6 Ways to make Chinese Characters
Six ways of making Chinese Characters
象形 [xiang4 xin2] – This is the method in which words are created based on what they look like. For example, 口 looks like a mouth, 刀 represents a knife, 人 is supposed to be a person standing sideways, 月 looks like the moon, and 山 looks like 3 mountains.
指事[zhi3 shi4] – This method takes words from the above method and adds small strokes to convey deeper meaning that is hard to display simply through pictures. 刃 looks like刀 but it has an extra stroke on the left, which is the knife’s sharp edge. 下 is originally 1, but it has extra lines added on to it to represent down. 上 is initially one, but strokes are added to turn it into up. 三 and 二 are derived from一, but have extra strokes to show greater numbers – two and three. 凶 is a hole in a ground「ㄩ」and someone falls in「×」is bad things.
形聲 [xing2 sheng1] – This word combines the words that look like their meaning the the pronunciation words. One of the characters is the shape, the other is the sound. 盲 the top is the sound that the word makes when spoken; the bottom is an eye because the word means blind. 櫻 the木 implies it is some kind of wood or tree, and the嬰 is how it is pronounced. 籃 the竹 displays that it is made of bamboo, the監 is how its pronounced. 頭 the left is its pronunciation, and the right is the shape of a head. 齒 the little 人's on the bottom are teeth, and the止 sound is close to its own pronunciation. 期 the right side is its shape; the moon changes as the days change. the left side is the pronunciation.
會意 [hui4 yi4] – This method combines two words. 美 means beautiful. It has a sheep and a big, which means big sheep. Big sheep are beautiful because a lot can be gathered from them. 解 means dissect. The knife portion shows that they use knives to cut it up, and the cow portion shows an example of what is cut up. 尖 means sharp. Small is at the top because the top of a sharp object is the pointy tip. The bottom of the object is big because as it gets farther away from the tip, it gets bigger. 酒the酉 is the container where the wine is made and the water shows that it is liquid. 鳴 means a bird noise because it is made up from a bird and a mouth, which is used to make sound. 歪 means slanted or bent, and it is made up from a not and a straight so it literally translates to not straight. 涉 means to traverse water while getting your feet wet. The water marks show relation to water, and the 步 shows footsteps.
轉注 [zhuan3 zhu4] – This methods takes 2 words that have similar strokes and similar meanings. 顛" and "頂" both mean on top of your head. 竅 and空’s meanings are empty. 考 ,which used to mean old, and老 both mean old.
假借 [jia3 jia4] – This method takes words with the same sounds but makes different meanings to make new words. 自 used to mean nose in "鼻,” but by itself it means me. 北 used to mean back to but now it only means north. 來 used to mean "wheat" [麥], however, by itself it means come. 求 used to mean fur [裘], individually it means plead
豆 used to mean food container[器皿], but it means bean on its own. 花used to only mean flower, but it now has other usages, such as spending (spending money)「花錢」
象形 [xiang4 xin2] – This is the method in which words are created based on what they look like. For example, 口 looks like a mouth, 刀 represents a knife, 人 is supposed to be a person standing sideways, 月 looks like the moon, and 山 looks like 3 mountains.
指事[zhi3 shi4] – This method takes words from the above method and adds small strokes to convey deeper meaning that is hard to display simply through pictures. 刃 looks like刀 but it has an extra stroke on the left, which is the knife’s sharp edge. 下 is originally 1, but it has extra lines added on to it to represent down. 上 is initially one, but strokes are added to turn it into up. 三 and 二 are derived from一, but have extra strokes to show greater numbers – two and three. 凶 is a hole in a ground「ㄩ」and someone falls in「×」is bad things.
形聲 [xing2 sheng1] – This word combines the words that look like their meaning the the pronunciation words. One of the characters is the shape, the other is the sound. 盲 the top is the sound that the word makes when spoken; the bottom is an eye because the word means blind. 櫻 the木 implies it is some kind of wood or tree, and the嬰 is how it is pronounced. 籃 the竹 displays that it is made of bamboo, the監 is how its pronounced. 頭 the left is its pronunciation, and the right is the shape of a head. 齒 the little 人's on the bottom are teeth, and the止 sound is close to its own pronunciation. 期 the right side is its shape; the moon changes as the days change. the left side is the pronunciation.
會意 [hui4 yi4] – This method combines two words. 美 means beautiful. It has a sheep and a big, which means big sheep. Big sheep are beautiful because a lot can be gathered from them. 解 means dissect. The knife portion shows that they use knives to cut it up, and the cow portion shows an example of what is cut up. 尖 means sharp. Small is at the top because the top of a sharp object is the pointy tip. The bottom of the object is big because as it gets farther away from the tip, it gets bigger. 酒the酉 is the container where the wine is made and the water shows that it is liquid. 鳴 means a bird noise because it is made up from a bird and a mouth, which is used to make sound. 歪 means slanted or bent, and it is made up from a not and a straight so it literally translates to not straight. 涉 means to traverse water while getting your feet wet. The water marks show relation to water, and the 步 shows footsteps.
轉注 [zhuan3 zhu4] – This methods takes 2 words that have similar strokes and similar meanings. 顛" and "頂" both mean on top of your head. 竅 and空’s meanings are empty. 考 ,which used to mean old, and老 both mean old.
假借 [jia3 jia4] – This method takes words with the same sounds but makes different meanings to make new words. 自 used to mean nose in "鼻,” but by itself it means me. 北 used to mean back to but now it only means north. 來 used to mean "wheat" [麥], however, by itself it means come. 求 used to mean fur [裘], individually it means plead
豆 used to mean food container[器皿], but it means bean on its own. 花used to only mean flower, but it now has other usages, such as spending (spending money)「花錢」
