梁
johnb
December 13, 2007, 01:42 AM posted in General DiscussionI've decided to switch to a single character per day so that I can keep this going, because doing five per day was just a bit too much work to sustain. Since the rate of advance is so much slower, I'm going to pick some more difficult/uncommon characters that are worth knowing, rather than just randomly going through the pack.
Today's character is 梁 [liáng], which means "bridge" or "roof beam." The character is supposed to be a picture of someone cutting wood with a knife to lay over the water, thus making a bridge.
The meaning "bridge," in both literal and figurative senses, is represented in the word 桥梁 [qiáoliáng]. We can see how it can be used in both senses in the following sentences:
- 文化交流是国与国之间建立联系的桥梁。[Wénhuà jiāoliú shì guó yǔ guó zhījiān jiànlì liánxì de qiáoliáng.] Cultural exchanges are a way of building bridges between nations.
- 洪水冲毁了许多桥梁。[Hóngshuǐ chōnghuǐ le xǔduō qiáoliáng.] Many bridges were swept away by the flood.
Some other usages include "nose bridge" -- 鼻梁 [bíliáng] -- and (one of my personal favorites) 顶梁柱 [dǐngliángzhù], which means "backbone" or "pillar" and is used in a figurative sense to mean the "backbone of a company" or "backbone of the family."
Radical: 木 (75). Components: 氵刀八木. Strokes: 11.
johnb
December 14, 2007, 12:39 AMBazza, please feel free to supplement your learning with something else :P. To be honest, five per day was just too much work. If I can automate some of it, I'll go back.
rich
December 19, 2007, 04:59 PMyeah, a bit of a shame, as now I see your explanation for the downsize, working backwards in the lessons. But I understand the work load it puts on you.
Hmm....on this character, interesting to note that the 刀 and 八 become the word to separate (分) but with the knife already cutting through, splitting the wood 木 to put over the water 水, so yeah, got all the ingredients for a bridge there.
There is also a good Chinese grammar text book for more intermediate/advanced learners that I used when studying Tianjin Normal University, with the very name of 《桥梁》. At that time I didn't even know the 梁 part of 桥梁, just 桥, so I never could remember (or understand) the second character until much later.
kathy1987
May 17, 2009, 05:11 PMsome Chinese 's family name is :梁
bazza
December 13, 2007, 11:02 PMThat's a bit of a shame, one a day doesn't satisfy my character appetite. ;)