When the moon is still hanging in the sky and the sun is not out yet, a man begins to work hard. 夙 on the oracle bone script reflects this scene to express the meaning of “morning”. Continue reading “夙 morning——why 夙愿？”
Category: Compound ideographs
蚀 insects eat into a man’s things
蚀 
= 
in the seal script, it consists of three parts, 虫 worm or insect, 食 food utensil, and 人. The character in seal script depicts a worm eats into a man’s food. Continue reading “蚀 insects eat into a man’s things”
宜 evolved from a noun to an adjective
宜 is a compound ideograph. The oracle bone script of 宜 depicts two pieces of meat on a sacrificial vessel. The line in the middle of the two pieces of meat could mean “divide or share equally”. Continue reading “宜 evolved from a noun to an adjective”
匿 a woman hides away
匿 is compound ideograph. 匸 resembles a container or a wall, and 若 depicts a woman. 匿 originally meant a woman hides away. Continue reading “匿 a woman hides away”
专 a spindle
专, originally composed of a spindle and a hand. The character in oracle bone script and bronze script depicts a hand holding a spindle to weave. The original meaning of 专 is a spindle. 专 serves as a phonetic component to form characters. Continue reading “专 a spindle”