Character Breakdown Stories

From: Saved by the Gong: history class Level: Upper-Intermediate Character: 崇chóng Meaning: worship; high, sublime; respect; adulate Assumed meaning of radicals in this particular character: 山shān, mountain 宗zōng, ancestor (phonetic radical) 宀mián, cover, roof 示shì, alter 一yī, when above means "heaven" 丶diǎn, drop of liquid (blood) 丁dīng, picture of a table or alter Story: A man went up the mountain(山shān) into a covered area(宀mián) in which there was alter(示shì) in which on the table (丁dīng) the blood of his sacrifice(丶diǎn) pleased the heavens (一yī), so he pleased his ancestors(宗zōng) with this ancestral worship(崇chóng).

I just have to add to the character above its complement character, which is the character 拜(bài), also meaning worship, or to honor. Actually, I often forget how to write it, as I know it is two hands 手, but I often don't remember which side has the 3 horizontal strokes, and which has 4. Researching it, I found its meaning, the reason for the forth horizontal stroke on the right, and the way to remember this: "Two 手 hands that are 下 held down are used to honor, to reverence another. " Take one 手hand, take the other 手hand, put them both down. 手+手+下 = 拜

From: Chinese Green Eggs and Ham Level: Newbie Character: 腿 tuǐ Meaning: leg Assumed meaning of radicals in this particular character: 肉ròu, meat, flesh (when a radical, looks like 月yuè) 退tuì, to go backwards, retreat *phonetic radical* 艮gèn, tough, hard to chew; straightforward, blunt 辶chuò, 走之旁 (the walking radical) Story: Bob found the meat(肉[月]ròu) he bought was tough to chew(艮gèn), so he walked(辶chuò) out and returned(退tuì) to the butcher. His legs(腿tuǐ) were tired, but at least he got some better ham(火腿huǒtuǐ). Radical Equations: 辶(walk) + 艮(blunt) = 退(retreat) 肉(flesh) + 退(retreat) = 腿(leg)

From: My Scooter Won't Start Level: Upper-Intermediate Character: 器qì Meaning: utensil, machine, vessel Assumed meaning of radicals in this particular character: 口kǒu: mouth 犬quǎn: dog (ancient form, modern word is 狗gǒu) Story: Simply, dogs were the first dish washing machines(器qì), the ideal was to have 4 dogs(犬quǎn) whose mouthes(口kǒu) clean the bowls & plates! Thus this is an early appliance(器具qìjù).

From: MSN and QQ Level: Elementary Characters: 保持 bǎochí Meaning: keep, maintain, preserve Assumed meaning of radicals in this particular character: 保bǎo: keep, maintain, preserve 人rén: person 呆dāi: stupid, to stay 口kǒu: mouth 木mù: wood, tree 持chí: hold, grasp 手shǒu: hand 寺sì: temple *phonetic raidcal* 土tǔ: earth, land, soil 寸cùn: hand (old meaning, compare with 又yòu), inch Story: There once was a man(人rén) whose mouth(口kǒu) hand turned to wood(木mù), and feared the rest of his body would soon follow, so he wanted to find a way to preserve(保bǎo) his body. He was told by a monk that if he took some special dirt(土tǔ) between his hands(手shǒu and 寸chùn) and went in the temple(寺sì), where there in front of the alter held(持chí) it out, he would be able to keep(保持) his body in its current state. Radical Equations: 口(mouth) + 木(wood) = 呆(stupid,stay) 人(man) + 呆(stupid,stay) = 保(keep,maintain,preserve) 土(soil) + 寸(hand,inch) = 寺(temple) 手(hand) + 寺(temple) = 持(hold,grasp) 保(keep,maintain,preserve) + 持(hold,grasp) = 保持(keep,maintain,preserve)

To comment a bit on an interesting thing about 寸cùn: Originally also had the meaning of hand. Nowadays means "inch" such as in 英寸 (yīngcùn, imperial measurement system inch), and comparing it with another character which is drawn from the image of a hand 又, you can see 寸 comes from 又 were the fingers are open and a little dot 丶 is between the fingers. Can think about how the fingers of 又 are measuring an inch 寸, signified by the 丶.

From: Stargazing Ploy Level: Upper Intermediate Characters: 水星,金星,地球,火星,木星,土星,天王星,海王星,冥王星 Meaning: names of planets in our solar system

Here are pictures and ways to easily remember the planets. Remember 星xīng means star(actually 星星xīngxing) but in a planet name it is abbreviation for 星球xīngqiú(celestial body) or 行星(planet).

	水星 shuǐxīng: Mercury, the water planent Interestingly, the word for the "mercury" is 汞 gǒng and that has the water radical below 工gōng the phonetic.
	金星 jīnxīng: Venus, the gold planet Of course because it is the color of gold.
	地球 dìqiú: Earth, the land sphere Apparently from human perspective Earth wasn't given the planet/star 星 character, but is a sphere
	火星 huǒxīng: Mars, fire planet Red as fire, Mars it the god of war, red is the color of war
	木星 mùxīng: Jupiter, the wood planet This looks very much like wood, the color and has grain lines
	土星 tǔxīng: Saturn, the dirt planet Guess it kind of looks like dirt. Many probably wonder why it isn't called the ring planet, yet we can remember that it is frozen dust that forms those rings? Also, Saturn was the Roman diety of agricuture and harvest, so of course that has to do with dirt/the ground.
	天王星 tiānwángxīng: Uranus, the sky king planet Uranus in Greet mythology is the king of the sky
	海王星 hǎiwángxīng: Neptune, sea king planet Of course Neptune was the roman god of the sea
	冥王星 míngwángxīng: Pluto, the netherworld(Hades) king And Pluto in Roman mythology (Hades in Greek) was the king of the netherworld (Pluto is now classified as a 矮行星ǎixíngxīng a drawf planet)

From: Paris Level: Elementary Characters: 世界 shìjiè Meaning: world Assumed meaning characters and their radicals: 世shì: generation, lifetime, age 卅sà: thirty (a ten 十 with two more strokes 10 + 20) 一yī: one, but when a radical at the bottom of a character, often means ground or earth 界jiè: boundary 田tián: field 介jiè: be situated between; interpose *phonetic* Story: There once was a woman who in 30(卅sà) years wanted to travel over all the earth(一) in one generation(世shì). She travelled through fields(田tián) and forests to reach the all the areas situated between(介jiè) the different countries of the world to reach each one's border(界jiè). In this way she got to see the whole world(世界shìjiè) as she planned.

Rich, I am loving these! How fun!

More to come when I am finally done with all my Chinese tests, handling visa to China, and my hard hard work of traveling around Britain and other parts of Europe. :)