» Archive for 21 March 2007
Primitive Palindromes
Lo! The vertically symmetrical and simplistic harmony of ancient characters!
土 tǔ: primitive for “soil, earth” (the top line is the ground, the bottom is sub-soil rock, the vertical line connecting them represents “all things”)
田 tīan: primitive for “furrowed field”
由 yóu: 1) cause, reason 2) because of, owing to (imagine a sprout coming from a field)
苗 míao: 1) seedling (see shoots sprouting at the edge of the field)
里 lí: 1) ancient unit of land measurement 2) inside (see a field resting on the character for “earth”)
黄 hǔang: yellow, like a sunflower (an ancient form of “bright” is anchored by a field)
雷 leí: thunder (rainy clouds above a field)
雨 yǔ: primitive for “rain” (according to most scholars’ accounts, the dots are drops, the line is heaven, the enclosure symbolizes clouds)
山 shān: primitive for “mountain” (a horizontal earth line is topped with three tall stones) (more…)
Posted in pop culture | No Comments »
Powered by FireStats