考
Meaning: to examine, to check, to inspect Origin: 本义是“老”。字形像一个头上有几根稀疏头发、后背稍驼的老人，再加上声符“丂”构成。后多用于“考察”、“考核”义。 This character’s original meaning was “old.” It used to look like an old hunchback with just a few hairs. Its phonetic element was “丂.” Later, its definition extended to “investigate,” “examine,”…
交
Meaning: hand over; give up; mutual; reciprocal； Origin: “交”的字形像一个人两腿交叉的样子，本义是“交叉”或者“交错”，后来引申为“给”或者“联系”。 On ancient oracle bone inscriptions, “交” looks like a person with crossed legs. Its original meaning is “cross” or “staggered,” which…
罗
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…
羔
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…
伐
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…
保
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…
吉
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”…
千
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,…
