Meaning: a net for catching birds; a kind of silk gauze; to collect Origin: “罗”的甲骨文字形是一张网捉住了鸟，所以“罗”的本义是捕鸟的网，后来加上了“糸”旁，表示网是丝织成的，因此又引申为“轻软的丝织品”。 On ancient oracle bone inscriptions, “罗” looks like a bird caught in a net, so its original meaning is a net for catching birds. Then Continue Reading

Meaning: lamb, kid Origin: 字形的上部是“羊”，下部是“火”，表示用火烤羊。最美味的烤羊是用小羊烤，因而“羔”字指“小羊”。 The upper part is “羊” and the lower part is “火,” which together mean to roast a sheep over a fire. Roasted lamb is the most delicious kind of mutton, so “羔” refers to lambs. Continue Reading

Meaning: to chop, to cut down Origin: 本义是“砍头”，后来引申为“征伐”，字形是一把“戈”（古代的武器名）正砍在一个人颈上的样子。 The original meaning of this character is “to behead.” Later, the definition expanded to mean, “to go on a punitive expedition.” The character looks like a dagger-axe, a kind of ancient weapon, Continue Reading

Meaning: defend; protect; keep; preserve Origin: 甲骨文的“保”字是一个大人手里抱着襁褓里的婴儿的形状。本义是“养育”、“抚养”，引申为“保护”、“保佑”等意思。 On oracle bone inscriptions, “保” looks like an adult holding a baby. Its original meaning is to raise, which then extended to protecting and blessing. Words:    保留 (bǎoliú): to continue to have; Continue Reading

Meaning: lucky, propitious, auspicious Origin: 神座（“口”）上面摆着举行隆重仪式时用的礼器——圭，表示有喜庆的事。后来圭形变成了“士”，意思就不明显了。“吉”的本义是好、幸运的。 Sacrificed vessels, or “圭,” would sit atop a sacred base, or “口,” during grand ceremonies. Hence, this character represents a happy thing. Later, “圭” changed into “士,” and its meaning became opaque. The original Continue Reading

Meaning: thousand；a great amount of；a great number of； Origin: “千”这个数目字是很难表达的，所以古人用读音相近的“人”字上面加一横（表示“一”的数目）的方法表示。 Because the number for one thousand is hard to represent by individual characters, people use “人,” which has similar pronunciation, and a “一” on top to express an amount. Words: Continue Reading

Meaning: compete；contest； Origin: 甲骨文“竞”字像两个头上带有刀的标志的奴隶在搏斗的情景，古代贵族经常强迫奴隶们角斗，以此取乐。“竞”的本义是“争逐”，现在常用来表示“比赛”、“竞争”。 On oracle bone inscriptions, “竞” resembles two slaves wrestling with knives attached to their heads. In ancient times, nobles often forced slaves to wrestle for fun. The character’s original meaning is to scramble; now, it is Continue Reading

Meaning: inform；tell；accuse；announcement；declaration； Origin: 甲骨文中“告”的字形是上面一个“牛”字，下面一个“口”字，合起来表示祭祀时，人们献上一头牛，并进行祷告的情景，后来，“告”的意思逐渐普通化，泛指“告诉”“表达”和“诉说”。 On ancient oracle bone inscriptions, “告” was composed of “牛” (cow) on top and “口” (mouth) on the bottom, together meaning that people sacrifice a cow and pray in a religious ceremony. Later, the meaning of Continue Reading

Meaning: guest Origin: 甲骨文“宾”字像一个人从外面走进屋子里来的情状，有的字形还有足的形状。金文加上“贝”，表示带来礼物的就是宾客。 On oracle bone inscriptions, “宾” looks like a person walking inside from outdoors; in some instances it even includes the shape of a foot. On ancient Chinese bronzes, a “贝” was added, which means that the Continue Reading

Meaning: fire; popular Origin: 甲骨文“火”字像一团火的样子，是用轮廓线来表现的。金文以后就不太像了。“火”又是古时兵制单位，十人为“火”，也写作“伙”。 On oracle bone inscriptions, “火” looks like the outline of a fire. That was not the case after it appeared on bronze inscriptions, as it not longer was a pictograph. “火” is also a unit Continue Reading