Analysis of 对
bazza
August 15, 2007, 07:25 PM posted in General DiscussionIs 对 supposed to represent a thumbs-up? As it's made up of the right-hand radical 又 and thumb radical 寸.
daizi
August 16, 2007, 12:00 AM寸 (cùn) means "hand", with the dot representing a thumb. 又 (yòu) is just the simplification for 業, which has no known meaning (對=duì traditional) .
aeflow
August 15, 2007, 11:54 PMProbably not. I'm not sure where you get the "thumb", 寸 is supposed to be "Chinese inch" or "very small". In French, they use the same word for inch and thumb (pouce), but I'm not sure about Chinese. I'm not sure where you get the "up" either. Don't forget the traditional form is 對 and the significance or origin of the right-hand side is apparently obscure. I'm not sure that a "thumbs up" gesture was even used in China until modern times, it seems pretty unlikely. What mnemonics would you dream up for 时 or 过 etc. and how would thumbs fit in there? Personally, I think mnemonics are bunk, but hey if they work for you...