The meaning of the eye symbol (eye of Horus, Isis, Ra, all-seeing eye)
It is believed that the image of the all-seeing eye (an eye in a triangle) symbolizes God. But is this true?
The eye (great eye) is one of the symbols that appears almost at the very beginning of the oldest coherent texts that have come down to us (the texts of the pyramid of Pharaoh Unis in the middle of the third millennium BC).
The fields located in the akhet [great flood - the flood of the Nile] are landscaped. Unis plants the grass on both banks of the akhet so that he can bring [apparently as a sacrifice] earthenware for great eye located on the field. (Entrance to the front room of the Pyramid of Unis §507a-510d)
The element of water is a common ancient attribute of the feminine principle. The goddess of the creation of the world and fertility, Sopdet, is associated with the period of floods of the Nile (akhet), who is represented in the sky by the star Sirius and could be identified with Isis, the sister and wife of Osiris, the mother of Horus. By faience, perhaps, we mean bowls, jugs, mortars and other round dishes, which in ancient times often served as an attribute of female deities. Egyptian goddesses were not depicted with jugs and bowls, since in Ancient Egypt ankh, snakes, etc. were used as female symbols. But historically and geographically close ancient goddesses used the symbolism of round dishes widely.
One of the most famous ancient eye symbols is the Egyptian wadget, left eye of the god Horus. This god, by the way, is also one of the main “ characters"Texts of the Pyramid of Unis. The right eye of Horus in Egyptian mythology symbolized the sun, the left eye symbolized the moon, which in turn was one of the important attributes of Isis.
Thus, by comparing the water element, the fertility rite in the fields, the moon (a symbol of the night and the feminine principle) and Isis, we can assume that the eye, as an ancient religious symbol, may be a symbol of the feminine principle of the Great Mother.
It is interesting that the image of the hieroglyph of the eye, if rotated 90 degrees, turns into a clear volvar female symbol, which is similar to the vulvar forms from Paleolithic sanctuaries, passages of sanctuaries, dolmens (paired phallic menhirs and cromlechs), yoni and other ancient religious objects of worship of the Great Mother (feminine origin).
Phallic and vulvar ancient artifacts Vulvar and phallic ancient artifacts
The logic of this assumption is confirmed by the symbolism of another important ancient Egyptian deity - the god Ra (the sun god). The female form of Ra was a goddess who could take the form of other female Egyptian goddesses, appearing as the mother, sister, spouse or daughter of Ra. The goddess Eye of Ra was depicted as follows:
The circle is entwined with snakes and ankhs. This image contains triple female symbolism:
- The circle is a common and universal feminine symbol.
- Snake, dragon, reptile - female attribute in ancient religions
- Ankh - ancient symbol female origin (womb, uterus), paired with the phallic djed
Whose all-seeing eye is looking at us?
Now let's return to the historically closer sign of the all-seeing eye (the eye in a triangle). Most common images of this symbol today feature the left eye (moon, night, feminine principle), or a symmetrical stylization of the eye, where it is not clear whether it is the left eye or the right one. On the dollar, for example, the left eye of the female origin is indicated, this can be seen from the strokes that indicate the direction of eyebrow growth:
The triangle is also an ancient feminine symbol. The triangle may be male sign, if next to it there is a triangle with a vertex pointing down. In this case, a triangle with a vertex at the bottom is interpreted as feminine, and a triangle with a vertex at the top is interpreted as masculine.
The triangle itself as a symbol in its pure original form is identical to a pyramid, temple, sanctuary, dolmen, cave, which themselves had obvious female symbolism.
And if we remember that the all-seeing eye is one of the favorite symbols of the Freemasons, who attach particular importance to the feminine principle and ancient Egyptian religious symbolism, and also wage an uncompromising fight against “male” monotheism, then it will become clear to us that the image of the all-seeing eye (eyes in triangle) may well be interpreted as a “modern” symbol of the Great Mother with all the ensuing consequences:
- The fight against monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
- The fight against the traditional patriarchal family
- Promoting feminism and LGBTQ
- Sexualization of culture (orgiastic cult of fertility)
- Ecologism (purification and liberation of Mother Earth from worries)
- Atheistic mothers ism (mundaneity) versus religions (etymologically the restoration of a lost connection with God)
- Primate mothers mental (maternal, feminine) over spiritual (masculine). The cult of money, success and pleasure by any means - oblivion of morality and ethics
- Other "pleasant" phenomena
How is the hieroglyph “heart” depicted?
Chinese character for "heart". Illustration: website
The hieroglyph “heart” is a pictogram depicting a person’s heart. The ancient form of the hieroglyph resembled this internal organ more human than the modern mark.
Ancient form of the hieroglyph "heart". Illustration: website
The “heart” sign forms the basis of many hieroglyphs that are associated with spiritual qualities and the inner world of a person.
For example, the hieroglyph “thought” consists of two parts “sound” and “heart”: that is, the “voice in the heart” is the hieroglyph “”.
Hieroglyph "thought". Illustration: website
When they poke a knife into your heart, and you remain calm and unperturbed - this is the hieroglyph “”.
Hieroglyph "patience". Illustration: website
If you can resist the temptation of fame and benefits, then in China they say that you have “ ” (Chinese idiom). Of course, such a person actually has a strong will, sensitive and kind heart, but puts the interests of his country first.
Chinese idiom "wooden body and heart of stone." Illustration: website
And when it seems that someone’s claws have grabbed the heart and completely captured it, this is “ouch” - “”.
Hieroglyph "love". Illustration: website
Many call ancient culture China's culture of virtue and nobility. And the hieroglyph virtue means that ten eyes look at one heart. In other words, many divine eyes look at the human heart. When a person's thoughts and actions correspond to the standards that Heaven has established for people, this is "
All ancient Chinese characters had a specific meaning. They have been used since ancient times. Symbols denoted a phenomenon or something material. In the 21st century, hieroglyphs are used in full exclusively in the Chinese language.
History of origin
Scientists and historians still offer different versions of the origin of hieroglyphs. Most are inclined to believe that the first symbols appeared in the Yin era. Chinese writing is unique and the people of China are proud to say that the hieroglyphs reflect the unity of heaven and man.
Writing developed during the gradual civilization of society. The hieroglyph was the basis of such a variety of Chinese art as calligraphy. Each creator wrote a hieroglyph according to specific requirements, but the thickness of the lines and curls were unique. have always been valued as works of art, and wealthy families collected entire collections of such pictures. The symbols were placed in frames, placed on tables, and hung on walls. The teachings of Feng Shui reveal in detail what the pictures mean. More often they are made in black.
Most words consist of several hieroglyphs. And, in addition to classical writing, there is also a simplified version in which the characters have much fewer elements.
Meanings of Chinese characters
Residents of China are fine with the fact that they have to know about two thousand characters. The written language is uniform throughout the entire state and does not depend on the dialect of a particular region. It is worth considering some Chinese characters, their meaning and names.
Happiness
In China, every resident knows that happiness depends on the protection of Heaven and the Gods. This is what the corresponding two symbols, located next to each other, represent.
Great happiness
Great happiness is indicated by one hieroglyph. If it is depicted on the walls or in a frame, it attracts happiness and mutual understanding into the house.
Love
Often depicted by masters of calligraphy. Many believed that it was necessary to have it in the house. The sign attracts a life partner and ensures peace in the home.
Eternal love
The hieroglyph personifies the so-called love “to the grave”, complete mutual understanding in a couple, support.
Luck
The symbol representing good luck is often used in tattoos.
Wealth
Wealth can be both material and spiritual. The symbol was more often used to indicate the second option. Now the sign is more often used to describe financial well-being.
Money
The hieroglyph looks like several small symbols. It attracts money and material wealth. Outwardly, it is a little similar to the previous symbol, but the meaning is significantly different.
Prosperity
The symbol is often used to create talismans and amulets.
Abundance can be both monetary and moral. Full meaning will largely depend on which hieroglyphs will be located nearby. Carries information similar to the symbol of prosperity.
Strength
It can also be considered in several meanings: moral, spiritual, physical. Often used to create tattoos. It will be easier for the owner of such a tattoo to cope with various problems.
The hieroglyph denotes a person’s inner harmony and good mood.
Health
The symbol speaks of good health, physical strength.
World
The hieroglyph has a wide range of meanings. The exact meaning will depend on the context in which the symbol is used.
Beauty
Can refer to both internal and external beauty. Often used as a meaning for the word "spring". Spring is like the birth of beauty.
According to Qi, this means freedom of action, leading a correct lifestyle without any dependencies. Freedom can also be spiritual.
Characterizes a person’s character as strong and strong-willed.
“dream” communicates the sublimity of a particular event, the significance of a certain object.
Similar to the previous writing element, but has a more powerful meaning. Talks about the fulfillment of cherished desires.
The hieroglyph carries quite a lot of meanings. This could be spiritual or physical peace. It can also mean unity with nature.
It can talk about the death of a person or animal. When mentioning death, we can also talk about the death of trees and plants.
Loyalty
Translation of this symbol into other languages can also be considered as devotion, fidelity.
I
A beautiful hieroglyph symbolizes a person’s unique personality. This element is often used to create tattoos on the body. This image speaks of uniqueness and individuality.
Externally, the element of writing “fire” is very reminiscent of a bundle of firewood and small spark dots.
Symbolizes the snake. One of the few Chinese elements with a narrow meaning.
Translation into Russian can be ambiguous. The sea is not only a designation of a geographical object, but also an unlimited amount of something.
Has a special strong meaning, used as a talisman or amulet.
This does not only mean place of residence. This is how the Chinese can talk about their country.
Most often the image is placed in . It is believed that he attracts success to all residents of the house.
Chinese alphabet
The alphabet of any nation has its own distinctive features:
- The alphabet is a specific sequence and collection of symbols. Syllables and words are built from them.
- The number of letters is limited and cannot be added or reduced.
The Chinese set of characters completely excludes these features. There are no letters in the language. And keys and pictograms can represent not only a letter, but also a word. Sometimes they describe an entire sentence. And the number of hieroglyphs does not have an exact number at all, as it is constantly changing. And the number of elements goes into tens of thousands.
Any hieroglyph, as is known, consists of a certain number of elements. The number of the main ones reaches several thousand, but there are those that are used much more often. The element itself does not carry any meaning. The basic ones include the following:
- vertical line;
- horizontal line;
- upward stroke (ascending);
- dot;
- hook;
- broken line.
Beautiful hieroglyphs are built from such simple elements. Chinese philosophers have always compared written symbols to life. This was said back in the philosophy of Qi. Some are updated over the years, others are simply lost, since their value is no longer used. Over the years, new hieroglyphs may appear. And this will continue for many more years.
China does not have an alphabet like other countries. Everything is written in hieroglyphs, even new foreign words. But there is still a system of so-called romanization of Chinese writing. It's called Pinyin.
Pinyin contains 26 letters. And in no language can you get 23 consonants and 24 vowels from so many beech sounds. It is this writing that is often used in smartphones to write messages faster.
Most scholars are of the opinion that the Chinese alphabet simply does not exist. And Pinyain is simply an auxiliary alternative for simplifying written communication using gadgets. It was developed relatively recently - in the late 50s of the last century.
Common Chinese characters with Russian translation
There is a certain set of Chinese keys that are used most often. The table presents popular Chinese characters with translation into Russian.
| № | Hieroglyph | Translation |
| 1 | 的 | A possessive particle that can be placed between the definition and the word being defined. The hieroglyph can have the following meanings in certain combinations: the goal is, indeed, the first. |
| 2 | 一 | One, first. |
| 3 | 是 | A clarification that carries meaning: “To be or not?”, “Yes or no?”. |
| 4 | 不 | No. |
| 5 | 了 | Indicates the completion of an action. |
| 6 | 人 | Human. |
| 7 | 我 | We or I. |
| 8 | 在 | To be somewhere. |
| 9 | 有 | To have something, to possess something completely. |
| 10 | 他 | He. |
| 11 | 这 | This, this one. |
| 12 | 中 | Middle. |
| 13 | 大 | Big. |
| 14 | 来 | Come. |
| 15 | 上 | Above, on. |
| 16 | 国 | Country, state. |
| 17 | 个 | Used for counting. |
| 18 | 到 | Achieve something. |
| 19 | 说 | Speak. |
| 20 | 们 | Used to indicate the plural. |
| 21 | 为 | For. |
| 22 | 子 | Child, son. |
| 23 | 和 | Together. |
| 24 | 你 | Particle to denote the feminine gender. |
| 25 | 地 | Earth. |
| 26 | 出 | Go out. |
| 27 | 道 | Path. |
| 28 | 也 | Also, also. |
| 29 | 时 | Used to limit a period of time. |
| 30 | 年 | Year. |
| 31 | 得 | Particle to describe actions. |
| 32 | 就 | Exactly. |
| 33 | 那 | That. |
| 34 | 要 | Want. May indicate actions in the future tense. |
| 35 | 下 | From below |
| 36 | 以 | Because of, for a reason. |
| 37 | 生 | Life, birth. |
| 38 | 会 | Be able to. |
| 39 | 自 | With, starting from something. |
| 40 | 着 | Indicates the duration of action |
| 41 | 去 | Leave, go. |
| 42 | 之 | Same as. |
| 43 | 过 | Indicates a past action. |
| 44 | 家 | Home, country. |
| 45 | 学 | Study. |
| 46 | 对 | Correct towards someone. Can be used for apologies. |
| 47 | 可 | It's possible, it's possible. |
| 48 | 她 | She. |
| 49 | 里 | Inside. |
| 50 | 后 | Queen, the day after tomorrow. Depends on the context in which it is used. |
According to the well-known teachings of Feng Shui, written symbols are placed different rooms at home to attract one or another phenomenon.
Hieroglyphs for tattoos
They first gained popularity in the West. There it was believed that Chinese signs are a special exotic look art. Black color is most often used for their application. But no one has seen the Chinese choose such texts for tattoos. Photos of tattoos with Chinese inscriptions can more often be found in European salons.
In China, pictures on the body with English inscriptions are gaining popularity. Phrases using Latin letters are often executed with gross errors, which looks ridiculous. It is not always clear what these texts mean.
Tattoo artists report that hieroglyphs are popular due to their original design and thin lines. But before choosing a sign for a tattoo, it is recommended to thoroughly study the selected hieroglyphic combinations so as not to end up with a funny inscription on your body for life. The translation source must be reliable and verified. It is better to translate from a professional who knows the intricacies of the language. It is also worth making sure whether the master has experience in printing Chinese characters on the body. The portfolio must contain real photos.
There are often cases when clients express a desire to have ancient Chinese characters printed, which mean a certain saying. And after a while, people find out that they are walking around with a beautiful tattoo that tells others just a bunch of incoherent language. To avoid this, the choice of tattoo designs should be taken responsibly and seriously.
Phrases in Chinese
Before learning spoken Chinese, you should definitely understand the rules of pronunciation. Words that are identical in spelling, but have different tonality (a line above the vowel) can also have different meaning. Tones can be as follows:
- a horizontal line means even intonation;
- the rising line is used in interrogative sentences;
- the tick-shaped curve shows somewhat variable intonation;
- The falling slash is used for exclamations.
A simple rule will help you clearly tell your interlocutor everything that is required. It is worth considering that the pronunciation of phrases may vary depending on the dialects of a particular city or even region. The table shows the most common phrases, or rather Chinese characters with translation.
| № | Writing | Translation |
| 1 | 你好 | Hello! |
| 2 | 再见 | Goodbye! |
| 3 | 谢谢 | Thank you! |
| 4 | 不客气 | Please! |
| 5 | 对不起 | Sorry! |
| 6 | 没关系 | It's OK |
| 7 | 请问，到 | Please tell me how to get there |
| 8 | 请问，厕所在哪里？ | Tell me please, where is the toilet? |
| 9 | 请给我们拍一照 | Please take a photo of us |
| 10 | 多少钱？ | What is the price? |
| 11 | 太贵了！ 来便宜点儿 | Very expensive! Let's go a little cheaper. |
| 12 | 我把这个试一下，好吗 | Can I try this on? |
| 13 | 试衣间在哪里？ | Where is the fitting room? |
| 14 | 我需要大一点儿 | I need a larger size |
| 15 | 我需要小一点儿 | I need a smaller size |
Conclusion
Learning Chinese characters is a long, painstaking process. The history of the language has evolved over centuries, and it is recognized as one of the most complex and has a large number of nuances. But learning the common phrases necessary to stay in the country as a tourist is not difficult. The main thing is to carefully monitor the writing of the symbol and the indication of intonation.
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Chinese writing is hieroglyphic. Thanks to her various peoples people inhabiting and speaking different dialects can understand each other. Chinese characters are an integral part of Chinese culture. Apart from China, Chinese hieroglyphic writing was widespread in the Asian region.
“Book of Songs” (Shi Jing), edition of the Ming era (1368-1644). ,
Based on historical and geographical characteristics, linguists identify seven main dialect groups in China: Northern dialects, Gan, Hakka, Wu, Xiang, Yue, Min. Sometimes they are also supplemented by the Anhui dialects, Jin and Pinghua. In turn, individual dialects are distinguished within dialect groups.
Sometimes dialects differ so much that their representatives do not understand each other at all. Oral Chinese Mandarin普通话 (literally “common language”), created on the basis of northern dialects and, in particular, the Beijing dialect, is the official language, but not all Chinese speak it fully and, accordingly, understand it.
Therefore, the only means of interethnic communication remains a written language that is not tied to phonetic reading. If you have watched Chinese television, or seen Chinese films or video clips, you may have noticed that there is often hieroglyphic text at the bottom of the screen.
Hieroglyphics also allows you to quite freely read texts written several centuries ago. In addition, Chinese written language wenyan文言 was widely used throughout the Asian region: Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other countries. And although now they use their own writing, nevertheless, knowing wenyan, you can read and understand ancient texts. And the texts on Japanese are still understandable to some extent.
Legendary Cang Jie
In Chinese traditional historiography, it is believed that the oldest form of Chinese writing was knotted writing, which was later replaced by hieroglyphics. Its founder was 仓颉, who, “observing the outlines of mountains and seas, the traces of dragons and snakes, birds and animals, as well as the shadows cast by objects,” created 540 simple signs - wen文. They became the oldest system of classification of objects and phenomena in the world.
According to tradition, Tsang Jie was the court historiographer of the legendary Emperor Huang Di (XXVII-XXVI centuries BC). He is usually depicted with four eyes, which symbolize his special insight. In the treatise “Xun Tzu” (III century BC) it is said about him: “There were numerous experiments in creating writing, but only the signs created by Tsang Jie were accepted and exist to this day.”
Neolithic signs and Yin pictograms
Hieroglyphs go back to images - pictograms, which over time became more and more complex and formalized, gradually transforming into a system of signs. However, even with minimal knowledge, a hieroglyph can be “read” and see various meanings in it.
The earliest pictographs in China were discovered in the Jiahu settlement of the Neolithic Peiligan culture, located on the Yellow River (Henan Province). 16 artifacts date back to the 6th millennium BC. It turns out that Jiahu writing is older than Sumerian cuneiform. However, now most researchers believe that although some signs from Jiahu superficially resemble modern Chinese characters for “eye” and “sun,” this similarity is deceptive, and the signs found cannot be considered the ancestor of Chinese writing.
Other examples of early Chinese writing have been discovered at the Neolithic sites of Banpo (east of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) and Jiangzhai (Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province). However, they also appear to have no genetic connection to Chinese hieroglyphic writing.
The first examples of Chinese hieroglyphic writing itself date back to the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. The earliest ones are from the 17th century. BC These are Yin* divinatory inscriptions on animal bones (often buffalo) and turtle shells. They are called 甲骨文 Jiaguwen(literally “inscriptions on shells and bones”), “fortune-telling inscriptions from the capital of Yin” 殷契卜辭 yinqi butsi and “inscriptions from Yin ruins” 殷墟文字 yinxu wenzi.
The symbols, which were applied with pointed sticks, turned out to be angular. Mostly these were simple pictograms - schematic representations of the most universal concepts: parts human body, natural phenomena, household supplies, etc. A single, standard writing of hieroglyphs did not yet exist; several variants of writing the same sign were in circulation. However, due to the small number of people who were literate, this did not cause any particular problems. To date, out of more than 5,000 signs, about 1.5 thousand have been identified.
* Yin (Shang-Yin dynasty) XVII century. BC 1045 BC is the earliest confirmed dynasty in Chinese history.
The first inscriptions on bones and shells were discovered in 1899 near the city of Anyang (Henan Province). However, as it turned out, local residents had been familiar with them for a long time and called them “dragon bones.” They handed over the “bones” to pharmacies, where they were ground into powder, supposedly possessing medicinal properties. It is difficult to calculate how many Yin inscriptions were destroyed in this way.
The Yin believed that hieroglyphs provided a connection between people and their ancestors who had gone to Heaven, primarily between the ruler and the supreme ancestor Shang Di 上帝. Three people took part in the fortune-telling ritual: the ruler himself, the priest and the scribe. The ruler asked questions, which the scribe carved into bones with a chisel: whether the hunt would be successful, whether the harvest would be rich, whether to start a war, whether to enter into a marriage, whether an heir would be born, etc. Then the bone was burned with hot sticks and the answer was guessed from the cracks that appeared.
Thus, in the Shang-Yin era, writing had a sacred character. The ritual-magical attitude towards the text was preserved in later eras: even a century ago in China one could meet people who collected paper covered with hieroglyphs in order to burn it in ovens specially designed for this purpose.
Hieroglyphic writing during the Zhou era
During the Zhou era (1045-221 BC), Chinese hieroglyphic writing was already quite developed. With the advent of bronze casting technology, “writing on metal” 金文 appeared Jinwen— inscriptions on ritual bronze vessels. Sometimes called "tripod and bell writing" 鐘鼎文 zhongdingwen. Zhou script is found on meat tripods, grain vessels, bells, bronze wine and water vessels, as well as steles, stone drums, slabs and ceramics.
The hieroglyphs of the Zhou era became significantly more complex compared to the Yin script. Phonoideograms appeared - hieroglyphs consisting of two parts: a phonetic, which conveys an approximate reading, and a key, indicating belonging to a certain class of objects, phenomena or properties. Now more than 90% of all Chinese characters are ideograms.
At the beginning of the 8th century. BC The court historiographer Shi Zhou compiled a list of hieroglyphs. The style in which these characters were written is called 大篆 da zhuan— “The Great Seal.”
Sample letter "da zhuan"
During the Zhanguo period (475-221 BC), China found itself divided into various kingdoms. Xu Shen in the preface to 說文解字 (“Explanation of simple signs and interpretation of complex ones”, turn of the 1st-2nd centuries) noted: “Statements and speeches began to sound differently.” Several regional variants of writing were formed, among which the three largest stood out:
- writing system of the Qin kingdom based on the Zhou script da zhuan;
- writing of the six major kingdoms "ancient writings" 古文 Guwen based on Yin and Zhou script;
- written language of the southern Chinese kingdom of Chu.
Reform of Chinese writing during the Qin era
With the coming to power of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who united the country under the rule of a single centralized Qin Empire (221-206 BC), a reform of writing began: “all chariots with an axle of the same length, all hieroglyphs of standard writing.” Based on Qin script da zhuan the letter 小篆 appeared xiao zhuan(“small seal”) The “official letter” 隸書 has also become widespread li shu, which, with some modifications, formed the basis of modern writing.
Sample letter "li shu"
Xu Shen in the preface to the dictionary “Shuo Wen Jie Zi” describes this time as follows:
At that time, in Qin [...] they raised subjects and soldiers on a large scale and developed military service and forced labor. Job responsibilities in administrations and courts became more complex, and for the first time the style “ official letter", because they strived for standardization and simplicity.
During the Qin era official list numbered 3300 hieroglyphs. At the same time, there was a process of unification of pronunciation.
Chinese characters from Han to Song periods
During the reign of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), a list of 540 keys was formed. Since ancient times, text was written on bamboo tablets. This is probably partly why the Chinese wrote in columns from top to bottom and from right to left until the 20th century.
Sun Tzu's treatise "The Art of War", written on bamboo tablets, Han era. Copy. National Museum, Beijing
In the first centuries of our era, paper appeared, which replaced the bamboo strips on which texts had previously been written. Now the brush, which has been known since the Yin Dynasty, has become increasingly used to write down hieroglyphs. The “Four Treasures of the Cabinet” appeared 文房四宝 wen fan si bao: brush 笔 bi, mascara 墨 mo, paper 纸 zhi and ink 砚 yang.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Liu Deshan based on the "official letter" li shu created a semi-cursive "running letter" 行書 xing shu, in which the features of the hieroglyph were partially written without lifting the brush from the paper.
Sample letter "xing shu"
Liu Deshan's students created a "charter letter" 楷書 kai shu, which was distinguished by the absence of characteristic thickenings inherent in Han official writing. Around the same time, the cursive “herbal letter” 草書 appeared cao shu, which was widely used in Chinese calligraphy.
I live in Shanghai and am learning Chinese. I talk a little with locals and a lot with Google Translator - and sometimes! I think I'm summoning the devil with mine Chinese intonations. In general, the tones are not my thing. I am much better at writing - Chinese characters. Today I’ll tell you about them - so, the main Chinese characters and their meaning in Russian.
This is how you can write “I love you” in Chinese characters
Chinese characters and their meaning in Russian
There are a huge variety of hieroglyphs, as you know. But good news - they consist of basic elements - radicals. There are about 214 radicals and they are assembled into words like bricks. This is the Lego language. Everything is simple and not easy. Let's start randomly with my favorite radicals.
Sky, mountains, good
山 – shan – mountain
水 – shui – water
From these two radicals you can easily create a new word: 山水 – shanshui – mountain and water – together they give…. scenery. O_o. Cool yeah. Let's move on. If you add wind (风 – feng) to water – 水 – shui, you will naturally get 风水 – feng shui – which means – feng shui.
天 – tian – sky (from the radicals 大 – da – big and 一 yi – unit).
气 – qi – air
女 – nu – woman
子 – zi – son
天气好 – it would seem – “sky-air-woman-son”, but no.
天气好 = good weather. Because:
天 tian - sky and 气 qi - air - form the word 天气 -tianqi - weather.
And 女-woman and 子-son together give the word 好 – hao – good. A woman and a son are good. Easy to remember.
all together = good weather
So, you can already write an incomplete sentence:
天气好 – good weather.
And if you add new words, then the complete:
今天天气不好 – jintian tianqi bu hao – the weather is bad today. You see 天 – tian-sky – appears twice – it is included in both the word tianqi 天气 “weather” and the word jintian 今天 “today”. And you definitely know one more word with 天-tian from school, and now you can use it consciously:
天山 – tianshan – this, as you guessed from the sound, is Tianshan – which in turn means Sky-Mountains.
Fire, ram, be careful
That’s what you’ll say to a careless Chinese at a barbecue, if anything happens。 And these are the hieroglyphs that will be useful to you. Let's start with fire.
火 – huo – fire
车 – che – car
火车 – huoche – tadaaam – train. Cool yeah. It would seem that 水 shui - water and 车 che - car - should give 水车 - ship, but no - 水车 - this is a water wheel. Which, by the way, is logical.
Now to the sheep. Ram is radical number 123 and is written as 羊 yang. And, by the way, 山羊 – shanyang – “mountain-ram” is a goat, including a gymnastic apparatus.
小 – xiao – small
心 – xin – heart
小心 – xiaoxin – “small heart” it would seem yes – but the Chinese are poetic – and for them 小心 means “Be careful”.
高 – gao – high
手 – shou – hand
高手 – gaoushou - “ high hand” = “expert”。Everything. Now you, as a 高手, can say to a Chinese: 火羊小心。
214 basic Chinese characters in a table with translation
Of course, this is just the tip of the Chinese iceberg, and if you like playing with Legos, below is a complete table of basic radical hieroglyphs. I highlighted in red the hieroglyphs that we discussed today - fire, water and other friends. The table can be viewed and downloaded in pdf.
Chinese character tattoos and their meanings in Russian
By the way, for those who are going to learn Chinese on their own and prepare for HSK, I can advise this is a great tutorial– it is recommended in most schools in Shanghai.
So, many basic Chinese words - nature, feelings, animals - consist of 1 hieroglyph and are perfect for prints and tattoos. Here, for example, are a few simple and timeless pictures in the carousel:
Chinese wisdom on the wall
Well, for starters, a couple of proverbs and daily texts with hieroglyphs you already know plus new ones:
大 家 好
- Hi all! (literally it turns out to be “a big family is good”)
山 外 有 山
– There is always a mountain behind the mountain. This means that there is always something better or otherwise – Nothing is perfect. For perfectionists.
Chinese proverb “Under the sky, all crows are black”
天 下 乌 鸦 一 般 黑
- Under the sky, all the crows are black. In the sense that evil is the same. Although I don’t agree here, evil is very varied.
听 不 懂
– Yours is mine, I don’t understand. Very useful, especially if you are going to China without knowing Chinese - the Chinese will regularly try to talk to you - and you can simply point to the print 听不懂 as an answer. They say tinbudon - I don’t understand you, brother. They will really continue to communicate anyway. Tinbudon is not a decree for them.
Motivation in Chinese – 回答问题 – Answer the question! A very effective spell for the Chinese.
回 答 问 题
- Answer the question! This always works - it encourages people to answer my questions immediately and quickly.
天 主 的 羔 羊
- literally “heaven-born lamb” or “God’s lamb” - in a word mimimi cutie.
天 下 无 不 散 之 筵 席
- this is my favorite. Literally: There was no fist, but the guests had to leave. Meaning: All good things must come to an end.
小
姐 姐
- Little miss. I often saw this inscription on chik T-shirts. And that’s what they sometimes call me at work. Idk, that's good.
饭 后 百 步 走, 活 到 九 十 九
– After eating, walk 100 steps and you will live to be 99 (years old). In Chinese it sounds beautiful in rhyme - like this:
Fan hou bai bu zou,
Huo dao jiu-shi-jiu.
Poetic, isn't it? Thanks for reading!
