学习 (learning) - set 001

Another random task I have set myself on to is learning the Chinese script. Learning French has never inspired me to live or visit France (although I have visited Paris for two days once) and learning Chinese has hardly anything to do with desire to visit China. I want to learn Chinese the same way I wanted to learn French a few years back.

I never ended up romanticising about French culture but I did fall in love with its literature. So far having read Maupassant, Voltaire, Verlaine and Baudelaire (apart from whatever I find online), I am quite content with the decision I had made about sticking to reading the French language. Speaking a language is a rather different organic process ; and I think one exercises empathy far more than the left-side of our brain in speaking a new language (If you feel the French way, for example, speaking French turns out far easier). Reading and composing a language is very different - it is what this post is concerned with.

With 4000 letters after abridgement, Chinese is no less than formidable as new language to learn. It is the first language I have encountered where etymology and morphology of Western languages seem irrelevant. The etymology of Chinese words doesn't need to be mined or researched from primeval languages - since it's always there in front of you. The letter "大" presents a stick-figure stretching his arms. The letter "在" en-capsulates a certain plant. These figures are then combined to create an approximate sense of every new word encountered. The semantics is always relevant in Chinese.

If this sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Often times, words evolve from sounds (e.g. loan words). When that happens, the pictorial representation falls apart in Chinese and figures are brought in just for sound. Americans are 美国 (měiguó - beautiful people) in Chinese. This is not inspired by Marilyn Manson - but by how similar 美国 sounds to (a)merican. The substitution for sound doesn't just happen for foreign words. 個 (gè - individual), for example, once implied a bamboo-segment - but has been borrowed just for sound.

Considering that a billion people speak, read and write the language fluently, this must be all still be manageable.Here, in this post, I intend to keep a log of all 4000 letters (split in 100-each to be revised in 40 days). I am helped a lot by two websites in taking these notes - 1. www.learnchineseez.com and 2. www.chineseetymology.org - both of which I think have done a terrific job in putting up these resources for free.

Set 001

的 - white(白) + spoonful - now meaning "of"(de5) (also aim/clear - d`i)

是 - sh'i - flower on a slope (to be)

不 - b'u - blocked (not)

我 - wǒ- hake (now meaning - I)

一 - yī - single line (one)

有 - yǒu - a hand holding some meat (月) (have)

大 - dà - man stretching his arms (big)

在 - zài - earth (土) + phonetic only (才). Meaning "at"

人 - rén - {people} 

了 - liǎo - {know}

中 - zhōng - {central}

到 - dào - reaching destination - { to arrive}

資 - zī - cowry (貝) + secondary (次 - water[冫]coming out of a man's mouth [欠] ) - {capital/wealth}

要 - yāo{demand}/yào{to want/must} - 女 + West - 西 - want/must

可 - kě - cane {can}

以 - yǐ - {by means of, because}

這 - zhè - 辵+ (step-with-left-foot(彳)+only(止)=>彳止 i.e. stopper =>辵) + writing( 文)/speech(言 - upside-down man's mouth 立 +口) - place to stop and write - {these}

個 - gè - bamboo segment - {individual}

你 - nǐ - 亻(人 - people) + loom(爾/尔 - like that) - {you}  

會 - huì{meeting}/kuài{account}

好 - hǎo - {well}

為 - wéi - {act as}

上 - shàng - mark above {up,above}

來 - lái - Fruit on a tree {come}

就 - jiù -  tall(京- jīng)+particularly(尤- yóu) () - {at once, approach}

學- xué -  子 taught by teacher's hands (𦥑) for marks (乂) {to learn}

交- jiāo - crossed legs {to intersect}

也 - yě - {also}

用 - yòng - waterbucket {to use}

能 - néng -   "strong-bear" from mouth(厶),(月肉) and feet (匕匕) -{can}

如 - rú due to phonetic 女 - {if}

文- wén- language/culture {man with a tie/dushala}

時 - shí -from sundial( , time)

沒- from water氵水 and action-by-hand 殳 - {méi-have not and mò-be drowned}

說 - shuì (persuade) shuō (speak) - speech (言 -) + a person talking {speak}

他 - tā - {him}

看 - kān - hand (手) + eye(目)  {look after or look}

提 - dī - hand (手) + phonetic 是 (sh'i) - holding in hand {carry/lift}

那 - nǎ nà - originally city name (阝) - {how/which,that}
問 - wèn - gate (门) + mouth (口) - {ask}
生 - shēng - small growing plant - {to be born}
過 - guò - walking on a road (辵) + inch (寸 or tr. 咼) - {to pass time/to cross}
下 - xià - downwards signal - {down}
請 - qǐng -speech(讠言)+phonetic 青 {to ask/invite/please (col.)}
天 - tiān - {sky}
們 -men5 - people(亻人)+ phonetic 门門 {they}
所 - suǒ - door (户) + ax make a door 斤 {actually/place}
多 - duō - too many moons (夕){much/many}
麼 - mó - {question-mark}
小 - xiǎo - three marks {small}
想 - xiǎng - heart (心)+ phonetic 相 {to think}
得 - dé - step-with-left-foot(彳) + phonetic 㝵 {to obtain}
之 - zhī - feet {him/her/it}
還 - hái, huán- walking on a road 辶辵(彳止) + phonetic 不瞏 orig. repeat {hái- more/still, huán- return}
電 - diàn - rain 雨 + lightning 电 {lightning/electricity}
出 - chū - {to occur/produce}
工 - gōng - carpenter's square {work}
對 - duì - hand 寸 (measure) + (follage) 又丵 - {pair/opposite}
都 - dōu/dū -  city(阝邑) + phonetic 者 {dōu-all dū-city}
機 - - {}
自 - - {}
後 - - {}
子 - - {}
而 - - {}
訊 - - {}
站 - - {}
去 - - {}
心 - - {}
只 - - {}
家 - - {}
知 - - {}
國 - - {}
台 - - {}
很 - - {}
信 - - {}
成 - - {}
章 - - {}
何 - - {}
同 - - {}
道 - - {}
地 - - {}
發 - - {}
法 - - {}
無 - - {}
然 - - {}
但 - - {}
嗎 - - {}
當 - - {}
於 - - {}
本 - - {}
現 - - {}
年 - - {}
前 - - {}
真 - - {}
最 - - {}
和 - - {}
新 - - {}
因 - - {}
果 - - {}
定 - - {}