Introduction  

Stroke Order Principles

1. If a character has a top half and a bottom half, do the top half first.

2. If a character has a left half and a right half, do the left half first.

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).                                    

5. If there is a "top knot," do it first.

6. Start writing horizontal strokes or nearly horizontal strokes at the top.

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.

8. If there is a bottom-closing part, draw that after all the  "insides" of the character have been written.

9. If the character is symmetrical from left to right, do the center part first, then the left, and finally the right.

 

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

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: and .

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 (mu`) in the list below is a stylized picture of a tree (including the roots), but the ordinary term for tree in Mandarin is (shu`). The hanzi contains the hanzi as do many other hanzi that have something to do with trees or with wood.  The hanzi 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.

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.

, kou^, mouth

 

This drawing is self apparent.

, 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.

, shou^, hand

 

These early characters are already fairly stylized, but at least one can still count all five fingers.

, 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."

, jin-,  gold or metal, but also the planet Venus (金星, jin- xing-) (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.

, 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.

, 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.

, 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

, 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

                   

he/     tian/  shou^  bei`  ren/  

growing   rice          head       cowry   human  

grain        field         (deer?)    shell     being                         

                 

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

, he/,  growing grain

                                                                        

The leaves and roots of the grain plant resembles a tree. A heavy head of grain bows down from the top.

, tian/,  paddy, rice field, agricultural field

 

This character depicts water-filled rice fields that are bounded by earthen dividers.

, 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.

, 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.

,ren/,  human being

 

This simple drawing show a human being in profile.

Implements, etc.

, 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.

, ge-, halberd (a weapon similar to a spear, but more suitable for slashing)

                                                                        

The halbert blade is depicted in this extremely stylized drawing.

, 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.

, 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

                    

shang`   yan/  zhui-     li`    xin-

ascendant  speech  short-tailed  strength  heart-mind

                                     

da`   hua`       chuo`         xiao^  shi^

big        inverted         "running radical" small      dart

             (transformed)

             human

, shang`, ascendant

, yan/, speech; a saying

, zhui-, short-tailed bird

, li`, strength

, xin-, heart, mind

, da`, great, large

, hua`, inverted human being; transformed

  , chuo`, the "running radical" -- indicates some connection with motion

, xiao^, little, small

, 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:

, 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.

, 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.

, 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.

, li`, strength

 

 This character is a simple graphic representation of two people testing their strengths by arm wrestling.

, xin-, heart, mind

 

This drawing represents a four-chambered heart.

, da`, great, large

 

This drawing represents a person with arms extended to show how large something is.

, 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.

 

xiao^, small.  In the early characters, three equal dots or short lines were drawn to depict some small things.

, 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:

mu`, wood, wooden (picture of a tree0

Why these characters get written this way:

, 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.)

, 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.

, 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."

, jian`, to perceive

 

This character is a picture of a person who "is all eyes." Its means to see or to otherwise perceive something.

, sen-, forest, jungle

 (Three trees suggests even more trees than are in a grove -- see the next character.)

, lin/, grove

(Two trees suggests the idea of a grove.)

, zhi^, only

 

This is another very abstract drawing with no known explanation.

,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.

, shi^, swine, hog, pig.

 

The huge belly shows that this is a pig.

, 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 , which is now pronounced zuo`.

, 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.

, 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, (,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  ?

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

, 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:

,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.

,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.

, 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 selfvident.

, 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).

, 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).

,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 huai`, but dai^ is the ordinary word that is used in Taiwanese. (The pronunciation is somewhat different, however.)

,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!

, 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.

, 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 tian/, field, and so indicates the brown color of the fields.

,jin-, today, nowadays, current, currently.

 

This character may be a reduced form of , the character for gold, also pronounced jin-.

, zheng`, upright, correct, orthagonal, orthodox. 

 

This character depicts an enclosure or destination at the top, and a foot pointed directly into that enclosure.

, 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.

,zhe` (when used with a MW this character is ordinarily pronounced zhei`). this. ("These" is o zhe` xie-)

This character is composed of  and .  It originally had a meaning that had some connection to the idea of motion ( ), but it was borrowed to write the spokenhinese word for "this," so its components have nothing to do with its current meaning and pronunciation.

, 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 , which was originally a picture of a crossroads.

Vocabulary

     zhong- center, middle; inside

     qing-  blue and green shading down to black

  tian-, sky

     bai/   white, clear

  ri`, sun

     dai^   bad (in classical Chinese and some regional languages)

     zhi`   motion toward a destination; to arrive

     gu^    valley

     huang/ yellow, brown

     ku-    withered, dried up (vegetation)     [not required]

     jin-   today ?0

  zheng`, upright, correct; main (gate, etc.)

     men/   door, gate ?2

  zhe`, zhei`, this

  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.

, 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 Wadeiles romanization as the I Ching.)

, Tuan/, the name of one of the early commentaries to the that is included in the presentay book.

Review characters:

, he/, growing grain

, dao-, knife, sword

, er^, ear

, you`, again (picture of a hand)

, ri`, sun

, zheng`, upright

, shi^, short arrow for a crossbow, dart

, kou^, mouth

Vocabulary:

, 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.

, 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.

, zai`, isocatedt. 

 

The early characters all look like a coordinate system on which a dot is drawn to indicate a single location.l

,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.

, fu`, father.

 

The character is said to represent a man holding a switch (to be used to discipline his children).

, 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.

, mi^, uncooked rice.

 

These early characters are drawings of rice in a head of grain.

, ye^, also.

 

The explanation of this character is in dispute. 

, bi`, must

 

The explanation for this character's structure is not clear.

, 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.

, chang/, constant frequent.

       ,shang`, ascendant +, jin-, kerchief

Shang` is the phonetic component of this character. 

, you/, especially.

 

The derivation of this character is unclear.

,

 

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.

, li`, benefit, sharp.  T

       ,he/, growing grain + ,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.

, gen`, hard; to stop (somebody).

 

This character is very much like , jian`, to see.  In jian` we can see the pupil of the eye, but in the presentay 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.

,

 

yan^, cliff dwelling.  The character han^ 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.

,wang/, king

 

This charact depicts a "big man" firmly planted on the land.

, 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.

, to nab, to get, to pick up.

       , er^, ear +, you`, hand. This character depicts someone being grabbed by the ear.

, 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 ri` (sun) above , 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.

, zhi-, to know

,shi^, crossbow dart + , 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 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:

, mu`, wood, wooden (picture of a tree)

, zhi^, foot, (picture of a foot)

, tian/, field

, li`, strength

, xin-, heart, mind

, bai/, white

Vocabulary:

, 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.

 

, 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.

, gao-, tall

 

This character depicts a tall building like a pagoda.

, niu/, cow

 

These drawings all represent the horns and the prominent forequarters of a bull.

, ben^, root, base, basis, basically, fundamentally

       mu` (tree) plus a horizontal line.

A line has been drawn to emphasize the taproot.

, shan-, mountain

 

This one is really obvious and seems to be reinvented by children everywhere.

, yang/, sheep

 

The drawing depicts the curly horns of some kinds of sheep, the four legs, tail, etc.

, ke^, permissible, may, can

The character , 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.

, pa`, to fear

       ,xin- (compressed form), heart, mind  + , 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.

, nan/, male human

       , tian/, field +, li`, strength

male humans are preferred for work in the fields because, on average, they have greater strength than women.

, 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.

, bu`, a pace, a step.

 

This character shows two feet (or two footprints). The distance between them is one pace.

,

 

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.

, 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 except that it has a double set of branches. It may have been drawn to represent herbs and the various flavors they possess.

, you^, to have

This character consists of two components, the first two strokes, which represent a hand, and the form that looks like , which is the compresed form of a character that means "meat."

, 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.

, lao^, old (used for human beings)

                                     

, li`, to stand

 

This character represents a standing human being.

, jian-, even, level (two shields side by side define a level horizontal line)

                                   

For the teacher, Chinese characters taught in this lesson:

Review Characters

,,,,,,

New Characters

,西,,,,,,,,,,,,,

,,,,,

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

, n, female human being

, tu^, dirt, earth, soil

, huang/, yellow. brown

, zhui-, shortailed bird

, gu^, valley

Vocabulary:

, shang`, to ascend; up; on

 

, xia`, to descend; down; under

                            

, rong/, to contain

        , mian/, thatched hut +, gu^, valley

, yi`, easy; chameleon, to change

, nan/, difficult

       , huang/, yellow, brown; (indicates drought)+,  zhui-, shortailed bird. Birds have a hard time during drought.

, 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.)

, lai/, to come. (Originally, this character depicted a kind of grainielding plant.)

                               

, cai/, talent, potential. (Written for ?  "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. 

                                

, ping/, even, level. 

                             

, an-, peace. This character derives from  , mian/, thatched

hut + , n, female human. (One account says this character depicts a woman at peace in her own home.)

, cun`, inch

                                

This character shows a hand plus a mark to suggest the length of the terminal bone of one (probably the index) finger.

, gui-, a rectangular jade ceremonial object

      , tu^, earth, dirt + , 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*, "wildyed running in circles"

The character we have now contains the character for eye (mu` 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 wildyed in fear and so to run in circles.

, dui`, to pour out, to exchange money

 

This character is said to represent a person who is "cracking a smile."

, zu/. foot, leg

 

, 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.)

                             

, he/, to unite. (The early characters depict the top and bottom parts of a clam shell that seal tightly to each other.)

 

, ran^, plastron (the bottom shell of a turtle)

 

, 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:

, bai/, white

, shao/, ladle

, ke^, permissible

, zu/, foot

, gen`, "hard stare"

 , chuo`, "running radical"

 , huan*, run wildly in circles

, n, female human being

, zi^, child, son

 , mian/, thatched hut

, shi^, pig

, ren/ human being

, niu/, cow

, kou^, mouth

, ma^, horse

, shui^, water

, you`, again, (picture of a hand)

, men/, gate

, yan/, speech

, dui`, to exchange money

, shou^, hand

, ge-, halberd

Vocabulary:

, bei^, north

       , 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 , i.e., the original character amplified by the "flesh" radical.

, hu^, tiger

                                      

The first, most ancient, drawing of a tiger is extremely straightforward. The next two are more stylized.

. ni^, you

       . ren/ human being+. 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.

. hao^, good

       .n, human female +.zi^, infant.

A mother and her child have a protypically good relationship.

. guang-, bright

 

The early drawing is intriguing. It looks like a kneeling human wearing a candelabra.

, 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."

, 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.

, chu-, to exit from some place

 

Two parts form this character. One is the drawing of a foot, , 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.

, tai`, too; (太太, tai`tai, lady, Mrs.)

                                   

This character is an augmentation of (large).

. wo^, I, me, my

       , shou^, hand +, ge-, halberd

The character may be intended to suggest the idea of self defense.

, gen-, to follow; and; with

       , zu/, foot + , gen`, "hard stare"

The idea of following someone is suggested by , and the pronunciation of this character is given by .

, 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.

       , kou^, mouth + , ma^, horse

In many characters the components means "sounds like".

,  xian-, going before, prior, first

 

This character shows a foot out in front of a person.

, men, pluralizer for certain nouns

       ,ren/, human being+,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.

, shuo-, to say

       , yan/, speech+,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, is pronounced shui`.)

, jian`, MW (an item)

       , ren/, human being + , niu/, cattle

There are competing explanations for the structure of this character, neither seemingly very helpful.

, jia-, home, family

 , mian/, thatched hut + , shi^, pig 

The basic meaning of this word is "home." Sacrifices of pork were performed in the home.

, de, subordinating particle ?it indicates that the phrase before it modifies the noun after it.

                  , bai/, white +, 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.

, ge-, elder brother

,ke^, can, may +,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:

, shou^, head (not the vernacular term)

, tu^, earth, dirt, soil

, ye^, also

, mi`, floss, filament

, he/, to unite, united

, shi/, ten

, kou^, mouth

, chi`, short step

, gen`, "hard stare"

, ge-, halberd

, shou^, hand

, mu`, eye

, tian/, field

, yan^, cliff dwelling

, lin/, grove

, ren/, human being

, li`, to stand

, shui^, water

, ri`, sun

, mu`, wood, wooden, (picture of a tree)

, mu`, eye (not the vernacular term)

, shi^, crossbow dart

, kou^, mouth

, qu^, to pick

, zha`,suddenly and unexpectedly

Vocabulary:

, zi`, self

 

This drawing represents a human nose.

, gu^, ancient

       ,shi/, ten +, kou^, mouth

It is said that a story that ten mouths have repeated is an ancient tale.

, yi^, to take... to do something

 

The derivation of this character is not clear.

, ta-, he

       ,ren/, human +, ye^, also

The component of this character is its phonetic.

, di`, earth, land

       , tu^, dirt +, ye^, also

The component of this character is its phonetic.

, zui`, most

       "to cover" +,qu^, to nab

The upper element in this character is neither nor . 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.

, wei`, place (at the table, etc.), status

       ,ren/, human +, li`, to stand

A person may stand at one place or another according to his or her status.

, dao`, road, way, the Way

       ,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.

, kan`, to look

       , shou^, hand +, mu`, eye

When one looks at something, one may shade one's eyes with one's hand.

, gong-, to work

 The drawing appears to represent a tool used in working.

, zuo`, to make, to do.

       , ren/, human being +, zha`, suddenly

The original drawing of zha` showed a seated man holding a tool being used to make something.

, hen^, very

       ,  chi`, short step +, gen`, "hard stare"

You have gone very far, too far in fact, if you get turned back by somebody's hard stare.

,  gei^, to give

       ,mi`, filament or floss +, 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.

, xiang-, mutually, reciprocally; xiang`, to observe and evaluate something

       , mu`, tree +, 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.

 , ma/, hemp

       , yan^, cliff dwelling +, 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.

, 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.

, xi-, antiquity, ancient times

       , shui^ +, 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.

, jian-, tiny pieces, minced, smithereens

       , ge-, halberd +, ge-, halberd

The character suggests the result when two enemies fight each other with halberds.

, li^, village; average distance between villages, Chinese mile.

       , tian/, field +, 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:

, zhi^, to stop, (picture of a foot)

, hua`, transformed human

, gong-, work

, li`, stregth

 , guan`. (picture of a string of coins)

, bei`, cowry shell, wampum (money, value)

, ren/, human being

, xi/, antiquity

, men/, door, gate

, jian-, even, level

, ma/, hemp

, yao-, tiny

, jin-, gold, metal

, jian-, hack to smithereens

, shi/, ten

, xiang`, to evaluate (wood visually)

, xin-, heart, mind

Vocabulary:

, xiang^, to think

       , xiang`, to evaluate +, 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-.

, 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.

, she/ (part of she/me)

       ,ren/, human being +, shi/, ten

This character has been borrowed to write she/me.

, me, X word ending

       , ma/, hemp +, yao-, tiny

This character is used to form many Xords or "question words." Its basic meaning is "tiny."

, ji^, self

 

This character is said to represent a straw that has been bent or crimped to distinguish it from the others like it.

, qu`, motion that is not toward the speaker (i.e., to go)

 

This drawing is selfxplanatory.

, kai-, to open

       , men/, door +, jian-, even, level

Jian- functions as the phonetic component of this character.

,

 

This character represents a kind of furniture something like a "hall tree," a rack intended to hold musical stone bells.

, cheng/, to complete

       , ding-, nail (phonetic) +, ge-, halberd

, gong-, meritorious accomplishment

       , gong-, work +, 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.

, jie`, to lend, to borrow

       , ren/, human +, 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. ;?

,

       , jin-, gold +, jian-, smithereens

The connection between money and gold is quite clear. Jian- is simply the phonetic component of this character.

, guan`, a string of cash

        ,  +, 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.

, feng-, to pierce.

                                    

This character clearly depicts a stack of three objects that have been pierced by some kind of implement.

, ci^, here,this

       , zhi^, stop +, hua`, human turned around

"Here" is where a person is stopped at.

 , guo-, twisted mouth

                                    

, zhu^, focal point, master 

 

The early character represents a lamp and its flame. Such a light could be the focal point in a shrine.

, xing/, to travel, to move; the opposite of "no go"

 

The early characters represent a crossroads.

, wang/, perish

 

This early character appears to show a human being in some kind of enclosure, perhaps it is a grave.

, 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:

, bai/, white

, jin-, kerchief

, zhi`, motion toward a destination

, dao-, knife, sword

, gui-, jade symbol of office

, cun`, inch, (picture of index finger)

 , guo-, twisted mouth

 , chuo`, "running radical"

, feng-, to pierce

, kou^, mouth, opening

, chi`, short step

, yao-, tiny

 , zhi^, catch up with from behind

, ran^, plastron, bottom shell of a turtle

, yi`, principality (small country like Monaco)

, ni^, you

, xin-,heart, mind

, yan/, speech

, zhui-, shortailed bird

 , mian/, thatched hut

, guan`, string of coins

, tian/, field

, ci^, this (not the vernacular term)

, huo^, fire

, n, female human being

, li`, to stand

, yue-, to say (classical Chinese)

Vocabulary

, bing`, (1) intensifier (when used with a negative) (2)          

                moreover

       , li` +, li`, standing human being

, hou`, aft

       , chi`, short step +X,

, dao`, motion toward a destination, to arrive

       , zhi`, motion toward a destination +, dao-, knife

, yao`, want, will, require

        , "hands on hips: +, n, female human being

(depicts two hands on the hips of a woman

, zhen-, genuine

                                  

, hai`, to injure

        , mian/, thatched hut+, feng-, pierce +, kou^,

              mouth (open wound)

, na`, that

       , ran^, plastron +, yi`, principality (Originally,

              this was the name of a country.

, xie-, some, several

       , ci^, this +, er`, two

,

       , ni^, you +, xin-, heart, mind

,

       , kua-, (phonetic) +, chuo`, the "running radical"

, shei/, X person (somebody, who)

       ,yan/, speech +, zhui-, shortailed bird

, shi/, not void, real

        ,mian/, thatched hut +, guan`, strings of cash

A family with money and wealth in the home is not just keeping up a fascade. It has real wealth.

, yin-, sound

(, li`, to stand + , yue-, to say)

                                  

The character for yin- seems to be a stylized image of a musical instrument being held in someone's lips.

, si-, thought

, tian/, field +, xin-, heart, mind

, yue`, moon

                                    

, feng-, to enfeoff

, gui-, symbol of office + , cun`, inch

, jing-, capital

 

, yan/, leaping flames

, huo^, fire + , huo^, fire

, she/, tongue

 

, bo/, silk fabric

, bai/, white +, kerchief

The natural color of silk fibers is white, so the association of "white" and "cloth" is appropriate here. Also, 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:

, feng-, to seal, to put an official seal on something

, bo/, silk fabric

, tu^, dirt, earth, soil

, cheng/, to complete

, zhe^, the one who

, yi`, principality, (like Monaco)

, men/, door, gate

, mi`, fiber, filamen t

, ren/, human being

, shi^, crossbow dart

, yan/, speech

, she/, tongue

, xing/, to travel, to move, "go" (as in "no go")

, gui-, official jade symbol of office

, jing-, capital

, you/, especially

, xin-, heart, mind

, wang/, to perish

, ri`, sun

, yue`, moon

, you`, again

, cun`, inch, (picture of index finger)

, n, female human being

, yan/, flames rising into the air

, zhu^, master, host, the main thing

Vocabulary:

, ming/, bright

, ri`, sun + , yue`, moon

, qie^, moreover

, guan-, to close, to close up, to lock (somebody) up

, men/, door + two , mi`, filiment, thread 

, cheng/, city wall; city

, tu^, dirt +, cheng/, to complete

, jie-, street

, xing/, to travel + , gui-, symbol of office

, jiu`, to approach

, jing-, capital + , you/, especially

, ta-, she

, n, female human +, ye^, also

, tan/, to chat

, yan/, speech + , yan/, leaping flames

, hua`, words spoken; a language

, yan/, speech +, she/, tongue

, mang/, busy

, xin-, heart, mind +, wang/, perish

, cong-, smoke hole

                                  

, gui^, ghost

 

, gong-, bow

 

, shu-, hafted weapon

                                    

, yu`, jade

 

, si`, temple

, tu^, dirt + , cun`, inch

, hou/, feudal rank of the second degree

, ren/, human  +  , + , shi^, dart

,

,zhe^, the one who +, yi`, principality

,

, ren/, human being +, zhu^, main thing

, chu`, place

, ji-, low table + , 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!

,

       , feng-, to enfeoff +, mian/, silk cloth

,

       , qie^, moreover +, li`, strength, power

, zou^, (to run, classical Chinese), to walk

 

,

        ,mutually receding +, gong-, bow +, shu-, shafted weapon

,

       , yu`, jade +, jian`, to perceive

,

       , shang`, ascendant +, tian/, field

,

       , ri`, sun +, si`, temple

, hou`, time

       , hou/, feudal rank + a  short vertical line

, li^, the lining of clothing, inside

       , yi-, clothing +, li^, mile

, chu`, place

       , chu`, place + , hu^, tiger

, kuai`, piece

       , tu^, dirt +, gui^, ghost

,

       , yin-, sound + , xin-, heart, mind

 ,  cong-, hurriedly (obsolete form)

, cong-, smoke hole + , xin-, heart, mind

, gu`, firm

, wei/, to surround  + , gu^, ancient

, zhu/, bamboo

 

, qie^, moreover

 

, wang`, to forget

, wang/ to perish  + , xin-, heart, mind

走發現當時候裡處塊總固竹

14. -

當發固候塊裡++++++竹走++

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:

, kou^, mouth

, ba-, serpenet

, hu^, tiger

 , chu`, place (archaic)

, ren/, human

, gv`, firm, definite

 , zhi^, catch up with from behind

, zi^, child, son

, hai`, (a cyclical character)

, yan/, speech

, qing-, blue and green with shades down to black

, shi`, is

, ye`, page, (picture of a head)

, men/, door, gate

, mu`, wood, wooden, (picture of a tree)

, yang/, sheep

, yong^, eternal, eternally

, ri`, sun

, zha`, suddenly and unexpectedly

, xin-, heart, mind

, qie^, moreover

, li`, strength

Vocabulary

, MW (measure word) for people; general MW

       , ren/, human being + , gu`, steadfast

, zong^, is always ...

       , mi`, floss, filament +   , cong-, hurriedly

, zen^, how

       ,zha`, suddenly + , xin-, heart, mind

, yang`, prototype, the way something looks

       , mu`, wood + , yang/ sheep + , yong^, eternal

, ni/, nun

       , shi-, corpse + , hua`, transformed human

, hui`, to know how to, apt at; apt to; to meet

                                    

, qing^, request, invite

       , yan/, speech + , qing-, blue and green

,  wen`, to inquire

       , men/, door, gate + , kou^, mouth

, ti/, topic

       , shi`, is + , ye`, page

, zao^, early

       , ri`, sun + lines indicating proximity to the horizon

,  zai`, again (applies to events in the future)

                             

, dai`, generation, dynasty

       , ren/, human being + , yi`, arrow with string

, ba, sentence ending that softens commands and weakens statements

       , kou^, mouth + , ba-, serpent

, guan^, to manage

       , zhu/, bamboo + , 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.

 , hai/, child

       , zi^, child + , hai`, cyclic character

, chu`, place, location

, yi`, fishing arrow, an arrow with a string on it

, 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

, shou^, hand

, ren/, human being

, yi`, fishing arrow

, ye`, enterprise, job

, cun`, inch, (picture of an index finger)

, huo^, fire

, zhu/, bamboo

, guan-, an official

, ye`, page, (picture of a head)

 , mian/, thatched hut

, ge`, each and every

, qi`, breath, lifebreath (ancient form and modern simplified)

, mi^, uncooked rice

, ge-, halberd

, kou^, mouth

, ni/, nun

New Vocabulary

, bai`, to pay reverence to

, shou^, hand +, shou^ hand

, dai`, to represent

, ren/ human being + , yi`, arrow with string

, guan^, to manage

, zhu/, bamboo + , guan-, an official

, ran/, thus

, rou`, meat + , quan^, dog + , huo^, fire

, dui`, to match; to be ccorrect

, ye`, enterprise +, cun`, (index finger)

, fan/, annoying, annoyance

, huo^, fire +, ye`, (picture of head)

, ke`, guest

 , mian/, thatched hut +, ge`, each and every

, qi`, lifebreath, breath

, qi`, lifebreath +, mi^, uncooked rice

, zhao^, to search for

, shou^, hand +, ge-, halberd

, ne, final particle, gives a sense of unfinishedness or expectation

, kou^, mouth +, ni/, nun

, guan^, restaurant

, shi/, to feed  + , guan-, official

 

找拜然對客氣煩 呢

16. 拜代對煩管客呢氣找