Introduction
Stroke Order Principles
1. If a character has a top half and a
bottom half, do the top half first.
歪
2. If a character has a left half and a
right half, do the left half first.
說
3. If a character divides diagonally, do
the part in the upper right triangle first, and then the part in the lower left
triangle.
刀 世 也 匹 句
迎 建 連
4. If a character has an outer part and an
inner part, do the outer part first (except for a closing stroke on the bottom
if present), and then do the inner part (and then close the bottom if
necessary).
用
5. If there is a "top knot," do
it first.
家
6. Start writing horizontal strokes or
nearly horizontal strokes at the top.
三
7. If a vertical stroke cuts through one or
more horizontal strokes, write the strokes it will cut through first, and then
do the vertical stroke.
丰
8. If there is a bottom-closing part, draw
that after all the "insides"
of the character have been written.
國
9. If the character is symmetrical from
left to right, do the center part first, then the left, and finally the right.
小 業
10. If there are any dots or miscellaneous
short lines (except for a central dot at the top of a character), do them after
the main part of the character has been finished.
戈 太
Lesson 1
爩
Chinese is not as hard to learn as it
looks. On the other hand, you can make
things hard on yourself if you jump into the deep end of the pool by trying to
learn characters like the one above as
if it were an arbitrary arrangement of 33 or more little lines (strokes). If you compare the Chinese character (hanzi)
above to the characters in the two lists below, you will observe that it
contains two of the simple characters that are taught in this lesson: 火 and 木.
Just as knowing something about the Greek
and Latin roots that are used in many English words can help you figure out
longer words like "confabulation," you will be learning some root
characters that are not often used in isolation in modern speech. For instance,
the hanzi 木 (mu`) in the list below is a
stylized picture of a tree (including the roots), but the ordinary term for
tree in Mandarin is 樹 (shu`). The hanzi 樹 contains the hanzi 木
as do many other hanzi that have something to do with trees or with wood. The hanzi 木
appears in a common compound expression in Mandarin, 木頭
(mu` tou/), which means "wood" or "wooden."
It will take six lessons to accumulate
enough vocabulary to start telling a real story. Please be patient, it will
save you years of frustration in the long run.
Parts of the body:
目、口、耳、手、止
mu`
kou^ er^ shou^
zhi^
eye*
mouth ear hand stop* (picture of a foot)
Planets
金、木、水、火、土
jin-
mu` shui^ huo^
tu^
gold
wood* water fire dirt
Venus
Jupiter Mercury Mars
Saturn
*
Characters marked with an asterisk are normally components of compounds.
FYI
("FYI" sections are "for
your information," and are not an integral part of your learning. They are
intended to provide collateral information that may be interesting to you or
that you may find helpful.)
Spoken vocabulary terms that use the above
hanzi:
目的, mu` di`, "eye target," i.e., goal
耳朵, er^ duo^, ear
停止, ting/ zhi^, to stop
金子, jin-zi, gold (coins, etc.)
木頭, mu` tou/, wood (used as a building material)
土地, tu^ di`, land (as in "land reform")
Why these words are written this way
The hanzi taught in this lesson all began
as drawings over 3000 years ago.
目mu`, *eye
These early drawings are simple line
drawings of a human eye. For some reason many such drawings get rotated ninety
degrees when they are written today.
口, kou^, mouth
This drawing is self apparent.
耳, er^, ear
This series of drawings, especially the
transition from the second to the third drawing, shows how fairly
non-representational images can evolve from more realistic drawings as people
tired of drawing complicated images over and over again.
手, shou^, hand
These early characters are already fairly
stylized, but at least one can still count all five fingers.
止, zhi^, stop*
Important:
This hanzi is very clearly the drawing of a left foot. (Two toes are
missing, however.) In English we use the
expression "put my food down" to talk about stopping something, and a
similar thought process was probably involved
in the development of what is now the common meaning of this
character. However, when this hanzi
appears as a component in another character it generally retains its meaning of
"foot."
金, jin-, gold or metal, but also the planet Venus (金星, jin- xing-) (星means
"star")
This hanzi contains a triangular element at
the top, which may represent an A-frame hut built to protect the opening of a
mine shaft, and the character for dirt (see below). In the earth are two short
lines that represent the gold or other metal being mined.
木, mu`, wood, but also the planet Jupiter (木星)
This hanzi shows both the branches of the
tree above ground and the roots of the tree that extend below the surface of
the ground.
水, shui^, water, but also the planet Mercury (水星)
This hanzi shows the meandering course of a
stream with lines drawn to suggest the motion of the water in the stream.
火, huo^, fire,
but also the planet Mars (火星)
This hanzi is a little more difficult to
make out. The top picture appears to show some kind of fire pit with wood piled
in it and flames rising. The other two drawings show just the wood and the
rising flames
土, tu^, dirt,
but also the planet Saturn (土星)
Even at an early time the Chinese
sacrificed to Earth at a square altar filled with dirt into which was inserted
a vertical phallic pillar that represented the fecundating influence of Heaven.
For the teacher, Chinese characters taught
in this lesson:
目口耳手止金木水火土
耳火金口目木手水土止
Lesson 2:
Daily life
禾 田 首 貝 人
he/
tian/ shou^ bei`
ren/
growing
rice head cowry
human
grain
field (deer?) shell
being
巾 戈 刀 勺
jin-
mian/ ge- dao-
shao/
kerchief
thatched halberd knife
ladle
hut
Spoken vocabulary terms that use the above
hanzi:
网球, wang^ qiu/, tennis (more properly written as 網球)
寶貝, bao^ bei`, precious (child, etc.)
手巾, shou^ jin-, hand cloth
家裡, jia-li, home; family
刀子, dao-zi, knife
勺子, shao/zi, ladle
Why these han` zi` are written this way
禾, he/, growing grain
The leaves and roots of the grain plant
resembles a tree. A heavy head of grain bows down from the top.
田, tian/, paddy, rice field, agricultural field
This character depicts water-filled rice
fields that are bounded by earthen dividers.
首, shou^, head (not used in spoken Chinese to mean
human head)
The early drawing seems to be a drawing of
human hair at the top and a face below, or, possibly, antlers above and the
head of a deer below.
貝, bei`, cowry (used in earlies times as a kind of
money, wampum)
Cowry shells are used by many simple
societies as a form of money. The early drawings show the living cowry's two
feelers ( at the bottom of the drawing) protruding from its shell.
人,ren/, human being
This simple drawing show a human being in
profile.
Implements, etc.
巾, jin-, kerchief, scarf, turban..., handkerchief,
wash cloth
This drawing is extremely stylized. It is a
picture of a long scarf draped around somebody's neck and hanging down in front
of the torso.
,
mian/, thatched hut
This drawing reflects the structure of a
very early form of house that was made by digging a circular pit, putting
several vertical poles around its perimeter, and then making a teepee style
roof on top of that.
戈, ge-, halberd
(a weapon similar to a spear, but more suitable for slashing)
The halbert blade is depicted in this
extremely stylized drawing.
刀, dao-, knife;
sword
To this day, Chinese kitchens are equipped
with knives that look rather like cleavers. In this drawing the dotted line,
which represents the blade, has been added. In the original, the blade is left
for the reader's imagination to provide.
勺, shao/,
ladle, spoon
The drawing, although simple, is fairly
clear. The handle is at the top, the "n" shaped element at the bottom
is the bowl of the spoon, and the curved line at the left side represents the
contents of the spoon.
For the teacher, Chinese characters taught
in this lesson:
禾田首貝人巾
戈刀勺
貝刀戈禾巾人勺首田
Lesson 3
More abstract elements
尚 言 隹 力 心
shang`
yan/ zhui- li`
xin-
ascendant
speech short-tailed strength
heart-mind
大 匕 小 矢
da`
hua` chuo` xiao^
shi^
big
inverted "running
radical" small dart
(transformed)
human
尚, shang`,
ascendant
言, yan/,
speech; a saying
隹, zhui-,
short-tailed bird
力, li`,
strength
心, xin-, heart,
mind
大, da`, great,
large
匕, hua`,
inverted human being; transformed
,
chuo`, the "running radical" -- indicates some connection with motion
小, xiao^,
little, small
矢, shi^, the
kind of short arrow used in a crossbow (called a quarrel), dart, arrow
FYI
尚未, shang` wei`, still has not
語言, yu^ yan/, language
力氣, li` qi(`), strength, power
心臟, xin- zang`, heart (organ)
大家, da` jia-, everybody
Why these characters get written this way:
尚, shang`,
ascendant
There are several interpretations of this
character, made more difficult because there are no extant instances of the
earliest, oracle bone, forms. The graph seems to represent a roof or other
covering with a smoke hole in it or high on one wall of the dwelling, and smoke
rising up through the smoke hole.
言, yan/,
speech; a saying
,This character appears to represent a
mouth, with a whistle or flute in it, making a sound. A mouth making a sound is
speech.
隹, zhui-,
short-tailed bird
This is very clearly a drawing of a bird.
It is not known what kind or class of bird it originally represented.
Traditionally it has been defined as a "short-tailed" bird.
力, li`,
strength
This
character is a simple graphic representation of two people testing their
strengths by arm wrestling.
心, xin-, heart,
mind
This drawing represents a four-chambered
heart.
大, da`, great,
large
This drawing represents a person with arms
extended to show how large something is.
匕, hua`,
inverted human being; transformed
This
drawing is, essentially, just the ordinary character for human being reversed
left for right. It is drawn to indicate something that has been changed.
,
chuo`, the "running radical" -- indicates some connection with motion
This drawing represents a foot at an
intersection, giving a fairly graphic suggestion of the idea of motion.
小
xiao^, small. In the early characters, three equal dots or
short lines were drawn to depict some small things.
矢, shi^, short
arrow such as would be used in a crossbow.
The three ancient characters are all
drawings of an arrow. In the first drawing the arrowhead appears to have been
joined to the shaft by a leather or fiber binding.
For the teacher, Chinese characters taught
in this lesson:
尚言隹力心大匕
小矢
匕逴-卓大力尚矢小心言隹
Lesson 4
Now
we ave enough characters to begin to write sentences.
因木而不見森林。
只見森林,不見樹木。
Yin- mu` er/ bu/ jian` sen- lin/.
Zhi^ jian` sen- lin/, bu/ jian` shu` mu`.
The preceding two sentences are different
ways of expressing a common Western saying in Chinese. See whether you can
figure out the original English saying.
樹木 is a compound expression (shu` mu`) that means "tree" or
"trees." (You are not required to learn to write shu`.
Review character:
木 mu`, wood,
wooden (picture of a tree0
Why these characters get written this way:
因, yin-, cause, reason; because
(Picture of a person reclining on a mat.
The English word "depending" literally means "hanging
from". Whether something hangs from the ceiling or rests on the floor, it
is supported by something.)
而, er/,
indicates a relationship between what comes before it and what comes after it
This character is a picture of a forked
beard. The forked beard points in
opposite directions, and we could use a double-headed arrow in English to
illustrate the same kind of idea.
不, bu/
(bu`), no, not. (Fourth tone before first, second, and third
tone words)
This drawing is very abstract, and nobody
seems to know why it was chosen to write "no" or "not."
見, jian`, to
perceive
This character is a picture of a person who
"is all eyes." Its means to see or to otherwise perceive something.
森, sen-,
forest, jungle
(Three trees suggests even more trees than are
in a grove -- see the next character.)
林, lin/, grove
(Two trees suggests the idea of a grove.)
只, zhi^, only
This is another very abstract drawing with
no known explanation.
了,le, sentence-ending
particle that flags an important change
The sense of this word as used in this
lesson is not closely related to the original meaning of this character.
Moreover, it would be difficult to say with any certainty what this drawing is
meant to resemble.
豕, shi^, swine,
hog, pig.
The huge belly shows that this is a pig.
乍, zha`,
suddenly.
Originally this character meant "to
make." It is a drawing of a seated person holding a tool in his hands.
Later, the same character was taken to write "suddenly," and the idea
of making something was reinforced by writing the original meaning with the
character 作, which is now pronounced zuo`.
又, you`, again
It is very important to distinguish the
current meaning of this character (again) from the original drawing. The
original drawing shows a person's hand in profile. The hand is reaching for
something or manipulating something, and it is often used in complex characters
to indicate a hand. But at some very early time it evidently was borrowed to
write "again," and in spoken and written Chinese that is what it
means. The meaning "hand" ordinarily only comes up when it is a
component of a more complicated character.
衣, yi-,
clothing
Extra vocabulary:
因而, yin- er, therefore
不見了, bu/ jian` le, (no longer seen =) (It's) disappeared!
What do you think this sentence means? It's
what the king said one day when he went into his counting house.
金子不見了!?For the teacher, Chinese characters taught in this lesson:
因而不見森林只了豕乍又衣
不而見了林森豕衣因又乍只
FYI
威克森林大學
(Wei- Ke` Sen- Lin/ Da` Xue/, Wake Forest
University)
Lesson 5Reading:
心中青天白日,歹人不至。
谷中不見青天白日,
只見黃木枯田, (枯,ku-, withered and dry)
因而歹人不至。
---------
今天又是日至。
---------
這不是正門。
----------
Write out your own version in romanization,
and then translate it before class.
For enrichment:
子曰,天 何 言 哉?
Zi^ yue-, "Tian- he/ yan/ zai-?"
The Master said: "What does Heaven say?"
(Confucius is pointing out that Heaven does
not make its wishes known to human beings through the use of words.)
Review characters:
,
chuo`, the "running radical" -- indicates some connection with motion
言, yan/, speech
Special compounds:
歹人, dai^ ren/, "bad guys".
(This compound is normal in Taiwanese (although in that regional
language its pronunciation is different, but the more normal expression in
Mandarin is "huai` ren/.)
日至, ri` zhi`, solstice
因而, yin- er/, therefore (This compound is normally regarded as being
rather "bookish".)
Regular vocabulary:
中,zhong-.
Besides meaning middle or center, this character can also mean "in"
or "inside."
The ancient forms show some kind of a
target and spears with ribbons on their hafts hitting its center.
青,qing-, the
entire range of hues in the spectrum from green to blue, with shades down to
black.
The ancient characters appear to represent
some kind of plant growing in a flower pot or urn.
天, tian-, god,
heaven, sky, day.
Originally this character represented a
human being (drawn with a rather large head), the "head man" of the
whole royal family that ruled the Zhou dynasty, i.e., their earliest ancestor.
They may have begun by sacrificing to a dead ancestor and later may have
forgotten exactly who it was that they were sacrificing and praying to, and so
the idea of a god was inadvertently created. The chain of associations from god
to heaven, from heaven to sky, and from sky to day are fairly self孬vident.
白, bai/, white.
These ancient characters are drawings of
the fruit of the gingko tree. The outer skin of the fruit is green until the
fruit is ripe, by which time it turns to tan. But while it is still unripe the
outside of the fruit is coated with a kind of natural wax that gives it a white
color. The seed inside (which is what people eat) is a bone white color when it
has been dried for storage. To this day the seeds are called "bai/
guo^" (literally, white fruit).
日, ri`, sun.
This kind of simple drawing of the sun,
especially as drawn in the third example, is known to every elementary school
child who has learned to draw a landscape with the sun in the sky. By
extension, ri` can also mean day, and is frequently used in written dates such
as 三月二日 (the second day of
the third month).
歹,dai^, bad.
The original characters are said to
represent the remnants of a bone that has been broken after the meat has been
removed from it. The ordinary word for "bad" in spoken Mandarin is 壞 huai`, but dai^ is the ordinary word that is used in
Taiwanese. (The pronunciation is somewhat different, however.)
至,zhi`, arrive.
"I shot an arrow in the air; it fell
to earth, I know not where." But here we have the "photographic"
record of the arrow falling to earth, so it must have sailed all the way to
China!
谷, gu^,
valley.
The four strokes on the top represent
water, and the character for "mouth" on the bottom gives us the idea
of the mouth of a river. The pathway that a river follows from its source to
its mouth is a valley.
黃, huang/,
yellow with shades to brown.
Even in the oracle bone script (shown
above), this character is already very abstract. Some have suggested that it
contains the character 田 tian/, field, and so
indicates the brown color of the fields.
今,jin-, today,
nowadays, current, currently.
This character may be a reduced form of 金, the character for gold, also pronounced jin-.
正, zheng`,
upright, correct, orthagonal, orthodox.
This character depicts an enclosure or
destination at the top, and a foot pointed directly into that enclosure.
門, men/, door,
gate.
This character depicts a double door, and
strongly resembles the double doors used in saloons in the old west, which you
may have seen in old motion pictures.
這,zhe` (when used
with a MW this character is ordinarily pronounced zhei`). this.
("These" is 妘o些
zhe` xie-)
This character is composed of and 言. It originally had a meaning that had some
connection to the idea of motion ( ), but it was borrowed to write the spoken哸hinese word for "this," so its components
have nothing to do with its current meaning and pronunciation.
彳, chi`, short
step.
The earliest version of this character
known is already of a relatively late date. It appears to be the left half of 行, which was originally a picture of a crossroads.
Vocabulary
中 zhong- center,
middle; inside
青 qing- blue
and green shading down to black
天 tian-, sky
白 bai/ white,
clear
日 ri`, sun
歹 dai^ bad
(in classical Chinese and some regional languages)
至 zhi` motion
toward a destination; to arrive
谷 gu^ valley
黃 huang/ yellow,
brown
枯 ku- withered,
dried up (vegetation) [not required]
今 jin- today
?0
正 zheng`, upright, correct; main (gate, etc.)
門 men/ door,
gate ?2
這 zhe`, zhei`, this
彳 chi`, short step
Commonly used compounds:
今天, jin- tian-, today
白天, bai/ tian-, (daylight =) daytime
人口, ren/ kou^, population
中國, Zhong- Guo/, the Central Kingdom (i.e., China)
中國人, Zhong- Guo/ ren/, Chinese person or people
天天, tian- tian-, every day
日本, Ri` Ben^, Japan
只好, zhi^ hao^, the only (acceptable) thing to do is...
木頭, mu` tou/, wood (building material)
因為, yin-wei, because
而且, er/ qie^, moreover
這個, zhei`ge, this
這裡, zhe` li^, here
這兒, zher`, here
黃河, Huang/ He/, the Yellow River
門口, men/ kou^, doorway
For the teacher, Chinese characters taught
in this lesson:
中青天白日歹至谷黃今正門這彳
白彳歹谷黃今門青日天這正至中
Lesson 6
Reading:
子女在田用力,
父母金米不必乞。
田中青木常止人,
谷中黃金尤止人。
The real thing:
易曰:龍在田,利見大人。
又曰:見龍在田,利見大人。
彖曰:艮,止也。
A translation appears at the end of this
lesson. Try it on your own first.
易, Yi`, short
version of the name for the Book of Changes. (The name of that book is
sometimes still written in English in the old Wade唋iles
romanization as the I Ching.)
彖, Tuan/, the
name of one of the early commentaries to the 易
that is included in the present娳ay book.
Review characters:
禾, he/, growing
grain
刀, dao-, knife,
sword
耳, er^, ear
又, you`, again
(picture of a hand)
日, ri`, sun
正, zheng`,
upright
矢, shi^, short
arrow for a crossbow, dart
口, kou^, mouth
Vocabulary:
子, zi^, child,
son.
The ancient characters all represent
infants. The third version very much resembles the way the character Sweet Pea
is drawn in the cartoon "Popeye."
You can see the proportionally large head of the infant, and the two
arms, but the infant's legs are obscured by some kind of a long nightgown.
女, nu^, human
female.
The early characters portray a kneeling
woman with her upper body rotated toward the viewer so that her prominent
breasts are visible.
在, zai`, is峬ocated娗t.
The early characters all look like a
coordinate system on which a dot is drawn to indicate a single location.l
用,yong`, to
use, a use, a function.
The early characters are believed to
represent a kind of primitive musical instrument formed by linking several
bamboo tubes of different lengths in a line. When blown, each tube will
naturally produce a different frequency, and the frequency is a function of the
tube/s length.
父, fu`, father.
The character is said to represent a man
holding a switch (to be used to discipline his children).
母, mu^, mother,
female (of animals such as horses, chickens, etc.)
This is the same character as the one for
"woman," except that the prominent nipples of a nursing mother have
been drawn in.
米, mi^,
uncooked rice.
These early characters are drawings of rice
in a head of grain.
也, ye^, also.
The explanation of this character is in
dispute.
必, bi`, must
The explanation for this character's
structure is not clear.
乞, qi^, to
beg.
This character is probably a
"borrowing" of another character that is drawn in much the same way.
(In English we sometimes borrow the symbol for the number four to write
"for" in "4 Sale" signs.
常, chang/,
constant frequent.
尚,shang`, ascendant +巾,
jin-, kerchief
Shang` is the phonetic component of this
character.
尤, you/,
especially.
The derivation of this character is
unclear.
易,
yi`, change, easy. The drawing shows the kind of small lizard
sometimes erroneously called a chameleon in the USA. It can change its color, and it can do so
easily.
利, li`,
benefit, sharp. T
禾,he/, growing grain + 刀,dao-,
knife
his character is composed of the character
for growing grain and the character for knife. So we get the idea of the
benefits yielded by agriculture and the sharpness of the sickle that is needed
to harvest grain.
艮, gen`, hard;
to stop (somebody).
This character is very much like 見, jian`, to see.
In jian` we can see the pupil of the eye, but in the present娳ay character we have only a single line, which
suggests the idea of someone frowning and squinting, as an angry person would
do who was giving someone a "hard stare" intended to intimidate the
other person and make him or her stop doing something.
嫘,
yan^, cliff dwelling. The character han^ 厂
is a drawing of a cliff. The dot on the top indicates a whisp of smoke drifting
up from the cooking fire of one of the cliff dwellings.
王,wang/, king
This charact depicts a "big man"
firmly planted on the land.
兒, er/, child,
son
This character represents an infant. The
infant is drawn to show the incompletely closed junction of the bones that form
the skull.
取, to nab, to
get, to pick up.
耳, er^, ear +又, you`,
hand. This character depicts someone being grabbed by the ear.
是, shi`, to
be.
This character has an interesting history.
The original form of this character was more complicated, but very early in its
history the writers of the time created a simplified form that retained some
features of the original but reinterpreted them. As it stands, this character consists
of 日 ri` (sun) above 正,
zheng`, upright. So the original meaning was "upright under the light of
the sun." The early meaning in texts as frequently either "(morally)
right", or else it functioned as a word of strong affirmation. Its use as a copula came later.
知, zhi-, to
know
矢,shi^,
crossbow dart + 口, kou^, mouth
When students who know are asked about
something, the answer is likely to shoot out of their mouths like arrows.
Translations of the authentic texts at the
beginning of this lesson.
易曰:龍在田,利見大人。
又曰:見龍在田,利見大人。
彖曰:艮,止也。
The Yi Jing (Book of Changes) says: A
dragon is in the field; [that indicates thatit will be] beneficial to go see a
great man.
It also says: [Someone] sees a dragon in
the field; [that indicates that it will be] beneficial to go see a great man.
The 趯uan
commentary in the Book of Changes says:"Gen` [means] to stop."
For the teacher, Chinese characters taught
in this lesson:
子女在用父母米也必乞常尤易利艮嫘王兒取是
必常兒父艮利米母女乞取是王嫘也用尤在知子
Lesson 7
Reading:
巴西馬高水牛大,日本山羊不可怕。
---
男生止步。
---
Authentic Chinese for enrichment:
子曰﹕未有小人而仁者也。
-------
Review Characters:
木, mu`, wood,
wooden (picture of a tree)
止, zhi^, foot,
(picture of a foot)
田, tian/, field
力, li`,
strength
心, xin-, heart,
mind
白, bai/, white
Vocabulary:
巴, ba-, serpent
The earliest character shows a kneeling
human being holding out his bitten arm.
西, xi-, west
This character appears to be represent a
bird's nest. Perhaps the idea is that when the sun goes down in the west the
birds are returning to their nest.
馬, ma^, horse
These drawings show an interesting
progression from a fairly representational line drawing of a horse to a more
stylized version in which, e.g., the lines that form the eye are simply
extended to represent the horse/s mane.
高, gao-, tall
This character depicts a tall building like
a pagoda.
牛, niu/, cow
These drawings all represent the horns and
the prominent forequarters of a bull.
本, ben^, root,
base, basis, basically, fundamentally
木 mu` (tree) plus a horizontal line.
A line has been drawn to emphasize the
taproot.
山, shan-,
mountain
This one is really obvious and seems to be
reinvented by children everywhere.
羊, yang/, sheep
The drawing depicts the curly horns of some
kinds of sheep, the four legs, tail, etc.
可, ke^,
permissible, may, can
The character ,口
kou^, is used as the phonetic component of this character. In Cantonese the
character is pronounced "kou^," but over the centuries the Mandarin
pronunciations have diverged more.
怕, pa`, to fear
心,xin- (compressed form), heart, mind + 白, bai/,
white
Xin- tells you that the character has
something to do with the mind, and bai/ (white) suggests that one's face turns
white when one becomes afraid.
男, nan/, male
human
田, tian/, field +力,
li`, strength
male humans are preferred for work in the fields
because, on average, they have greater strength than women.
生, sheng-, to
grow, to produce, to give birth to
The drawing represents a sprout growing up
from the soil. You can see the seed hull still clinging to the stalk of the
little plant.
步, bu`, a pace,
a step.
This character shows two feet (or two
footprints). The distance between them is one pace.
曰,
yue-, to say. (Yue- is ordinarily only used
in classical Chinese.) The character consists of the character for mouth plus
an additional line that represents the tongue that does the talking.
未, wei`, not
yet.
This character has several abstract
meanings. It probably was borrowed from a word that means "flavor."
The character is the same as 木 except that it
has a double set of branches. It may have been drawn to represent herbs and the
various flavors they possess.
有, you^, to
have
This character consists of two components,
the first two strokes, which represent a hand, and the form that looks like 月, which is the compresed form of a character that
means "meat."
者, zhe^, the
one who
This character uses a very inventive way of
drawing an idea. It shows a basket and a footprint. If you left something in a
basket, went away for a while, and found it missing but also found somebody's
footprint, that would give you a clue about the identity of "the one
who" did it.
老, lao^, old
(used for human beings)
立, li`, to
stand
This character represents a standing human
being.
幵, jian-, even,
level (two shields side by side define a level horizontal line)
For the teacher, Chinese characters taught
in this lesson:
Review Characters
木,心,白,田,力,止,
New Characters
巴,西,馬,高,牛,本,山,羊,可,怕,男,生,步,曰,
未,有,者,老,立,幵
7. 巴本步高幵可老立馬男牛怕山生未西羊有曰者
Lesson 8
Reading:
上山容易下山難。
白天回來才平安。
---------
Review vocabulary:
,
mian/, thatched hut
女, n, female human being
土, tu^, dirt,
earth, soil
黃, huang/,
yellow. brown
隹, zhui-, short帨ailed bird
谷, gu^, valley
Vocabulary:
上, shang`, to
ascend; up; on
下, xia`, to
descend; down; under
容, rong/, to
contain
, mian/, thatched hut +谷,
gu^, valley
易, yi`, easy;
chameleon, to change
難, nan/,
difficult
黃, huang/, yellow, brown; (indicates drought)+隹, zhui-, short帨ailed bird. Birds have a hard time during drought.
回, hui/, to
return.
(In various ways, early characters involve
the idea of a spiral path, i.e., they are various ways of depicting how one
turns back.)
來, lai/, to
come. (Originally, this character depicted a kind of grain弳ielding
plant.)
才, cai/,
talent, potential. (Written for 岒? "only then") The character depicts
a corm or a flower bulb ready to put up fresh growth to the world above the
surface of the soil.
平, ping/, even,
level.
安, an-, peace.
This character derives from , mian/,
thatched
hut + 女, n, female human. (One account says this character
depicts a woman at peace in her own home.)
寸, cun`, inch
This character shows a hand plus a mark to
suggest the length of the terminal bone of one (probably the index) finger.
圭, gui-, a
rectangular jade ceremonial object
土,
tu^, earth, dirt + 土, earth, dirt
This character may represent the land in
the domain of a feudal lord, and, by extension, the ceremonial object that
signifies his authority.
,
huan*, "wild孬yed running in circles"
The character we have now contains the
character for eye (mu` 目rotated 90 degrees so it
has the ordinary orientation of most eyes) and another character that is now
only used as a surname but may originally have had something to do with
circularity. So one suggestion is that it originally meant to be wild孬yed in fear and so to run in circles.
兌, dui`, to
pour out, to exchange money
This character is said to represent a
person who is "cracking a smile."
足, zu/. foot,
leg
糸, mi`, floss,
filament (Woolen yarn has a natural twist, so when it is wound into skeins the
circular skein will twist itself into a figure? configuration. Such a twisted
skein is pictured here being secured top and bottom by a single length of
cord.)
合, he/, to
unite. (The early characters depict the top and bottom parts of a clam shell
that seal tightly to each other.)
冉, ran^,
plastron (the bottom shell of a turtle)
邑, yi`,
principality (small country attached to a larger one) This character contains
the image of a kneeling person and a square that represents the perimeter of a
territory.
上下容易難回來才平安
寸圭囗 兌足糸合冉邑
8. 安才逴-卓寸兌圭合還-逴回來糸難平冉容上下易邑足
Lesson 9
Reading:
敲詐: (Qiao- Zha`, The Shakedown)
人物 (Ren/ wu`, humans and creatures, i.e., characters in this play)
西北虎 Xi- Bei^ Hu^ is a thug whose nickname, "Tiger of the
Northwest" gives a fairly accurate picture of the kind of person he is.
白旭光 Bai/ Xu` Guang- is an ordinary clerk in a store.
西北虎:你好!
白旭光:你好!
西北虎:你還沒有出門,太好了!
白旭光:有事嗎?
西北虎:我今天來跟你說一件事。王先生在我們這兒是大家的老大哥,
Review vocabulary:
白, bai/, white
勺, shao/, ladle
可, ke^,
permissible
足, zu/, foot
艮, gen`,
"hard stare"
,
chuo`, "running radical"
,
huan*, run wildly in circles
女, n, female human being
子, zi^, child,
son
,
mian/, thatched hut
豕, shi^, pig
人, ren/ human
being
牛, niu/, cow
口, kou^, mouth
馬, ma^, horse
水, shui^, water
又, you`, again,
(picture of a hand)
門, men/, gate
言, yan/, speech
兌, dui`, to
exchange money
手, shou^, hand
戈, ge-, halberd
Vocabulary:
北, bei^, north
匕, hua`, "inverted human" and its mirror
image.
This character depicts two people standing
back to back, and its original meaning was "back." Then it was
borrowed to write a word with a similar pronunciation, and "back"
came to be written as 背, i.e., the original
character amplified by the "flesh" radical.
虎, hu^, tiger
The first, most ancient, drawing of a tiger
is extremely straightforward. The next two are more stylized.
你. ni^, you
人. ren/ human being+爾.
er^, classical Ch. for "you."
This character has the compressed for of
ren/ on the lefthand side and the extreme cursive (grass) form of the character
er^ on the righthand side.
好. hao^, good
女.n, human female +子.zi^, infant.
A mother and her child have a protypically
good relationship.
光. guang-,
bright
The early drawing is intriguing. It looks
like a kneeling human wearing a candelabra.
還, hai, still
,huan*, phonetic + , chuo`, the "running radical"
This character originally had an entirely
different meaning and has been borrowed to write the meaning "still,
yet."
沒, mei/, to not
have
This character also means to sink or to
confiscate. It is a drawing of a river (on the lefthand side), a whirlpool (on
the upper right) and a hand, which is all that can be seen of the person who
has been sucked down into the whirlpool.
出, chu-, to exit
from some place
Two parts form this character. One is the
drawing of a foot, 止, which we have seen before.
The other is an enclosure from which the owner of the foot is walking out. The
modern form is quite stylized and it's hard to see its first three strokes as
representing a food.
太, tai`, too; (太太, tai`tai, lady, Mrs.)
This character is an augmentation of 大 (large).
我. wo^, I, me,
my
手, shou^, hand +戈, ge-,
halberd
The character may be intended to suggest
the idea of self defense.
跟, gen-, to
follow; and; with
足, zu/, foot + 艮, gen`,
"hard stare"
The idea of following someone is suggested
by 足, and the pronunciation of this character is
given by 艮.
事, shi`, task,
business, affairs, events
This character represents a person who
holds implements to use in the clerical tasks to be performed for his superior.
嗎
口, kou^, mouth + 馬,
ma^, horse
In many characters the 口
components means "sounds like".
先, xian-, going before, prior, first
This character shows a foot out in front of
a person.
們, men,
pluralizer for certain nouns
人,ren/, human being+門,men/,
gate
This character uses the compressed form of
the character for human beings to give some indication of its meaning. It uses
the word for "gate" to give its pronunciation. However, its second
component may also suggest a special part of this character's meaning. If a
noun can be pluralized by adding men it can be conceptualized as denoting a
group that could form a community that takes shelter behind a common gate.
People obviously fit this description, but if someone is anthropomorphizing
them, then puppies and kittens may also be conceived as a community that might
live together.
說, shuo-, to
say
言, yan/, speech+兌,dui`,
to exchange (foreign currency)
The "speech radical" gives a
general indication of the meaning of this character, and dui` gives at least a
hint about its pronunciation. (In some contexts, 說
is pronounced shui`.)
件, jian`, MW
(an item)
人, ren/, human being + 牛,
niu/, cattle
There are competing explanations for the
structure of this character, neither seemingly very helpful.
家, jia-, home,
family
,
mian/, thatched hut + 豕, shi^, pig
The basic meaning of this word is
"home." Sacrifices of pork were performed in the home.
的, de,
subordinating particle ?it indicates that the phrase before it modifies the
noun after it.
白,
bai/, white +勺, shao/, spoon
This character originally meant
"target" (when it has that meaning it is pronounced di`). Just as Robin Hood and his merry men shot at "wands"
planted in the ground some distance away, the ancient Chinese may have used
white wood objects.
哥, ge-, elder
brother
可,ke^, can, may
+可,ke^
The structure of this character seems to
depend entirely on the phonetic value of its components.
9. 北出的哥跟光還好虎家件嗎沒們你事說太我先
Lesson 10
Reading:
自古以來,他家在本地最有地位。
白旭光:這我知道。
西北虎:他看你在這兒的工作很好,給老闆幹活也很賣力,
Review vocabulary:
首, shou^, head
(not the vernacular term)
土, tu^, earth,
dirt, soil
也, ye^, also
糸, mi`, floss,
filament
合, he/, to
unite, united
十, shi/, ten
口, kou^, mouth
彳, chi`, short
step
艮, gen`,
"hard stare"
戈, ge-, halberd
手, shou^, hand
目, mu`, eye
田, tian/, field
嫘, yan^, cliff
dwelling
林, lin/, grove
人, ren/, human
being
立, li`, to
stand
水, shui^, water
日, ri`, sun
木, mu`, wood,
wooden, (picture of a tree)
目, mu`, eye
(not the vernacular term)
矢, shi^,
crossbow dart
口, kou^, mouth
取, qu^, to pick
乍,
zha`,suddenly and unexpectedly
Vocabulary:
自, zi`, self
This drawing represents a human nose.
古, gu^, ancient
十,shi/, ten +口, kou^,
mouth
It is said that a story that ten mouths
have repeated is an ancient tale.
以, yi^, to
take... to do something
The derivation of this character is not
clear.
他, ta-, he
人,ren/, human +也, ye^,
also
The 也
component of this character is its phonetic.
地, di`, earth,
land
土, tu^, dirt +也, ye^,
also
The 也
component of this character is its phonetic.
最, zui`, most
"to
cover" +取,qu^, to nab
The upper element in this character is
neither 日 nor 曰.
It is a unique element in this character. It is said to mean "to
cover" as in "to cover one's eyes" and, by extension, to go
rushing blindly forward.
位, wei`, place
(at the table, etc.), status
人,ren/, human +立, li`,
to stand
A person may stand at one place or another
according to his or her status.
道, dao`, road,
way, the Way
首,shou^, head + , chuo`, the "running
radical"
Chuo` is the picture of a crossroad and it
gives the idea of motion; a person's head generally points down the road in the
way he or she is going.
看, kan`, to
look
手, shou^, hand +目, mu`,
eye
When one looks at something, one may shade
one's eyes with one's hand.
工, gong-, to
work
The
drawing appears to represent a tool used in working.
作, zuo`, to
make, to do.
人, ren/, human being +乍,
zha`, suddenly
The original drawing of zha` showed a seated
man holding a tool being used to make something.
很, hen^, very
彳, chi`, short
step +艮, gen`, "hard stare"
You have gone very far, too far in fact, if
you get turned back by somebody's hard stare.
給, gei^, to give
糸,mi`, filament or floss +合,
he/, to unite
The character mi` may suggest some gift
wrapping twine. When you give or receive a gift your hands may well be held
together, e.g., to receive grain being poured into them.
相, xiang-,
mutually, reciprocally; xiang`, to observe and evaluate something
木, mu`, tree +目, mu`,
eye
One uses one's eyes to look at a tree or
other such object and evaluate its suitability (as building material, for
instance). If the thing being observed is another human, then the other person
may well be looking back, so there is a mutuality of viewing involved.
麻, ma/, hemp
嫘, yan^, cliff dwelling +林,
lin/, grove
Hemp is cut down when it has reached its
full growth, the stems are weighed down under water in a ditch or pond until
the soft, pulpy parts of the plant rot away. That leaves the long white fibers
that are useful for making ropes. These fibers are then dried in a shed. The character for hemp shows the hemp harvest
laid out in a drying shed.
么, yao-, fiber,
tiny
This character represents a single twisted
fiber from the coat of a sheep or other such animal, the fibers of whose coats
are naturally a little curly and so have a natural twist to them.
昔, xi-,
antiquity, ancient times
水, shui^ +日, ri`, water
The character represents the sun over the
water, suggesting that it is being reflected from a large expanse of water such
as was present during the period of the disasterous flood that was cured by the
mythical demigod called Yu. So the character gives the idea of "the age of
legends," i.e., the very earliest times of human existence.
戔, jian-, tiny
pieces, minced, smithereens
戈, ge-, halberd +戈,
ge-, halberd
The character suggests the result when two
enemies fight each other with halberds.
里, li^,
village; average distance between villages, Chinese mile.
田, tian/, field +土,
tu^, dirt
These two components suggest the idea of
agriculture, and, by extension, they suggest the idea of a small agricultural
community.
自古以他地最位知道看工作很給相麻么昔戔里
10. 道地給工古很戔看里麻他位昔相么以知自最作
Lesson 11
Reading:
可是,他想知道你為甚麼不去自己開業?
白旭光:那,你看老黃,他自己開業,成功了,可是,他跟王先生借了很多的錢。
你們說這是為了他好。其實,不是這麼一回事。
Review vocabulary:
止, zhi^, to
stop, (picture of a foot)
匕, hua`,
transformed human
工, gong-, work
力, li`, stregth
,
guan`. (picture of a string of coins)
貝, bei`, cowry
shell, wampum (money, value)
人, ren/, human
being
昔, xi/,
antiquity
門, men/, door,
gate
幵, jian-, even,
level
麻, ma/, hemp
么, yao-, tiny
金, jin-, gold,
metal
戔, jian-, hack
to smithereens
十, shi/, ten
相, xiang`, to
evaluate (wood visually)
心, xin-, heart,
mind
Vocabulary:
想, xiang^, to
think
相, xiang`, to evaluate +心,
xin-, heart, mind
The top part of this character is its
phonetic, but it may also add something to the meaning component of the
character, xin-.
為, wei`, for
the sake of
This character depicts a human hand
controlling an elephant, making the elephant do some useful work for him. So
the elephant works for the sake of the trainer.
什, she/ (part
of she/me)
人,ren/, human being +十,
shi/, ten
This character has been borrowed to write
she/me.
麼, me, X word
ending
麻, ma/, hemp +么, yao-,
tiny
This character is used to form many X庪ords or "question words." Its basic meaning
is "tiny."
己, ji^, self
This character is said to represent a straw
that has been bent or crimped to distinguish it from the others like it.
去, qu`, motion
that is not toward the speaker (i.e., to go)
This drawing is self孬xplanatory.
開, kai-, to
open
門, men/, door +幵,
jian-, even, level
Jian- functions as the phonetic component
of this character.
業,
This character represents a kind of
furniture something like a "hall tree," a rack intended to hold
musical stone bells.
成, cheng/, to
complete
丁, ding-, nail (phonetic) +戈,
ge-, halberd
功, gong-,
meritorious accomplishment
工, gong-, work +力, li`,
strength
Gong- gives the pronunciation of this
character, but it also suggests something of the meaning. Li` clearly has a
connection with getting something done.
借, jie`, to
lend, to borrow
人, ren/, human +昔, xi-,
high antiquity
The idea that something was borrowed by a
neighbor man in high antiquity and never yet returned is surely not the real
explanation for the structure of this character. ;?
錢,
金, jin-, gold +戔,
jian-, smithereens
The connection between money and gold is
quite clear. Jian- is simply the phonetic component of this character.
貫, guan`, a
string of cash
, +貝, bei`, cowry shell
The top component of this character
represents a string of the kind of Chinese coins that have square holes through
the center. The bottom component has its usual association with value and
wealth.
丰, feng-, to
pierce.
This character clearly depicts a stack of
three objects that have been pierced by some kind of implement.
此, ci^,
here,this
止, zhi^, stop +匕, hua`,
human turned around
"Here" is where a person is
stopped at.
,
guo-, twisted mouth
主, zhu^, focal
point, master
The early character represents a lamp and
its flame. Such a light could be the focal point in a shrine.
行, xing/, to
travel, to move; the opposite of "no go"
The early characters represent a
crossroads.
亡, wang/,
perish
This early character appears to show a
human being in some kind of enclosure, perhaps it is a grave.
其, qi/, its
This character is a load word. It is
actually a picture of a basket.
11. 成此丰功貫渦-水己借開麼其錢去什亡為想行業主
Lesson 12
你們並不是為他好。他跟你們借了錢以後,天天有王先生手下的人到他家去要錢。
西北虎:真有這回事嗎?
白旭光:老黃害怕了。那些人說﹕我們只來看看您。不過,誰都知道他們是甚麼意思。
Review vocabulary:
白, bai/, white
巾, jin-,
kerchief
至, zhi`, motion
toward a destination
刀, dao-, knife,
sword
圭, gui-, jade
symbol of office
寸, cun`, inch,
(picture of index finger)
,
guo-, twisted mouth
,
chuo`, "running radical"
丰, feng-, to
pierce
口, kou^, mouth,
opening
彳, chi`, short
step
么, yao-, tiny
,
zhi^, catch up with from behind
冉, ran^,
plastron, bottom shell of a turtle
邑, yi`,
principality (small country like Monaco)
你, ni^, you
心, xin-,heart,
mind
言, yan/, speech
隹, zhui-, short帨ailed bird
,
mian/, thatched hut
貫, guan`,
string of coins
田, tian/, field
此, ci^, this
(not the vernacular term)
火, huo^, fire
女, n, female human being
立, li`, to
stand
曰, yue-, to say
(classical Chinese)
Vocabulary
並, bing`, (1)
intensifier (when used with a negative) (2)
moreover
立, li` +立, li`,
standing human being
後, hou`, aft
彳, chi`, short step +X,
到, dao`, motion
toward a destination, to arrive
至, zhi`, motion toward a destination +刀, dao-, knife
要, yao`, want,
will, require
, "hands on hips: +女,
n, female human being
(depicts two hands on the hips of a woman
真, zhen-,
genuine
害, hai`, to
injure
, mian/, thatched hut+丰,
feng-, pierce +口, kou^,
mouth
(open wound)
那, na`, that
冉, ran^, plastron +邑,
yi`, principality (Originally,
this
was the name of a country.
些, xie-, some,
several
此, ci^, this +二, er`,
two
您,
你, ni^, you +心, xin-,
heart, mind
過,
渦, kua-, (phonetic) +逴,
chuo`, the "running radical"
誰, shei/, X
person (somebody, who)
言,yan/, speech +隹,
zhui-, short帨ailed bird
實, shi/, not
void, real
,mian/, thatched hut +貫,
guan`, strings of cash
A family with money and wealth in the home
is not just keeping up a fascade. It has real wealth.
音, yin-, sound
(立, li`, to
stand + 曰, yue-, to say)
The character for yin- seems to be a
stylized image of a musical instrument being held in someone's lips.
思, si-, thought
田, tian/, field
+心, xin-, heart, mind
月, yue`, moon
封, feng-, to
enfeoff
圭, gui-, symbol
of office + 寸, cun`, inch
京, jing-,
capital
炎, yan/,
leaping flames
火, huo^, fire +
火, huo^, fire
舌, she/, tongue
帛, bo/, silk
fabric
白, bai/, white
+巾, kerchief
The natural color of silk fibers is white,
so the association of "white" and "cloth" is appropriate
here. Also, 白 was originally pronounced bo/, so
it it the phonetic component of this character.
12. 並帛到封過害後京那您舌誰實思些炎要音月真
Lesson 13
Reading:
西北虎:甚麼意思?
白旭光:甚麼意思你自己明白。我不怕你們,也不要你們的幫助。
西北虎:不用怕,有甚麼好怕的?王老先生這麼關心你,可真不容易啊!你知道馬太太嗎?
白旭光:是不是住在水城街的那一位?
Review vocabulary:
封, feng-, to seal,
to put an official seal on something
帛, bo/, silk
fabric
土, tu^, dirt,
earth, soil
成, cheng/, to
complete
者, zhe^, the
one who
邑, yi`,
principality, (like Monaco)
門, men/, door,
gate
糸, mi`, fiber,
filamen t
人, ren/, human
being
矢, shi^,
crossbow dart
言, yan/, speech
舌, she/, tongue
行, xing/, to
travel, to move, "go" (as in "no go")
圭, gui-,
official jade symbol of office
京, jing-,
capital
尤, you/,
especially
心, xin-, heart,
mind
亡, wang/, to
perish
日, ri`, sun
月, yue`, moon
又, you`, again
寸, cun`, inch,
(picture of index finger)
女, n, female human being
炎, yan/, flames
rising into the air
主, zhu^,
master, host, the main thing
Vocabulary:
明, ming/,
bright
日, ri`, sun + 月, yue`, moon
且, qie^,
moreover
關, guan-, to
close, to close up, to lock (somebody) up
門, men/, door +
two 糸, mi`, filiment, thread
城, cheng/, city
wall; city
土, tu^, dirt +成, cheng/, to complete
街, jie-, street
行, xing/, to
travel + 圭, gui-, symbol of office
就, jiu`, to
approach
京, jing-,
capital + 尤, you/, especially
她, ta-, she
女, n, female human +也,
ye^, also
談, tan/, to
chat
言, yan/, speech
+ 炎, yan/, leaping flames
話, hua`, words
spoken; a language
言, yan/, speech
+舌, she/, tongue
忙, mang/, busy
心, xin-, heart,
mind +亡, wang/, perish
囪, cong-, smoke
hole
鬼, gui^, ghost
弓, gong-, bow
殳, shu-, hafted
weapon
玉, yu`, jade
寺, si`, temple
土, tu^, dirt + 寸, cun`, inch
侯, hou/, feudal
rank of the second degree
人, ren/,
human +
, + 矢, shi^, dart
都,
者,zhe^, the one
who +邑, yi`, principality
住,
人, ren/, human
being +主, zhu^, main thing
揭, chu`, place
几, ji-, low
table + 止, zhi^, picture of a foot
The present character has changed a great
deal from the earliest forms, which shows that a table has a place for a foot
or feet underneath it.
13. 幫城囪都弓關鬼侯話街就忙明殳寺她談玉住揭
Lesson 14
Reading:
白旭光:是不是住在水城街的那一位?
西北虎:就是她。她去跟王老先生談話,王老想幫她的忙,可是她不明白王老的意思,跟王老總談不到一塊兒去。
西北虎:她走出來,回了家才發現出了事。
白旭光:出了甚麼事?
西北虎:當她不在的時候,不知道誰到了她家裡去,開了自來水,她的家裡到今天為止還到處都是水。你不用害怕。王老很關心你。
白旭光:不要怕!?不要怕!?說來說去,你的話只有一個意思,就是想害人!
幫,
封, feng-, to enfeoff +帛,
mian/, silk cloth
助,
且, qie^, moreover +力,
li`, strength, power
走, zou^, (to
run, classical Chinese), to walk
發,
,mutually receding +弓,
gong-, bow +殳, shu-, shafted weapon
現,
玉, yu`, jade +見, jian`,
to perceive
當,
尚, shang`, ascendant +田,
tian/, field
時,
日, ri`, sun +寺, si`,
temple
候, hou`, time
侯, hou/, feudal rank + a short vertical line
裡, li^, the
lining of clothing, inside
衣, yi-, clothing +里,
li^, mile
處, chu`, place
揭, chu`, place + 虎,
hu^, tiger
塊, kuai`, piece
土, tu^, dirt +鬼, gui^,
ghost
意,
音, yin-, sound + 心,
xin-, heart, mind
,
cong-, hurriedly (obsolete form)
囪, cong-, smoke
hole + 心, xin-, heart, mind
固, gu`, firm
囗, wei/, to
surround + 古,
gu^, ancient
竹, zhu/, bamboo
且, qie^,
moreover
忘, wang`, to
forget
亡, wang/ to
perish + 心,
xin-, heart, mind
走發現當時候裡處塊總固竹
14. 總-糸
當發固候塊裡+且+時+忘+現+意+竹走+住+忘
Lesson 15
Reading:
西北虎:你怎麼可以這樣說話呢?
白旭光:害人也會害自己,不過那是你們的事。你們為甚麼要來管我的工作呢?
西北虎:請你明天到我家來。你有甚麼問題都可以問我。你看看那些人,他們都不是明白人,後來怎麼樣了呢?好了,天不早了,明天再說吧。王老請我代他問候你的太太、孩子。
Review vocabulary:
口, kou^, mouth
巴, ba-,
serpenet
虎, hu^, tiger
,
chu`, place (archaic)
人, ren/, human
固, gv`, firm,
definite
,
zhi^, catch up with from behind
子, zi^, child,
son
亥, hai`, (a
cyclical character)
言, yan/, speech
青, qing-, blue
and green with shades down to black
是, shi`, is
頁, ye`, page,
(picture of a head)
門, men/, door,
gate
木, mu`, wood,
wooden, (picture of a tree)
羊, yang/, sheep
永, yong^,
eternal, eternally
日, ri`, sun
乍, zha`, suddenly
and unexpectedly
心, xin-, heart,
mind
且, qie^,
moreover
力, li`,
strength
Vocabulary
個, MW (measure
word) for people; general MW
人, ren/, human being + 固,
gu`, steadfast
總, zong^, is
always ...
糸, mi`, floss, filament + , cong-, hurriedly
怎, zen^, how
乍,zha`, suddenly + 心,
xin-, heart, mind
樣, yang`,
prototype, the way something looks
木, mu`, wood + 羊, yang/
sheep + 永, yong^, eternal
尼, ni/, nun
尸, shi-, corpse + 匕,
hua`, transformed human
會, hui`, to
know how to, apt at; apt to; to meet
請, qing^,
request, invite
言, yan/, speech + 青,
qing-, blue and green
問, wen`, to inquire
門, men/, door, gate + 口,
kou^, mouth
題, ti/, topic
是, shi`, is + 頁, ye`,
page
早, zao^, early
日, ri`, sun + lines indicating proximity to the
horizon
再, zai`, again (applies to events in the future)
代, dai`,
generation, dynasty
人, ren/, human being + 弋,
yi`, arrow with string
吧, ba, sentence
ending that softens commands and weakens statements
口, kou^, mouth + 巴,
ba-, serpent
管, guan^, to
manage
竹, zhu/, bamboo + 官,
guan-, officials
The character for bamboo may represent the
bamboo slips that in the very earliest times were what documents were written
on. The officials were the one who managed the affairs written about on the
bamboo slips.
孩, hai/, child
子, zi^, child + 亥,
hai`, cyclic character
處, chu`, place,
location
弋, yi`, fishing
arrow, an arrow with a string on it
各, ge`, each
individually
15. 吧處個各孩會尼請題問樣弋再早怎助總
Lesson 16
Reading:
白旭光:你走吧,我甚麼都明白了!黃鼠狼給雞拜年,沒安好心。
西北虎:你說甚麼?
白旭光:以後不要再來煩我!不然我對你不客氣。
西北虎:好,好,我現在就走。請你開門,明天見!
白旭光:你自己找來的,自己開門去!滾蛋!滾!
西北虎:好!好!我們再說,再說。
Review Vocabulary
手, shou^, hand
人, ren/, human
being
弋, yi`, fishing
arrow
業, ye`,
enterprise, job
寸, cun`, inch,
(picture of an index finger)
火, huo^, fire
竹, zhu/, bamboo
官, guan-, an
official
頁, ye`, page,
(picture of a head)
,
mian/, thatched hut
各, ge`, each
and every
气, qi`, breath,
lifebreath (ancient form and modern simplified)
米, mi^, uncooked
rice
戈, ge-, halberd
口, kou^, mouth
尼, ni/, nun
New Vocabulary
拜, bai`, to pay
reverence to
手, shou^, hand
+手, shou^ hand
代 , dai`, to
represent
人, ren/ human
being + 弋, yi`, arrow with string
管, guan^, to
manage
竹, zhu/, bamboo
+ 官, guan-, an official
然, ran/, thus
肉, rou`, meat +
犬, quan^, dog + 火,
huo^, fire
對, dui`, to
match; to be ccorrect
業, ye`,
enterprise +寸, cun`, (index finger)
煩, fan/,
annoying, annoyance
火, huo^, fire +頁, ye`, (picture of head)
客, ke`, guest
,
mian/, thatched hut +各, ge`, each and every
氣, qi`,
lifebreath, breath
气, qi`,
lifebreath +米, mi^, uncooked rice
找, zhao^, to
search for
手, shou^, hand
+戈, ge-, halberd
呢, ne, final
particle, gives a sense of unfinishedness or expectation
口, kou^, mouth
+尼, ni/, nun
館, guan^, restaurant
食, shi/, to
feed + 官,
guan-, official
找拜然對客氣煩
呢
16. 拜代對煩管客呢氣找