The radical city 阝is derived from the character 邑 yì. 阝is also called 右耳旁in Chinese. What meanings do the characters formed by the radical city 阝have? Continue reading “Radical city 阝: on the left or right?”
Category: Decode Characters
Difference between 冫, 氵 and 灬
In domestic Chinese teaching, 冫, 氵, and 灬 are called “两点水”, “三点水”, “四点水 or 四点底” respectively. It sounds they are all related to water 水, but they are not actually all in the family of water. Continue reading “Difference between 冫, 氵 and 灬”
Radicals 亻and 彳
why do “住” and “往” have different meanings? If you know the difference between ” 亻” and ” 彳”, you will understand why.
1. ” 亻” is from “人/people”, so characters with ” 亻” have to do with “people, people’s action or behavior, or people-related extended meaning”
2. ” 彳” is from “行/walk”, so characters with ” 彳” have to do with “walk, road, or walk-related extended meaning”
广 vs 厂
1. “广” came from ”big house,” so characters with “广” mostly have to do with “house.”
2. “厂” came from “primitive cave at the edge of a cliff where people could stay,” so characters with “厂” have to do with ”stone, cliff, or house.”
冖 vs 宀 vs 穴
Differentiating between “冖,” ”宀,” and “穴” helps you understand better and learn more easily the characters with these three radicals.