尧 is derived from 堯, in which 垚 (yáo) is soil or a high mountain, and 兀 (wù) is a person in kneeling pose, so “尧” means high. 尧 is compound ideograph. Continue reading “尧 high”
Tag: phonetic
秋 a cricket
秋 is shaped like a cricket in the oracle bone inscription to express the concept of “autumn”. Another way of its original writing in oracle bone inscription is to add a”火 fire” under the shape of a cricket, which means that the crops are ripe in autumn and they are like burning fire. Continue reading “秋 a cricket”
丫 fork of a tree
丫 is a pictographic character of the fork of a tree and serves as a phonetic component to form characters. Continue reading “丫 fork of a tree”
乌 a crow
乌, a pictographic character of a crow, serves as a phonetic component to form characters. Don’t forget to compare 乌 and 鸟. Continue reading “乌 a crow”
勾
勾, cognate with 句, serves as a phonetic component to form characters. Continue reading “勾”