

^ indicates

the self

of

reach-

order to find a clue


of the thing desired.

all directions in

or trace

S05
chien^,

f^t

A bamboo

chien^,

slip,

to abridge, rude.

No. 118, bamboo. (See No. 7).


Phonetic, between, among.
(See No.

,11r cAu', Radical

313

Strips were

183).

made

of the part of

bamboo

the

yr between fS chien^, the


and on these sUps directions or
descriptions were written if the description w^as lengthy the slips were bound up
in book form, but w^hen the description

joints,

was kept within the limits of one slip of


bamboo it was regarded as abridged and
eventually the above character took on

that meaning.
906

ya^,

The bouse or

office

an

of

official

tribunal.
4=:.^.^

^, ^^

No. 144, to walk, to


read hang^ a row^, motion. (See No.

hsing^, hang^, Radical

act

S wu^

161).
Phonetic,

my.

I,

(See No.

original phonetic

was ^,

something to be dreaded
the
in

official.

The

The

877).

ya^,
it

a tooth,
represents

radical If hang^, a row,

order, represents the underlings

are standing at their places in a


either side of the

how

to explain

from

official.

the writing

who

row on

It is difficult

was changed

^ to ^.

907 stA.

^^

cbing*,

j^

Ji\

The

end, finally, only.

Radical No. 117, to stand. (See No. 216).


By using jt li*, as the radical the

etymology
character

has

is ver5'

been

This

destroyed.

similar to

chatig^,

sound,

(See No. 87)


should be the radical, and below this is
ching (See No. 875). Another
man, }\i,

chapter.

yin^,

explanation

is,

# indicates that

this

man

314

was singing, he sent forth tones, "h


and we thought only of the melody #
when the song is completed ^ there is a
JL

sense of finality.
908 ._
ts'aP,

To

select,

to pluck.

shou', Radical No. 64, the hand.

rj%

ts'aP, Phonetic, to gather, to pluck.

281).

(See No. 53).

The addition of the

(See No.

t, t'P

shou\

contributes nothing.
909

hsiang^,

^
rC

The nape of the neck

a sort

item,

sum, income.
j'eA'', Radical No. 181, the head, a page of a
book. (See No. 105).
kting^, Phonetic, labor.
(See No. 89). Owing
to the head, neck

and back forming a

notch resembling one side of the radical


kung^, X, this SAinbol w^as selected as the
phonetic for the above character.

Another

that the
w^here burdens are

reason given for the selection

is

nape of the neck is


carried, viz., where work, X, kuti^,
(W. 82 A).
done.
910

is

A ford, a ferry, a narrow^s, a mart


where boats stop.

ching^,

7^,7K shai\ Radical No. 85, water. (See No. 79).


(See No. 7). This
ju^'* Phonetic, a stylus.
phonetic w^as formerly ^ chiti^, a stylus
^* jru* making marks ^.
It was conThere seems to be
tracted to
j'u*.

much

evidence to the effect that originally

this character

was written

f^,

a place

where a boat w^as sure to be found for

315

crossing a river.

character

sumed
911

its

it

was

This being a clumsy


contracted until it as-

present form.

^^_

To

charge with, to entrust.


ye^ Radical No. 149, a word. (See No. 10).
t t'o* Phonetic, to depend on, to engage a substitute.
(See No. 624).
By a word or
_^

fo^,

command
t'o*

"g"

the responsibility is changed

from one person to another.

912

yu^,
,

To roam,

to wander, to stroll, to travel.

-y^ chd^ Radical No.

62, to run and stop.

(See

No. 10).
Of-

yr^ Phonetic, the motion of the arms ot a


swiminer. (See No. 850). The character
is often used for No. 850 W.
The 5_
chd^, indicates inovement, and for moving
from place to place on land, is more
logical than is W- yi^-

913

chi^,

y^ mu\

c/zi*'

inachine, a loom, to reveal,

Radical No. 75, wood.


Phonetic, few, nearly.

',

a spring.

(See No. 22).


(See

No. 34).
used for

This phonetic plus wood is


The first machines probably
machine.

were looms and these were constructed of


wood. A few ^ pieces of wood Tjc, which
developed movement is a good symbol for
a machine ti.
914
_jv

an instrument.
cA'uan^ Radical No. 94, a dog, a
ch'i*,

utensil,

pictorial

representation.

n^

ch'i^

Phonetic,

many mouths,

clamor.

Dishes

316

are spoken of as having mouths, thus

each mouth represents a dish. The dog


was added as he was kept to clean up the
dishes after a meal. Another explanation
the

is,

dog
he

articles

watchful and

is
is

responsible for

careful

of

thus here

the dog implies that utensils

must be

There is an old writing


chH^, which has the radical -pf fov^, porcelain, instead of :^, chOiar^, which is
more logical, but owing to its being
obsolete it does not help in remembering
cared

for.

the construction of the character.


915

pa
chad",

jf^

m>J^

To

illuminate, according" to.

hno^. Radical No. 86,

ch.a&. Phonetic, bright, to

phonetic

and

is

This
jiit,

summon.
that which

(See

The sun H

Wt-

When

ik.

character stands

^ mP,
^

forth.

is

calls

us in the morning ow^ing to its bright-

ness

cbing^,

show

composed of the sun H,

chad^, to call or

No. 722).

^W

(See No. 482).

fire.

Unmixed,

huo",

for,

fire, is

to illuminate M.

fine, essence,

Radical No. 119,

added, the

rice (See

semen, vigor.

No. 47).

ch'ing^. Phonetic, color of nature, green, blue,

As rice grows in
weeds or other grain w^hich are
found in w^heat and oats cannot flourish
in a paddy field
therefore rice is seldom
mixed with other grain, and consequently
it is here used as a symbol of pure or
unadulterated.
ch'ing^ is also a symbol

black.

(See No. 63).

w^ater the

317

of purity and

two

these

radicals

when

combined form the character for unmixed


or

fine.

917

5
^

To connect, to combine.
r, Radical No. 128, the ear.

lietr,

(See No. 71).


kuan^ Phonetic, to run threads through the
web. (See No. 95). With the addition
of '^ er^, ear, one is inclined to believe,
that this character was first used for the
collecting of evidence,

combining the statements of different individuals.


918

shuang^, Cheerful, quick, crisp.


JC J'ao^ Radical No. 89, to mix, to lay crosswise.
-4^ ta*, Phonetic, large.
(See No. 54), without
phonetic force. The two ^yacP' represent

the lattice w^ork of a w^indow and as this


large, :fe, ta^, enough to admit light
and air the occupants of the room are not
gloomy and despondent. Or, a man -fz.
acting X with both arms.
(W. 39 O).
is

919

huo^,

yC,

To

catch, to obtain.

ch'iian^ Radical

No. 94, a dog.

Pictorial re-

presentation.

^S,

seize with the hand X, as an


owl -IS chui^ seizes its prey. With % cHiiam
added the character was probably first

huo^ Phonetic, to

used for getting

game

in the chase

with

now used for,


getting or obtaining, in general. (W 103 C).
the help of a hound.

920

tsti^,

To

rent

lease

It is

or tax in kind from

taxes.

fields,

to

318
tI^

(See

Ao^ Radical Mo. 115, standing grain.


No. 556).

H. tsu^ Phonetic, a stand used in

now

archaic pronunciation,

and

In ;^

chii^).

statement
land tax

B3

^ i^ X is

tsu^

il

sacrifice (tsa^,

was

read ch'ieh^
the following

originally

the

M, t'ien^ fu*. It was originally


Land rent was spoken
tsu^.

written M.
of as the portion of grain ^, ho^, used
as an offering in the ancestral temple.

The character

ffl

is

now

used for

any rent

or tax.
921

^
^
^

ka*.

To

A'u*,

Phonetic, to hire, to engage.

look after, to regard, to consider.


yeh^, Radical No. 181, the head, the page of a
book. (See No. 105).

With

361).

M yeh*,

(See No.

head, added the idea

of,

to look after or consider,

If

a person heeded

is

expressed.

the migration of

as explained under No. 361,


he took the warning to heart
yeh*, and
acted on it.
these birds

922 &g|$

hsiang Sound, noise, reverberatioa.


jiV, Radical No. 180, a sound. (See No. 39).
,

hsiang^, Phonetic,

(See No. 466).


in to

two

kinds,

sound, and

yii^,

that

is

musical

sound.

M
set forth in :& ^

to the ear
is

it is

the abode of

when W yii^ is added it stands


home of sound or its origin. When

people and
for the

a,

The etymology
M hsiang

shen^.

rustic.

The Chinese divide sound,


% hsiang^, a nonmusical

When a sound comes

^^

country,

village,

319

may go

one hears a sound he


direction
striking,

and may find


and he will say

it

in

was a

that
clock

^M^W.

923 \

chiieh^,

-^

To

decide

tcrpass sentence

ping^, Radical No. 15,


chiieh^.

Phonetic, to cut

This

certainly.

certainly,

(See No. 516).

ice.

to decide, to settle,

off,

phonetic

described

is

under No. 109, an additional meaning


seems reasonable according to ^ 1^ |g S:,
to split with a wedge. The act of splitting a log is suddenly accomplished and
once done there is no w^ay of uniting it

With

again.

as the radical

ice

a familiar winter
in thick

ice.

suggests

it

sight, cracks or fissures

With water which

used as the radical,

it

is

also

indicates a break in

a river bank, a condition once established,


there w^as no question as to its existence.
924

i^>
chang^,

The palm of the hand, to

control.

shou^, Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).

'^

shang*, Phonetic, a roof of a house.

When

52).

the

downwards and

hand

is

kuei*,

placed

palm

fingers act as pillars, the

palm assumes the shape of a


925

(See No.

roof.

case with drawers, a chest, a trea-

sury.

'^

Tnu\ Radical No. 75, wood.

[S

kuei*' k'iiei*,

Read

(See No. 22).

Phonetic, a case with

k^uei*,

wearied.

drawers.

This phonetic

is

a wooden trough,
a log hollowed out, by extension, a chest,
a trunk, (W. 51 A), and ^, kuei*, expen-

made up

of

\Z, iang^,


320

No. 863). This


phonetic itself sets forth the meaning
something valuable is placed in a chest or
case, and the addition of 7}v, niu*, is superhonorable.

sive,

(See

926

fluous.

^M
-^

cb^i, ^^'*'

rfe

relative, grieved.

Ao\ Radical No. 62, a spear, a lance. (See


No. 2). That which remains after taking
out the radical is not a regular phonetic.
The radical is not the regular "Si, ko^, as
can be seen in the seal -writing. The
original meaning was a battle ax C^, and
it had ^ shu^, (contracted) to pick beans^
(See No. 547) in the center. It may have
been a weapon which w^as used both in
military and agricultural pursuits, and so
always at,hand in time of w^ar or peace ;
hence its use as a symbol for relatives
w^ho are always at hand. The meaning
of grieved

Wen

of war,

A^
"

g^

-yT

ian*,

To

it

^ ;^

explained in the

thus : Owing to

when
927

is

Shuo

being a weapon
caused a pang of regret to arise
its

seen.

attend

to, business.

kan^, Radical No. 51, arms,

a crime.

(See No.

110).

^,.^

^arj* Phonetic,

A X,

iV

the

sun

the jungle

penetrating

^ and drawing up

the vapoi 5.

(See No. 137).

of the sun

transferred to a

is

into

The action

man who

has a ^ kan^, a stick in hand.


(See
No. 110). The seal writing represents
the overhanging branch about to take

.321

root, the

form with

;u*,

to enter, re-

presents the tree as rooted and separated

from the parent

tree.

928 ^jbr:
Ian*,
7jC, :^

^
1^'

To

overflow, profuse.

shur, Radical No. 85, water.


chien^, Phonetic, to

(See No. 79).

watch, a prison.

(See No.

294).

When

the water of a river

is

confined

where it should be,


but when it breaks over ^, it is like a
criminal who has broken jail.
within

its

banks

it

is

929

Wanting, defective
Radical No. 141, a

k'uei^,

hti"

a grievance.
tiger, a tiger

skin.

(See No. 258).


This cannot be broken up into radical
and phonetic. Perhaps the character

was

coined to accord with the expression

ffMM^

hsing^

weP

ju' hti^,

a man who

"He

acts

not governed
like a tiger,"
by rules of propriety. The # chui'^, a
short-tailed bird, is used to impersonate a
is

man.

^,~5f yu^

the breath overcoming an obstacle.


Thus the character represents one who
is

overcomes any compunctions of conscience


and, like a tiger, forgets all kindnesses

and does violence to


930

friend or foe.

chuatig*, Appearemce, complaint,

H^

ch'iiaif

Radical No. 94, a dog.

a law

suit.

Pictorial cha-

racter.

(See
ch'iang^ Phonetic, the left half of a ti'ee.
explains
Wen
Shuo
No. 84). The IS jJt,

322
this character thus

There

no animal

is

the offspring of which more

strikingly

resemble in appearance the father or


mother than the offspring of dogs there;

The one

fore the. selection of this radical.

half of a log M also has a striking resemblance to the other half.


,

931

^1

fff,

luan*, Confusion, disarranged,

/j

i^

luan* Phonetic, a thread

Radical No.

anarch3\

germination,

5,

movement.

(See No. 137).

932

^ being disentangled by two hands ^. The rack H on


w^hich the thread is suspended is probably
the loom. The L is ZLj iS which represents the thread being draw^n out. (W. 90
B).
(Archaic meaning, to put in order).

yiian^,

j2^

t[^

To

dislike,

ill

will.

hsin\ Radical No. 61, heart.

(See No. 18).

An yuan^ Phonetic, to turn in bed, decency. (See


No. 42). This character is explained by
starting with

jC>

hsin^,

the heart

the feel-

ings are hurt and consequently the person

turns
night,
chieh?,

away ^

hs?,

acts as

if

it

were

and has nothing more to do 11, E


with the one who has done the

injury.

933
hui*,

Converge,

money by

deposit,

a draft

to

send

draft.

r! ian^ Radical No. 22, a chest, a log hollowed


out.
(W. 51 A).
V^ AuaP Phonetic, the name of a large river in
Honan and Anhw^ei. It may have receiv-

323

name owing

ed this

of water fowl

region.

in this

a chest or

iang^,

number
The E

to the great

receptacle, (See No.

925)

amount of water
banks. The M is

indicates that a large

must be confined w^ith


an incorrect w^riting.
934
an^' en*,

To

^
^ aS shows

lay hand on, according to.

s/2ou^ Radical No. 64, the hand.

Phonetic,

she",

ful,

peace,

quiet.

(See No. 53).

This

phonetic

how^ w^omen w^ere regarded. If


in the house ^" all was peacebut if not, the opposite condition

was

obtained as she would stir up trouble.


The Shuo Wen says in explanation of
^ an* if one uses the hand and holds
on to his go.ods, keeping them in their
proper place, he also will receive advan-

tage from this course of action.


935

chien^,
7jC,

To

lessen, to diminish.

shuP, Radical No. 85, water.


hsien^ Phonetic, to bite, to

mouth
305).

above

arbitrarily used for

is

meaning

logical reason for the


forth.

the

modern meaning, all. (See No.


The Shuo^ Wen^ simply affirms

that this character


the

(See No. 79).

wound with

Water

is

no

consequently

combination

the radical and

is

set

is

simple phonetic.
936

IP,

a hundredth, tenth of a cash.


Radical No. 166, a village, a Chinese mile.

IP

Phonetic, to cut down, to diminish.

IP,

grain,

(See No. 82).

This

324:

composed of ^, to cut down a big tree


(W. 120
5fe wei*, r represents its falling.

is

This character was originalh' used


for another meaning, but it has long been
is a plot of
used for the above. A
ground divided into small fields. The
tree is fallen and split into small fragments and one of these can be regarded
C).

as a grain
937

BB
y^

tan\ Single, odd, thin, onh-, but a list, a bill.


A'ou^ Radical No. 30. the mouth. (See No.
17). This is a character which originally
represented a quarrel ", hsi'ian^, two
mouths, and an assault with a shovel
pan' or pitchfork. (W. 72 E). It
;

has long since lost this meaning and

The

used for single, odd, and so forth.


original
in

meaning of the phonetic


following

the

crossbo-w,

characters,

bullet,

shell,

and

is

is

seen

tan^

W. chaif,

to fight.
938

pao^,

To

protect.

/f _y^ ;en^ Radical No. 9, a man.


P. tai', Phonetic, an idiot. This

given to this character.


is

;^

pao^.

to cover

was

arbitrarily-

The real phonetic

bird spreading its

its nest.

wings

Another older writing

^, a hen covering her young to jarotect


them. This originally did not have a i

is

jen^, Sit the side.

as a hen protects
J^^,

ief,^'

'*'

To

The idea was to protect


(W. 94 C),
her young.

connect, to implicate, often, weary.

szh\ Radical No. 120,

silk.

(See No. 141).

S25

'/e^ Phonetic,

was

originally

This

(Sec No. 212).

field.

three articles con-

lei",

Because of the
difficulty of writing, these have been
reduced to ffl and the etymology lost.
nected or tied together.

The

was that which

held the articles

together.
940
chai^,

pledge, to

pawn, hanging

on, repeti-

tion.
pei*,

Radical No. 154, precious.

aa' Phonetic, to go out for a

(See No. 38).


stroll, it

should

be written ^, to go out tU for relaxation


M. f^Hg^y as animals are let out to pasture,

and will return again.


With the addition of K
(See No. 38),

it

(See

No. 147).

pei*,

valuable,

for

a security

was used

the hands of a person froin w^hoin

left in

something has been borrowed.

The meaning of repetition may have


originated owing to the repeated entreaty
of the borrower to

recover the article

pledged before the loan

was

refunded.

941

ts'ang-,

To

conceal, to store up.

(See No. 22).


-H* ts'ao\ Radical No. 140, grass.
complitsang^ Phonetic, good, generous,

ance,

the virtue

of ministers.

ch'i-

which often means strength, and ";


ch'iAo\ weapon, when united form
When
ch'eni^,
to.
S
atig^, to do violence
a minister, is added this force and violence
used in accordance with the
is only
ang^,

benign

purposes

of

the

watches and defends the

who
When """

official

state.

326

means covered with


Perhaps
grass, to store up, to conceal.
this phonetic was chosen owing to the
mystery attending government action.
ts'ao^,

is

added

it

942

^
^

hao^,
leP,

To

squander, to consume

Radical No. 127, a plow.

mad^, Phonetic, a hair.

bad.
(See No. 601).

(See No. 254).

The Shuo Wen claims that the radical of


this character should

Thus the

/^o^

not be

original

lei^

but

was

idea

the

beard or husk ^
grain threshed and removed, nothing but
the chaffy remained.
of grain ^, the chaff;

943

_^
chang*,

7K,

To

overflow,

chatig^, Phonetic, to

increase

surname.

Water

7jC

draw a

classifier

(See No. 79).


bov^r

of tables

to extend,
;

paper, a

(See No. 55).

increases

and extends

3g over

the surface of the land.

944

an inundation.

shui^ Radical No. 85, water.

+
k'ou\

^\\

To

knock, to deduct, to hook on, to

-J"

a discount.
shou^, Radical No. 64, the hand.

k'ou^, Phonetic, the

buckle, to button,

^,

(See

No.

53).

mouth. (See No. 17).


This combination tU was originally used
for the governing of a horse with bit and

The hand ^ exerted influence


on the mouth P of the horse. The idea
of to buckle or to button may have

bridle.

originated from the necessity of putting

the bridle over the head of the beast.

327

The bridle once on the ammal had to do


what the driver desired. Discounts are
exacted by those who have power over
another.
945

ii^
'rT

_^ hsiang^, Fehcity, good luck.


shih^, Radical No. 113, to show, a revelation.
(See No. 164).

yang^, Phonetic,

sheep.

(See

No.

253).

Most

of the characters which have #,


yatig^, for a phonetic have a good meaning.

Thus, this combination stands for a

fortunate or auspicious

^ revelation

ff:.

946

tuan*, Satin.

rh szu\ Radical No. 120, silk. (See No. 8).


J^ tuan*, Phonetic, a fragment, a section.

The

part of this phonetic is said to be a


contraction of
tuan*, origin, a plant
which develops both above and under the

left

^^

ground.

The right

side is :x, shu^.

(See

combination indicates
been violently torn to
has
that the plant
It may have been selected because
pieces.
in the manufacture of silk the cocoon is
thrown into hot water; the chrysalis is
No.

165).

killed,

This

the thread unwound, thus destroy-

ing the cocoon.


947

yi^

p'ei\

pendant, to hang on the girdle, to

esteem.

^, ^
ra

jen^,

Radical No,

The phonetic
dictionary.

and

rlJ

man.

9,
is

not found in K'ang Hsi's

composed of T\ far?', all,


cloth, and is supposed to

It is

chit^,

328

represent the small ornaments hanging

from the girdle rft chm\ ^ H, t^ lU (W. 21


D).
When a gentleman went out he
always wore ornaments on the girdle.
These oi-naments he selected because he
admired them b3' extension this charac;

now

ter is

used to express satisfaction

with a person or things.


948

at a profit, to

make money,

pe?. Radical No. 154, precious.

(See No. 38),

chuan^,

To

sell

gain.

^
^^ t^

cbien^, Phonetic,

to join

together

together

a hand holding two


stalks of grain, a hand binding sheaves.
(W. 44 I). The idea of this combination
i is to increase the investment M., to
This

with, both.

949

^"^^^

^^
Ph

^
^

huo^,

To open

is

^^

out, liberal

to remit.

Au^ Radical No. 150, a valley. (See No. 579).


hai* ho\ Phonetic, to injure.
(See No. 436).
This character '^ seems to have two explanations
1.

person has met with misfortune

ho\ and others have opened

hai* or

ku^, their
2.

hand

liberally for his assistance.

^ ho*, such as a
^ ch'iao*, the upper lip. A person

One has a calamity

harelip,

who

has a harelip is spoken of as a 1ST


tzv?.
(See No. 509).
^ ch'iao* not
being a radical
ku^, was substituted.
huo^

^3^^

^*

bough, to prop up, a branch, to advance money, to draw money.


This is the 65th radical. The old w^rit-

c/27A\

329

ing represents a hand pulling a bough

from a

why

(W. 43 ).

tree.

character

this

money

giving out

is

The reason

used to express

because the tree puts

is

forth branches from the trunk.

^%^%

phrase

to^

Note the

huo^ ch'an^ chih^, to

generously overlook the debts of clerks,

who have borrowed from


moi-e

money than

the emploj'er

wages amount

their

to.

At the end of a prosperous year these


sums arc not collected.
931

ia

t'r,

To take

up, to suggest

to bring forward.

-^ shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


.a shih\ Phonetic, right. (See No. 12). Without phonetic significance. To take up H
that which

is

proper

^ in

order to teach

or instruct.
952
shih*,

To

paint,

ornament, to adorn, to

to

pretend.
shih^*, Radical No. 184, food, to eat; ecHpse.

(See No. 75).


This character

as the radical

is

an exception to the

is

rule,

also the phonetic.

In

the gods

an animal it v^as put before


and afterwards eg,ten. This

accounts

for

sacrificing

the

use

of

shiht',

as

The
is %.
The upper part is a inan and the lower is
a cloth liefore sacrificing the beast a man
with a cloth cleansed it and thus imrest of the character

radical.

proved
adorn.

its

appearance.

By

extension, to

330
953

^,

Skill,

an

art.

*^ ts'ao^ Radical No. 140, grass.


2*

Phonetic,

to

(See No. 22).

to

plant,

the

cultivate

from vfe /a*, mushroom.


ground. This
t'u^ earth which
(See No. 485), and
form M lu*, arable land, M lu*, dry land,
(mushrooms grow on high land), and
R
cbi*, to hold an instrument or utensil in
the hand. Working the soil was the first
(See No.
art practiced by the Chinese.
""
ts'ao^ and 5r yiiti' have
139). The
recently
added,
been
yiin', cloud, is
composed of
shang^ (See No. 93), and
^ X vapor, rising and forming clouds.
Thus the character for farming is composis

ed of

*'*

vegetation,

ife

and
which
without

tilling the soil

S clouds w^hich give rain,


all effort is vain.

954

tsan^,

*I? chatf

fine chisel

to engrave.
(See No. 13).

Radical No. 167, metal.

chin^,

Phonetic, to decapitate, to cut in two.

*,

A metal instrument used


This utensil
is smaller
than the ordinary carpenter's chisel it is
(See No. 803).

for

cutting.

used in the manufacture of jewelry in the

fii

shou^ shih* shops.

955

pa^,

To

root

elevate,

^ shou\

up,

to

draw up

or

out

to

promote.

Radical No. 64, the hand.

"fe pa? Phonetic,

a dog

led

by a

(See No. 53).

leash.

(See No.

626). This leash enabled one to pull or


haul the dog around at will and thus the

331

above meaning has been given to


"

956

this

combination.

^:^
7m*

s^a

f^ffi,

comes from the cocoons,

Silk as it

fine,

"wire.

tH

szu^ mi* Radical No. 120, silk.

mi* Phonetic.

(See No. 8).

(See No. 141).

The second writing f^ is not allowed by


K'ang Hsi. This character was one of
the original 540 radicals. The repetition
of ^ mi* indicates that it is not a single
thread from a cocoon, but several, tenj
are supposed to be required to form a
szu^.
In characters which use the ^ hsi*

a figurative or real connection. M sun^, a grandson Wk hsien*, a


district, (See No. 390)
here the criminal's
head is hung up for exhibition.
phonetic there

is

957

Jbm

^.

han*,

To

chin^,

Radical No. 167, metal.

solder.

han*, Phonetic,

drought.

(See No. 13).


the torrid effect of the sun,

(See No. 343).

Great heat

is

required to melt the solder.


958 i&;t

yao

o engage, to seek, to invite.

cho* Radical No. 162, to run and stop.

(See

No. 10).

yao* Phonetic, to shine. This is made up


from Wc fang*, to liberate, (See No. 147
and No. 712) and & paP, white or light
the meaning is, to shine. When J_ cho*,
is added the idea is to go to the one who
can give you light or help. A person is
engaged because he can give assistance,
shed light,

make

conditions better.

332

^^^

;^
^'"

^^''

To add

to pile up.

to,

shou\ Radical No. 64, the hand.

^^

ta^ Phonetic,

vetch,

(See No. 53).

vegetation

peas,

the

branches of which get entangled, (W. 14


The pea vines and vetch extend, far
from the stalk adding joint after joint
B).

and thus with the addition of" i shou^, a


is formed which means, to add

character

This character

to.

5^P
Jl^

^R

^AS

no^,

To move,

is

unauthorized.

to remove.

shou^, Kadical No. 64, the hand.


^^*) Phonetic,

wore

that

a place

IS

&

(See No. 53).

where people

skins with the hair out

^ for cloth-

It may be that this people were


nomadic and thus with the addition of
hand the character is used, for the
above meanings. It is an unauthorized

ing.

character.

961

chan*,

A storehouse.

>fC

mu\

^^

chien^ Phonetic,

Radical No. 75, wood.


(See No. 13)

(See No. 22).

to destroy,

narrow,

This character -!M

small.

was origi-

nally used for a small frame platform


built in the

camp

to protect an officer

while sleeping from attack, and from the


moisture of the ground. It was also used
for a lookout during military operations.

By

extension

it is

now

house, as goods in a

used for a storechati*',

are suppos-

ed to be secui'e.
962

HPv, '9t

san^' ^ Miscellaneous, to fall

a powder.

apart

separate

333
-J^

p'u^ Radical No. 66,

(contracted) to tap, to

rap. (See No. 17).

The

original phonetic is

destroyed by using p'u^ as the radical for

modern dictionaries. ^, H,
jou^, meat, should be the radical and Iti'san*,
classification in

to beat J^

hemp stalks

threads to separate,

tt p'ai^ to cause the


is the real phonetic.

No. 24). When ^ jou*, meat, is


added the character was used for beating
(See

meat to cause
for cooking.

to separate into shreds

it

By

extension

it is

for the separation of anything.

now

used

(W. 79

H).
963

Ifn

J^

hsieh

To

lay aside, unload.

chieh^ Radical No. 26,

seal,

tally. (See

No.

The phonetic part of this character


is not used alone and therefore has no pronunciation. The upper part is ^ wu^, (See

42).

No. 190), one of the twelve stems; each


stem stands for an animal and the one.
w^hich

is

associated

horse

Mj

ma^.

mth

4^

This stem

write than horse and


tuted for the latter.

wu^,

is

is

the

easier to

is

therefore substi-

The

Jh chih^, to stop,

with this stem implies stopping the horse


chieh?,
and taking off his burden. The
indicates that this is done at fixed intervals on the journey.
[]

964

wu^,
d>

thing,

an

ib n/u^ Radical No.

article.

93,

a cow, an ox.

(See No.

50).

^,

Til)

wu* Phonetic, a negative, do not

flag

with

three pennons, usually used to indicate a

334

An

proliibition.

ox,

4^,

niu^,

was

the

most valuable asset in ancient times.


The addition of the flag to the ox may
have indicated its importanceit -was not
to be disposed

of.

This character

is

now

used for any article, regardless of value.


965

^
jgfe

malt candy glazed with sugar.


wi' Radical No. 119 rice.
(See No. 47).
t'an^ Phonetic, boasting talk, a dynasty the
song P of men working f^ in unison, as
in pounding (rice)
f^ keng^ with a
heavy stone pestle
kan^.
This phonetic
may have been selected as the preparing
of grain for malt candy requires that it
t'ang^, Sugar,

be crushed in this process large stone


mortars may have been employed and
;

several

men

pestles,

who

manipulated

the

heavy

exerted strength according

rhythm of a song. (W. 102 B).


Shuo Wen makes the following
comment ;^
mP tiieh*^ chien^ yeh^,
to the

Hsii Shih

^^

-liL

" After the rice has sprouted

WM^^^'^m.

it is

heated."

(Candy) can be made


from cane, from honey, from millet and
from wheat." The sugar (candy) made
from millet and w^heat was called fp P.
"

This indicates that as early as the Han


Dynasty 200 B. C, the Chinese were

making malt candy, but

it

was then a

recent discovery, as the writer Hsii Sbib

says that

^ fang^, is a character recently

added.
966

p'?,

To criticise,

to arrange for the purchase of.

335

4^

^ sAou^

LL. rfrf pi^,

Radical No. 64, the hand. (See No. 53).


Phonetic, to compare. Two
characters

reversed

and standing together as

if

com-

paring their height or strength. When


t shou^, is added the idea of criticising is
given to this combination. In criticising
one generally states what has been done
and afterwards sets forth what should
have been done thus bringing out a
comparison.
;

967

p'P,

^, ^

The

spleen, temper.

io"*. Radical No. 130, meat.


pel'',

(See No. 133),

p'l^pi^ Phonetic, p'?, lassitude, pei\ base>

This phonebecause the

low, vulgar, (See No. 526).


tic

may have

spleen

is

been given
lax or soft in texture.

The

spleen was supposed to aid the stomach


in the

the

work

left

of digestion.

It is located

of the stomach and as

^ pei^,

on

was

a drinking vessel v/ith a handle on the


left, this may have been another reason
for the use of this phonetic.

"fK

ou^,

An

image, a pair, paired

sudden, acci-

dental.

^,

>f jefl% Radical No. 9,

a man.

yiP Phonetic, an image,

(archaic)

(See No.

860).

The origin of this phonetic is not the


same as of the phonetic in the 860th chaThe two are identical in modern
racter.
writing and even in the old writing they
are frequently interchanged. M yu\ to
dwell

in,

is

the correct writing for this

336

character according to the oldest authoriWhen an image of a man was carvties.

wood they

ed out of

individual dwelt

of the

spirit

this

in

The ii^ yii^, impersonates the


With the addition of \ jen^, there

image.
spirit.

would be a pair.

To use

ffi

for "

sudden "

arbitrary.

is

969

believed that the

7|r!S

chia^,

ride in a carriage, to harness

Your

Honour.

m ma\
Jn

To

Radical No. 187, a horse.

chia\ Phonetic, to add to.

This combination

was

(See No. 261).

(See No. 318).

used for har-

first

nessing animals to a vehicle:


the

lioi'ses

to

add

to the carriage.

A!5

970

To harden by pounding, as a threshing


floor, to make mud walls, to build.

chii',

Radical No. 118, bamboo.


(See No. 7).
to undertake.
(See No. 518).

YS

chu-,

Vli

k'un^ Phonetic,
This

is

not a complete phonetic as

have to add

;^ mu*,

is finished

It

wood, to

was used

or fortifications used in
'^^

chu^,

was

it

we

before

it

ramparts
warfare, and the
for the

originally aa,

wooden racks

placed on top of the wall to prevent the


enem3^ from climbing over. The Tic mu*,
is

said to be the short logs

used to
971

weP,

To

ram

submit, a grievance

Radical No. 39, a

-i/T

niP,

-q*

ho-, Phonetic,
stti*),

which were

the earth into a solid mass.

grain,

to depute.

woman.
(archaic

(See No. 771). This

is

(See No. 16).

phonetic

a proper pho-

337

and

netic
etc.

two

indicates the heads of millet

being gathered.

This character has

may have

meanings and

distinct

originated in different places.


1.

To

The heads of grain hung

submit.

when -k nu^, was added to


was taken as the symbol of the
proper attitude of woman, she should
drooping

this it

acquiesce even to unreasonable

demands

from her husband.

The grain ^ ho^, was stored at home


and given into the care of the women
when the male members of the household
had to leave on business thus the mean2.

ing of depute.
972
t?,

To hand

to or transmit.

cho" Radical No. 162, to go.

J^

tf Phonetic, a beast like a tiger, with horns.

An examination

of the characters which

use this phonetic

common

(See No. 10).

show that

there

idea attached to them.

therefore necessary to regard

it

is

no

It is

as a simple

seems to have been used in


connection with the sending of messages.
The J_ cho^, indicates that originally it
might have necessitated a journey. At

phonetic.

present

It

it is

used

for,

to hand to.

973
p'i'enS Inclined to
\/f

one side

,/V. ;er^^ Radical No. 9,

partial prejudiced-

a man.

hung over a door.


From ^ bn* a door and # ts'e'^, inscribed
bamboo slips. (W. 156 D). As these
tablets are always hung with the lower

p/en* Phonetic, a tablet

^38

^dge against the wall and the upper edge


some iiiches awajr from it, they are taken
as the symboFfor not straight, inclined.
And when man, -f, jen^, is added he
takes on this quality of deflection.
7/*

(tIJ

Laws,

regulations"; -custom.

^ ,}\. yen^A* Radical No.


^ij

a man.

9,

Phonetic; to divide, seriatim, arrangejin

7/e

.'character.

crimes
rated

3?,
J

It
#ai',

t'un*

To

is

of a

man

thusrifthe

i jen^,

is; administered

swallow, to gulp

not an old

is

explained

tao^, land <placed in

.andithe law
975

This

(See No. 711).

order.

are sepa-

order

lieh*,

accordingly.

down;

tolabsdrb,

grasp.

A' du',

Radical No. 30, the mouth.

(See No.

17).

'^

the heaven. (See No. 113).


This character ^ is explained in two
different ways 5^ fien^, heaven, the sky,

t'/enS Phonetic,

envelopes

'

'all.

'

It

appears

like

a huge

mouth about to swallow everything.


The second explanation commences with

and :^ta*, great or large, and


P A'bwVswkllowing in one big mouthful.
i^,onej

976
pi*,

Used

up,

deteriorated,

vicious

my

mine.

JT hmg^ Radical
up.
pi*,

(Sefe

Nol 55, hands joined and held


No. 247).

Phonetic, mean, poor, ruined,


(See No. 211).

'

The character

ginally writteitJI with

my, mine.
ffs

was ori-

% c/i'uan*,

a dog,

'

339

inste&dfoi i\-kuJigf.

that

It indicated

dog was dead and' useless. The old


writiugds now never seen. The present
writing is two hands :M* exhibiting a
garment which has been worn to shreds
f& by beating %.

the,

RP'

Lose moniey indeinnify.


RddicaiNo. 154, precious. (See No. 38).
t'oo* Phonetic, to cut a speaker short.
(See
No. 332'); Here thei phonetic is used to
indicate that something has been injured
or a business has not been successful
with the addition of.^pei* it indicates
that money has, been lost-^by extension,

p'ei^

^
^

pei^,

the giving of money as indemnity.


978

i&

ch'ang^,

"^^-/efl^j

To

restore, to forfeit, to atone.

Radical No.

9,

a man*

i^'ishan^, PhdnetiG,to bestow. (See No. 596).


The additin of jeti^, forms the charac-f

which
amends.
ter

979

la

fffl

is

used fot restoring or making

u
Eyebrows.
meV; T?
mu\ Radical No. 109; the eye. (See No. 102).
This is an oldi character and cannot be
-2

divided into radical and phonetic.

top

.of the old

writing

:t

The

indicates the

wrinkles above the eyebrows on the fore-

head
mu^,

the ^
is

is

the eye.

the eyebrow and

arbitrary modification,

To

Q
an
and- the above

The present form

features are largely lost.


eAan*,

usunp, to seize.

is

jer^,

Radical No. 9, a tnan.

j^ cban^' ^ Phonetic, to inquire about some enterprise by heating a tortoise shell, divi-

Thei^
is not
and
an unauthorized character
described in the Shuo Wen. It seems to
have been invented to make a distinction
between the two meanings of the character chan^' * the meaning of the 1st tone
nation

to usurp.

(See No. 132).

is

is

to divine, of the 4th tone

is

to usurp.

981

lm\ To

lease, to rent.

pei*,

/-p.

jen*, Phonetic,

Radical No. 154, precious. (See No. 38).


carrying a load susa man

pended from the two ends of a pole I


a load, a burden 5. When i jer^, is
added the burden is transferred to another
A, hence the meaning, a trust, office.

With the addition of % pei\


an obligation of money which

(W. 82 C).
there

is

has been contracted for value received.


982

kuang^,

J_

To

ramble, to

stroll.

cho* Radical, No. 162, to go.

(See No. 10).

mad, wild, raging. (See


The M is an uuauthorized chaI'acter.
The combination indicates traveling in any direction the fancy may deter-

k'uatig^, Phonetic,

No. 794).

mine.
983

^
t''zu^,

Porcelain, china ware.

'% wa\ Radical No. 98, tile. (See No.' 558).


:^ fzvi^, Phonetic, inferior. From ^ ch'iea'^, deficient.

tion of

(See No. 273).


::! er*,

With the addiinferior.


The

two, second,

ail

regarded as the best, the second

first is

Formerly vessels were made of


and wood when crockery-

inferior.

gold,

silver

ware was
inferior.

984

is

substituted
W. is

it

was regarded

as

an unauthorized writing.

Tg:

i 3E
j^

wati^,

toy, to play.

Radical, No. 96, jade.

yii*,

yiian^, Phonetic, the first.

Here

this phonetic stands for the highest

When

quality.

is

added

31 yii^, jade, is

implies the best jade.

jade

(See No. 124).


(See No. 93).

not prized.

it

Cheap or inferior
Trinkets

such

as

beads and rings have been used to designate rank from prehistoric times and the
word 5c wati^, was first employed as the
term for such articles, but is now used for
toy or plaything.
985

^555f

^g

^^
B

p'letr,

The

leaf of

a book.

chu^, Radical No. 118,


pien^, Phonetic,

'^

bamboo

tablet.

(See No. 7).

(See

No.

513).

These tablets are made of board and are


thin in comparison with their length

and

With the addition of bamboo It


a leaf of a bamboo
book. These books were made of slips of
bamboo and tied together. After paper
came into use for making books the same
width.

this is the character for

character
986 flTf
shua^,
jig

er^.

To

was

retained for

leaf.

sport, to fence, to play.

Radical No. 126, the whiskers (archaic),


(See No. 635).

"pC

^"^ Phonetic, a woman.

This

is

a modern

34Si

To

character.

play, to act.

Chinese ac-

and others dress up


and
personate women.
female costumes

tors use false beards


in

er^, whiskers,
Thus the two characters
and -^ nii^, women, form the character
for, to act.
The character, by extension,
is now used for practicing any handicraft
as an occupation. (W. 164 A)'.
jjjj

987

chuan^,

To

turn over, to revolve

^che\ Radical Nd. 159, a cart.


^

chuan^, Phonetic,
plus cart

tic

to forward.

(See No. 136).

bent on
This phone-

specially,

singly;

(See No. 414).

one object.

forms the character to

revolve as the wheels of a cart have but

single function,

to revolve.

i.e.

938
ch'ih^,

j_

Slow;

late,

steady

to procrastinate.

Radical No. 162, to go.

c/zo*

(See No. 10).

a rhinoceros. The f shih),


the body and ^ is a contraction of

bsi^ Phonetic,

is

"%

mao^, hair. These, when used together


W simply indicate that the animal has a
tail.

4^

niV added places the animal

the bovine class.

in

(The Chinese are not

very careful in their classification of animals.) This beast when not enraged

moves about slowly. Thus L. c/jo*, to


move, with the above phonetic makes a
good character for slow.
989
lii^,

To

care for, anxious

to cogitate.

Radical No. 61, the heart. (See No. 18).


This character, cannot be divided into

i'^ bsin^.

radical

and

phonetij^..

It is

composed of

@.

^ sitiS to think, head and heart (See No.


Whenj^ A^^

45).
is

.added the idea

'thoughts

conveyed that the

is

turned

are

(See No, 25S),

tiger,

which

things

to

trouble^tigers are greatly dreaded.


999

ni^
mX,

^
I^

fan^,

To

pel*,

Radical No, 154, precious. (See No. 38).


Phonetic, to turn.
(See No. 75).

faif,

To

to deal

traffic,

in.

turn goods into

money

^ pe/*,

the

is

purpose of a merchant.
991

____.

nidtzaai*,

^,M
J^

^5

The

pulse.

jou*. Radical No. 130, meat.


p'ai*.

(See No. 133).

Phonetic, water separating into smaller

streams.

This

'

is

yung*, a constantly

flowing spring, reversed, the flowns


.constant,
I

divides

up

character

it

leaves the spring

into- several,. streams.


is

also written with

The

radical.)
!

hut as

idea

still

is

it

(This

as the

jfc.

that the pulse

(arteries) break, up into innumerable small


arteries and are distributed through the
..flesh.

'

r1

g
'^

chuan\ To love,- to care for, family.


(See No. 102).
H3U*, Rkdical No; 109, the eye.
(W. 47
chiian* Phonetic, to pick and cull.
pien*, the
K). This is made up of

tracks of

a wild

to discriminatcj
select

with

the eye,

>

ihei

tanimal,

(See'-N(>.

and hand^

f^,

hands. --Adding

we. have

"to

look

i.

801),
e.

to

mu*,

out

for

whom

for.

one loves and is responsible


In modern writing ^.c/iuaH is 'iden-

tical

with the

those,

phonetic

bf No.

609

344

sheng^ but the seal writing


993

be from

T^
'Wr

sui*, Bits,

huo^ and the other from

jJll

tsu''' *

and a

clothing,

(See No. 42).

stone.

This

Phonetic, to die.

?,

5S pien*.

fragments, petty.

shih\ Radical No. 112,

^^

shows one to

is

/,

made up

of

across

stroke

the back to indicate the wearer w^as a


soldier.
When a man swore allegiance to
a prince or feudal lord he was regarded
he was free from all
as having died
previous obligation and he henceforth had
no will of his own, he did what his lord
bade him he was but a fragment of a
man, a stone 5 shih^, is used for breaking
;

994

^
1^

o'^

Specially, purposely, only.

t'e*,

crushing.

niu\ Radical No. 93, ox.

(See No. 50).

Phonetic, a court, a temple.

rfe szu*.

(See No.

This character seems to indicate


that in ancient times the Chinese were
346).

particular about the quality of animals

used in

when added

which, owing to
ments,

was

jiir,
-1

9,

a^

fei)^

^ F#1

chu%

To

sacrifice

an

now

office.

office,

(See No.

981)-

was used with-

^ J^"^-

raise,

for specially.

Originally this character


996

Thus
an animal

szu^.

a man.

/en^ Phonetic, a trust,

"* *^^

also

its fulfilling all require-

trust, responsibility,

,yV ie^ Radical No.

indicated

set aside for

by extension used
IJU

was

color

by the court

decided on
^ nia^,

The

sacrifice.

to hft up, to introduce to.

345

pi

134, a mortar.

chiu* Radical No.

This

479).

is

(See No.

another character which

has arbitrarily received a radical foreign

The character is made up of H yii^, to give, and


4: ^ shou^, hand the meaning is, to raise,
to the original construction.

to
997

^
^

shih*,

lift

To

up, etc.

try, to test, to verify.

a word. (See No. 10).


shih*, Phonetic, a form, a pattern.
(See No.
576). The m yeti^, word, seems to imply

yen^, Radical No. 149,

that the one

who

is

make

to undertake to

an article according to the pattern is asking questions before he undertakes the


task, thus securing the experience of
others in addition to the ocular demonstration, thereby verifying his ideas as to

the

^p^

pu*,

iH

mode

step,

of procedure.

a pace, infantry.

chih^ Radical No. 77, to stop.

The phonetic part


used alone.

It is

(See 484).

(See No. 10).

of this character

is

not

chih^, to stop, invert-

which indicates the reverse of Jh chih?,


or to move. In walking first this foot is
advancing while that is stationary then
that foot is advancing while this is staed,

tionary.
999

To

t/V,

iS

cast

away, to

lose,

to leave behind.

Radical No. 1, one.

(See No. 19).

Phonetic, to go.

(See No. 67).

cA' a*,

I'S

journey and not return

is

To go

afe

cA'u*,

once

to go one long
to lose.

346

/^ ^^

chiu^,

long time, long

siriCe. r:

stroke to the

No. 4, a

p'ieh^ Radical

left.

(See No. 176).

cannot be broken up into radical and


The seal writing represents a
man who is impeded in his walking by a
train.
Thus we have the idea of a long
time, as it requires him to move slowly
and much bme is needed to walk a short
Tliis

phoetic.

distance.

7^i

weP,

To

oppose, to disobey.

i-

cho' Radical No. 162, to go.

j^

vi'eP

(See No. 10).

Phonetic, thongs, refractory, a surname.


(See No. 772).
tive,

when

3i_

This phonetic
cho,

added

is

is

sugges-

it

implies

active disobedience, disorderliness.


1001
,^

lo*,

-H*,

l|ll|l

^^

To

fall,

to drop.

ts'ao\ Radical No. 140, grass.


/o*

(See No. 22).


Phonetic (Archaic), a trench for irrigation,

water 7jt used by each -man #. Each


man's field was separated from his neighbor's by these trenches thus the idea of
;

separation
tion of

"'''

is

conveyed.

ts'ao^, it

was used for the fallautumn they fall

ing of leaves in the

when separated from


B).

Now

this

is

With the addi;

the stem.

(W. 31

used for the falling of

anything.

->^M4^^-

ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
CHAN

Ai
532
56

CHAO

532

fl33
[178

273

980

273

275

it*

242
ttH

934

m
m

934

937

803

857

803

383

797

CH'AN

ANG
i\]

827

673

733

281 tt

822

112

309

722

961

AN

218

4a

ff

722 CH'EN
f294
915
\120
915
122
246
122
333
733
ie
333 Ft
733
Si
IIL
464
733

^77

844

CH'AO

CHAKG

AO

nj;

940
801 it

368
567

687

55

<^

123

V*

874

464

#.

277 IE

\166

5:

380

CHE

315

245

10

943

855

87

270

924

879

CH'A
352

40 CH'ANG
397

CH'E

298

15

298

CHAI
4=

978
145

410
978

CHAI

m
m

618
756

386

55
[131

CHENG

55
f
[131

CHA

161

136

CHEN
305

305

ALPHABETICAL

LIST,

ALPHABETICAL

CHUN

578
516

EN

578
I

826

<lii

45
I

(384

CH'UN
167

563
563
864

CHU AN

1609
1992

992

/&

CH'iJAN

CHUNG

170

f^

57

604

686

CH'UNG
jli

232

f704
\232

H,

CHU
r 80
\861
861

377
625
625
742

754
754
826
826
996

CH'U

67

500

^
^

fsoo
\424

552

/j:.

835

ER

20

l9i
3

LIST.

349

350

ALPHABETICAL

77

390

HSIEH
20

m
m

650
963
163
163
41

^j

342
662

HSIEN

^
r*
^

27

1502
1305

770

?|

124

*?5

[141
|l
[792

792

fel

U
M

599

390
303

LIST.

ALPHABETICAL

536

%
^

536

148

^1

714 f5

374

490

K'E

K'UA

871

54
152

17

944

^
K'UNG

548

843

17

'tfe

600 HI

28

813

17

611

564

649

f579

KEI

292

'

f&

223

684

314

813

484 as

-ta-

421

f421

1492

965

^
^
te

469
"777

KUA
^h

KCTJ

424

297

929

57

f428

LAN

-m.

196

710

939

448

445
559

^.

817
373

939

LIAO

LENG
'^

LIEH
711
718

711

360

172

339 LIEN
82
'^
936

928

936

643

974

433

799
799

821

761

g|5

766

351

445

175
247

68
5e

LANG

982

216 ^l
814

55
153

ig

138

82

^
m

301

871

172

796

696 I?

K'UAUG

It

796

144

297

739

&J

LIANG

319
601

#
^

64

280

119 ^S
365 il

895

.35

|212

704

56

296

710

fl79

Sa

'^

ll

LA

K'UN

|726

KUANG

119

456

LAI

KUNG

670

1002

li

70 LI

778

630

51

|693

1630

902

K'U

KEN6

119

KIJN

K'UAN
228

522

310 ^
481
95

684

\223

K'EH

530

K'UEI

95

361

1002

530

KUAN

f^

KUO

m-

LIA

518 LEI
518
St

'^^t'

215

361
921

779

109

262

116

KEN

^
^

302

411
|G22

-J fa.

^
S

548

LE

903

728

K'UAI

KU

374 1^

483

364
411

KUEI

KUAI

K'OU

180

871

351

LIST.

351

89

164

354

LAO

794

682

209

696 5^

569 ^^

683

nh?.

164
709

608

352

ALPHABETICAL

LIFG
474

-^

(138
1

61

472
61

446

446

LIU
31
629

732

732

LO
710
701

632
632

LOU
fl98
[392

392
793

LU
485

953
953

844
294
279

793

320

LUAN
931

LIST.

ALPHABETICAL
744

239

238

274

937

P'AN
^lO

24

09-

901

238

PANG

n
^

675

i'

675

675

PANG

603

503

PAO
80

[495
;327

681
376

938
264
416
819

P'AO

327

495

PEI
;ifc

348

LIST.

353

ALPHABETICAL

354

1S

231
75

952

453

453
12

141
39
367

141

421
698
5:

855

SHOU
53
Its:

366

463
862
101

101
716
563

452

SHU
34

[71

876

75

[165

581
165
547

619
521

762

749
749

LIST.

ALPHABETICAL

LIST.

355

ALPHABETICAL

356

WEI

283

877

^4

28

877

283

634

964

440

634

964

577

524

193

577

216

337

755

640 ^'
538

827

83
83

510

431

848

728

971

728

772

728

781

897

772

ffc

YAO
24

456

897

1322

1001

77
1514

YA

WEN

456
f417

77

427

670
163

65

97

703

5.33

858

wo

721

16

858

736

958

757

811

958

538

wu
t:

^
%
5
m.

906
77 IK
f527
1190

507

YEH

890

173

YANG

555

441

105

253 m-

697

30 #:

446 -m

253

41

YEN

LIST.

INDEX BY NUMBER OF STROKES.


A letter c indicate that the character
1

stroke

is

colloquial.

INDEX BY NtTMBEB OP STROKES.

358

Rc

375

^Ic

57

^c
ac

266

I?

53
11

^^ U90
A,<. (273

^M571

139

fee

664

He

121

84

5 Strokes

{5te

INDEX BY NTJMBEE OP STROKES.


997

82

291

34

84

85

624

86

301

581

93

570

101

321

741

fl05
1240

336

983
IW1

673

Be

343

107
fie
543

794

7tte

355

je

358

fine

114
114

5cc

374
377

115

34

f400

117

583

fl20
1294

U06

930
941

857

9i7

298

me
#;e
260

955

30.;

964 'efe

310

555

971 'Me

316

ISje

719

974 f?o

315

796
709

,c

445

He

244

560
801 /l^e
liinT

me

619

938

#e

#e

547

765

359

i^e

598

Se

767
r279
(484

413

664

691

^e

!7ile

799

953

562

419

122

7 Strokes

894

f579

^ e 1622

8 Strokes

202

^e

109

249
384

If^e

5f'Je

827

634

Me

873

359

;$ C

n
^

327

330

)998

889
526

533

705 SSe
730

538

665

548

Me

846

mo

545

e
f416
139
135 l|e
713
#15 e
1151 l^e 877 Se 675
963
4P
C
135
723
446
467
386
966
c
136
722
|g
f422
473
975
^ne 100
136
(589
tlbc 732
497
585
980
138
iic 739
603
510
2
f563
f 42
IRe 578
855
1522
518 ffe
3
1146
f;J;c
756
733
;te 388
530 pt
5 fpc 149
#0. 400
644
f549
10
"
157
{955
621
1629
206
10 f!fc
160
768
712 ;fXe 866 ^-J c 669
11
c
274
769
677 ;Se 258
717
20
221
770
597
728
f405
37
212
808
1847
564
608
216 Pffc 729
811
542
582
736
c
66
226 is.
^c
J
820
830
690
1492 4fee 740
53
671 ;ie 652 i^c 815
744
57 fB.c 241
861 tte 822
784 fe 554
250
72
^
7x
^'^
785 me 390 *Ee 865 'l^e 825
1534 ^- c 269
827
897
650
806
71
203
902
720 sac
-^le 832
i^e 834 1t
73

:#

^ne
fl97

984

Bf c

'I^e

Vlll

il.j!

mc

^
"

(332
1767

Me

341

f^c

345

^"
^e
fp5fc

{349

350

353

359

fgc

372

#e

^e

^0

^e

^
m

Me

^e

ge

Mo

#e
#e
#e

79

f287
1584

870

510

380
411

m
m

414
439

j^e

450

'x-e

463

7n

(^^6

Me

^e

^e

^0

493

5Re

281

547

^0

843

488
489

Me

^e

^c

Me

g^e

*e

296
^l^e

297
178

INDEX BY NUMBER OF STROKES.

360
180

INDEX BX NUMBEE OP STROKES.


189

516 fflc
518

920

192

218

519

945

219

521

959

}?&<'

942

238

529

248

536

982

544 IRc

990

708 Jfcc

991

718

994

f215
(447

269

270

flic

275

731

282

284
289

725

;^c

290
305
J5J.

a"

813
948

758

648

762 ffc

601

764

589

767

625

772

384

773

312

775

724

307

314

609

733

292

321

972

788

699

790

579

796

895

356 Bi"

799

568

357 fife

802

629

399

802

953

404

813

991

416

821

620

417

826

565

436

/198

633

437

(392

692

445

831

583

457

835

342

497

877

453

499

880

680

887

396

332

E3.

335 if"
352

501

513

897

593

516

911

663

Re

361

INDEX BY NUMBBl OF STROKES.

362

57-0

660

251

545

697

252

711

m<> 1141
Sic

271

720

^e

464

279

407

^JjC

12 Strokes

M.

281 If
286

'^

1"

(956 Jm.e

760

41

326

783 Vic

48

329

795

53

333 jic

804

53

y^

334

Me

818

344

837

lie

54

361

841

56

362 F^ve

845

75

373

858

77

376

83
98
c

99

me

874
883

431 ?|je

889

465

116

ie

484

134

ire

161

*'ii

490 wn
nn

^c

214

ol3 iie

961

55

^0

240

595

Me

703

649

553

f421
1530

ile
e

73 !tc

502

516

42
44
60

252

61

685

82

610

fr,o

83

1716

177

nt

159

flic

387

^e

164

^c

912 f|e

171

i)|e

215

f638
13 Strokes
1962
ifee

242
258

967

Bfc

383

273

538

968

797

279

978 fie

306

540

981

471

487

^e
me
^e

453

478

22

737 IS-e
513

448

We

^e
^c

683 1e

537

/435
1462

472

fie

430

Ife

636

695

416

pe

He

931

Me

788

133

BiSCC

232

411 Die

355

423

202

114

935

454

449

iJeSte

me

^c
Se

381 tic

508

525

884

^c

211 SEC

230

llice

fifie

927

590
144

914

#e

{ '.)73

172

893

495

51c

me

?^e

924

599

900

493 ^c

f207
(696

668

^c
Me

466

493

414

634

1896

199

we
^c

Me
Re
me

602 ,Se

385

If

#;e f875

Se

fiie

477

119

!!^e

872

^e

460

101

Wi

374

704

378 ife
401

99
4[if.

374
407

578

39

+f

fSc

262

ira a

755

1^0

369

743

313 lie
32 i

33

394 W.c
684

^e

750

I,,??

316

619 rre
333

288

I'

343

615

5S8

331

gc

686

662 f^c
678
c

736

584

693 |gc

ijp^

^c
We

498

522

IXDEX BY NUMBEE OK STROKES.

364

^c
gc

936

|c

928

240 ffc
328

987
996

344

Sc
c

395

696

452

^c
gc

^
11

454

828

Me

837

ifc

840

11

f428
(726

799

826
c

HJ

^c
@c
He

680
689

322 gjc

308!.*|c

433

428

706

435

gc

575

439

398

456

471 22 Strokes
485
592 PM
512

653

514

537

[file

Mc

889

716

fc
ic
ic
EC

903

750

921

941

m<^

^c

953 fie

19 Strokes

891

gc

914 ijc
925 nlc

Si
396

$c

839 fie

172

^c

264 jic
285

He

Me

787

775 21 Strokes
351

39 20 Strokes

868

748

177

fcl

gc
^c
Me

286 -Ifc
307

mc

615

479

age

99

^e

277

?Ke

511

^c

294

,|c

735

^c

726 ||c

886

IMe

792

25 Strokes

'''^^

27 Strokes

793
706

^c

320
446

lie

He

753

954

II

ffic

643

922 24 Strokes

668 ft"
63S

23 Strokes

749 ffc

292

826 i|c
849

299

He

799

Ho

632

You might also like