{"id":13073,"date":"2020-04-16T07:22:31","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T07:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=13073"},"modified":"2024-07-25T12:14:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T12:14:54","slug":"chinese-etymology-learn-the-origins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/chinese-etymology-learn-the-origins.html","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Etymology &#8211; Learning the Origins of Chinese Characters Makes Them Impossible to Forget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The number one rule for truly learning\nsomething is understanding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese Etymology is the study of the origin of <a href=_-41.html>Chinese characters<\/a>. The more knowledge you can apply to a character, such as \u6cc9, the more you understand that character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more likely you are to never forget it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll break down <strong>\u6c34, \u6cc9, \u51b0, \u6c38<\/strong> and analyze the etymology of these characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll never get them confused again!<\/p>\n\n\n<div role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Table of Contents\" class=\"simpletoc custom_toc wp-block-simpletoc-toc\"><ul class=\"simpletoc-list\">\n<li><a href=index.html#chinese-etymology-in-practice\">Chinese Etymology in Practice<\/a>\n\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=index.html#etymology-of-chinese-character-%25e6%25b3%2589\">Etymology of Chinese character \u6cc9<\/a>\n\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=index.html#using-chinese-etymology-to-distinguish-similar-characters\">Using Chinese Etymology to Distinguish Similar Characters<\/a>\n\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=index.html#seeing-the-origin-of-chinese-characters-in-modern-day-script\">Seeing the Origin of Chinese Characters In Modern Day Script<\/a>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chinese-etymology-in-practice\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChinese Etymology in Practice\n\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<p><a href=_-42.html>The formation of Chinese characters<\/a> has been a long process, thousands of years in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ancient Chinese scripts relied much more\nheavily on pictographs: visual representations of a word, similar to Egyptian\nhieroglyphics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, ancient Chinese scripts were\ncorrupted and simplified into their modern-day equivalents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By undoing the corruption and simplification of ancient Chinese scripts, you can see that, actually, the modern-day version makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Chinese character\u2019s origin is often the key to understanding its true meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"290\" src=_-43.html alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13075\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shui-origin.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shui-origin-300x87.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shui-origin-768x223.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ancient men didn\u2019t get water from a tap. They\ncollected it from rivers and streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a glance, <strong>\u6c34<\/strong> has absolutely no relation to the word water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whoever invented a character to represent\nthe word \u2018water\u2019 had to rely on imagery common at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depicted on the far left of the image above\nis the earliest representation of a Chinese character for \u2018water\u2019. It\u2019s a\npictograph of a river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The middle line represents the deeper\nmiddle section of a river. The edges represent the shallower areas where water\nrushes over rocks or other obstacles, creating waves and white water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, these attributes have been\nsimplified. By comparing the origin of this Chinese character to the modern-day\nversion, \u6c34 becomes a very meaningful symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deep, rushing core of the river and its\nturbulent outer edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pretty neat.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"etymology-of-chinese-character-%25e6%25b3%2589\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEtymology of Chinese character \u6cc9\n\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"249\" src=_-44.html alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/quan-origin.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/quan-origin-300x75.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/quan-origin-768x191.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s consider the character <strong>\u6cc9<\/strong> (qu\u00e1n) spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few ways to deepen your\nunderstanding of this character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we can break it into its\ncomponents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u767d<\/strong> (b\u00e1i) white<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u6c34<\/strong> (shu\u01d0) water<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>White water alone gives us a clue to the\ncombined meaning. After all, a spring in nature is a clean, pure (white) source\nof water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s dive deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"246\" src=_-45.html alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bai-origin.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bai-origin-300x74.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bai-origin-768x189.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The history of the character \u767d also gives us a clue to its meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the ancient \u7532\u9aa8\u6587\n(ji\u01ce g\u01d4 w\u00e9n) oracle bone script, \u767d is drawn as \u65e5 (r\u00ec) sun with a drop on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite 3000+ years of meddling, it has\npretty much stayed like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some think the ancient Chinese script\nsymbolises the time just before the sun peeps over the horizon when the area of\nsky above the sun is briefly cast a brilliant white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It could also represent the bright white\nlight cast at the entrance of a cave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Either way, it\u2019s clear that the sun here is\nused to depict white light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our brains like patterns. They don\u2019t like\nrandomness. We\u2019re building stories and meaning (understandable patterns) into\nthese characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are no longer squiggles on a page, or even a sequence of strokes. Chinese etymology helps build a stronger story for our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"249\" src=_-46.html alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/quan-origin-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/quan-origin-1-300x75.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/quan-origin-1-768x191.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So we now know both components of \u6cc9 (qu\u00e1n) spring. Cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How do they work together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well actually, they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mentioned corruption earlier. This can be\nseen in the history of the character \u6cc9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we look at the oracle bone script here, \u6cc9 is beautifully depicted as a river or stream (notice the same\noracle bone character as \u6c34) running out of an opening\nor cave in the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes perfect sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A spring begins life as rainwater. Once fallen,\nit finds its way underground, eventually reemerging from an underground\nopening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This opening is often seen from above as cracks between rocks, which water appears to rise (or spring) from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So here you can see a cavern-like opening in which water flows out from a spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding both the modern components (\u6c34 and \u767d) and their origins gives your brain multiple stories to work with, understand, and remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also allows you to undo history and return \u6cc9 to its original picture-like essence.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"using-chinese-etymology-to-distinguish-similar-characters\">Using Chinese Etymology to Distinguish Similar Characters <\/h2>\n\n\n<p> Let\u2019s quickly look at two more characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"249\" src=_-47.html alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13079\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bing-origin.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bing-origin-300x75.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bing-origin-768x191.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u51b0<\/strong> (b\u012bng) ice<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This character is composed of two elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u7532\u9aa8\u6587 (ji\u01ce g\u01d4\nw\u00e9n) oracle bone script uses two arrow-like strokes representing cracks formed\nin ice (think of ice in its natural form in nature).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The addition of a river, or water (\u6c34) was later used to indicate the relationship between ice and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we apply this to the modern-day character, <a href=_-48.html>\u51ab<\/a>is actually cracks within \u6c34 water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could read it as \u2019cracked water\u2019: ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"245\" src=_-49.html alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/yong-origin.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/yong-origin-300x74.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/yong-origin-768x188.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u6c38<\/strong> (y\u01d2ng) eternal\/perpetual<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here the transformation over time has been\na trade-off between how easy the character is to understand and how easy it is\nto write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ancient scripts depict two rivers\nconverging, ultimately joining to become a raging torrent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of the merging of the two rivers,\nthe main river is able to flow out the other side continuously, uninterrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has connotations of something\nstretching out into the future and simultaneously connected to the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The drop above \u6c34 represents this: one continuous river, flowing eternally.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"seeing-the-origin-of-chinese-characters-in-modern-day-script\">Seeing the Origin of Chinese Characters In Modern Day Script <\/h2>\n\n\n<p><strong>\u6c34&nbsp;&nbsp; \u6cc9&nbsp;&nbsp; \u51b0&nbsp;&nbsp; \u6c38<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u6c34 is a river with a strong, deep core and\nturbulent edges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u6cc9 is pure white water coming from the mouth\nof an underground cavern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u51b0 is the cracks in ice\u2013frozen water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u6c38 is two rivers converging into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more you know about the character \u6cc9 (qu\u00e1n), the more likely you are to never forget it. By understanding the formation and evolution of Chinese characters, you can appreciate how they have been simplified from ancient pictographs to modern-day symbols. For example, the ancient scripts relied heavily on visual representations of words, much like Egyptian hieroglyphics. Over time, these characters were simplified, but their origins often hold the key to understanding their true meanings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The number one rule for truly learning something is understanding it. Chinese Etymology is the study of the origin of Chinese characters. The more knowledge you can apply to a character, such as \u6cc9, the more you understand that character. The more likely you are to never forget it. In this article, we\u2019ll break down&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":13082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178,1],"tags":[77,86,78,89],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-13073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-characters","category-learn-mandarin-online","tag-beginner","tag-chinese-characters","tag-intermediate","tag-tips-and-suggestions","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chinese Etymology - Learning the Origins of Chinese Characters Makes Them Impossible to Forget<\/title>\n<!-- Added by HTTrack --><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /><!-- /Added by HTTrack -->
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