Sights of London in English: description and photo. Names of London monuments, places of interest and cultural values
Consider the meaning of the hieroglyph "U": 悟 - "comprehension". Since this compound hieroglyph is fraught with some more symbols, for example, “one’s own self”, “heart”, we will also get acquainted with these signs of Chinese writing along the way.
Chinese character for "comprehension"
Hieroglyph "comprehension", pronunciation: wù/у (4th tone). Illustration by Maria Kononenko.
When a character is part of another character, it is called a grapheme. So, in the hieroglyph "comprehension" you can find 4 graphemes, each of which can also be used as full-fledged independent hieroglyphs in various Chinese texts.
Here are the graphemes of the hieroglyph "comprehension": 口 - "mouth, hole", 五 - "five"; 吾 - "self", 心 - "heart".
Chinese character for "heart"
Schematically accurately reproduces this vital human organ ancient.
However, during the evolution of Chinese writing, the character for "heart" has changed significantly, and is currently written like this:
Modern hieroglyph for "heart", pronunciation: xīn/sin. Illustration by Maria Kononenko忄 is also the grapheme "heart", but in this form the sign is used exclusively as an element in the composition of another hieroglyph, for example, as in our case with the concept of "comprehension".
Chinese, broadly also "hole"
Chinese character for "five"
The hieroglyph “five” illustrated above symbolizes the “5 elements” (Chinese Wu-xing), according to the interpretation of the dictionary Showen Jiezi*.
According to the ideas of the ancient Chinese, the "five elements" (Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, Earth) are the primary elements of the entire Universe. “5 elements” originated from two opposite principles “yin” and “yang”, which symbolize day and night, Heaven and Earth, male and female principles, etc.
The upper and lower lines in the ancient hieroglyph just symbolize Heaven and Earth (“yang” and “yin”), which, in the process of interaction and struggle, give rise to “five primary elements” or “five elements”.
The modern character "5" has changed significantly and is now written like this:
The modern character for "five", pronunciation: wǔ / y (3rd tone). Illustration by Maria Kononenko
Etymology of the Chinese character "self"
By combining the two graphemes described above “hole” and “five”, the ancient Chinese gave the designation to the concept of “self”.
How are these two signs related?
The answer is found in the traditional culture of China.
According to the same concept of the “five elements”, a person has five organs (symbolically “holes” - author) for perceiving the world - these are eyes, ears, tongue, nose, skin (touch, tactile sensations). Also, a person has five senses, which spontaneously react differently to the world- this is joy, longing, thoughtfulness, grief, anger. They shape the personality in many ways.
The “5 virtues” of a person: humanity or humanity, the rules of decency or a sense of tact, trust and faith, decency or a sense of duty, wisdom are the main features of a person, which distinguishes people from animals in their manifestations outside world. It also forms the "self".
Etymology of the hieroglyph "comprehension" (one's own self)
The hieroglyph “comprehension” 悟 is extensive and also carries the content of the concepts “wake up”, “wake up”; "enlightenment", "comprehension"; "awareness" (of one's own self).
In Chinese culture, the character "Wu" (pinyin: wù) plays a special role. Let's take one example of this. One of the protagonists of the very famous classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the mystical immortal monkey Sun Wu-kun, has the character "Wu" (Wu-kun, from the Chinese for "comprehended the void") in his name.
To indicate this abstract concept as "comprehension", the ancient sages combined the two graphemes "heart" and "self". And a new hieroglyph arose.
The structure of the Chinese character "comprehension" (one's own self). Illustration from https://www.facebook.com/ShenYunPerformingArts.
On the page of the company representing using
New Tang Dynasty Television recently reported that more than one hundred Taiwanese entrepreneurs living in Shanghai traveled to Taiwan to recruit young people to work for their companies.
When asked why they are looking for people in Taiwan when there are many talented people in Shanghai, the manager of a human resources company explained with a feeling of disappointment, "Because the young people in mainland China have a wolf nature."
He also said that young people from Taiwan have more creativity and loyalty to the firm they work for.
These are young people of the same race, they speak the same language, they just live on different shores. So why do they keep the qualities of devotion and fidelity inherent in traditional Chinese culture on one side, and show callousness on the other?
Perhaps we can find the reason if we consider the Chinese character 愛 (ai), meaning "love."
Initially, this hieroglyph did not have a deep emotional meaning associated with a person or an event. It was an expression of gratitude from a hungry man.
When creating the character 愛, it was written as 㤅, that is, an expression of gratitude for the provided food. At the top of the 旡 is a hungry man with a large open mouth. The lower part is represented by the character 心, meaning heart. This is an accurate representation of the physical heart.
During the Qin Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago, an image of a slow pace of walking (夊) was added to the bottom to show the reluctance to part with something.
The essence of the hieroglyph 愛 (love) is that it includes the hieroglyph "heart". If a person is truly in love or grateful, he does it from the bottom of his heart.
However, in the simplified version of this Chinese character, the "heart" in the middle has been removed.
Young people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and even from Japan write the character for "love" with a "heart". But young people from mainland China write it without a "heart".
The character 心 (heart) has only four strokes. It's easy to write.
It is strange that the character 鬼, which means a ghost and has a negative meaning, has ten strokes. It has not been simplified, even in its use as a root. For example: 魔 (demon); 魂 (soul); 魄 (subconscious); 魅 (ghost).
But there is one exception. The traditional character for 醜 (ugly) has the root 鬼 because a ghost is the ugliest thing; but in the simplified character, "ghost" is removed, changing "ugly" from 醜 to 丑.
This makes us think about the motives for simplifying Chinese writing and about the destruction of the traditional values of the Chinese people.
The Chinese are a very hardworking and materialistic people who “plow” daily to meet their needs and requirements. The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire do not believe in God, they very rarely help each other on the street in emergency situations, they are constantly busy with work and the troubles associated with it, but nevertheless, their pride and hospitable mood can always be backed up with a couple of simple, but so pleasant phrases in Chinese , which will arrange your interlocutor to communicate, and make communication more open and simple.
1. 谢谢, 老板 (xie xie lao ban) ~ Thank you boss!)))
How many emotions does this elementary phrase evoke on the face of a barely familiar Chinese, whether it be a shop assistant, a subway employee, or just a passer-by. Say this phrase - show that you know Chinese.
The “cult of Laobang” in China has been developing since the Ancient Civilization, but when a foreigner pronounces the word "boss" in relation to the Chinese, it is three times more pleasant.
2. 你英语说得那么厉害!(ni ying yu shuo de na me li hai) — Your English level is amazing!
If a Chinese person tries to speak to you in English, even if it is far from ideal, praise him. Say this phrase - and your Chinese is 100%)
3. 我们交朋友吧 (wo men jiao peng you ba) - Let's be friends!
Here the Chinese finally dispel all doubts that you will not “converge cultures” - now there is no reason not to trust you. The Chinese is yours again!)
4. 我对中国文化很感兴趣 (wo dui zhong guo wen hua hen gan xing qu) — I have an incredible interest in Chinese culture!
The Chinese love their Motherland, are very proud of its history and modern achievements. Therefore, if you utter this phrase, they will immediately take you for one of their own, they will understand that you really take China very seriously. You came here not to “hang out in clubs”, but to develop. Start learning Chinese with this simple phrase)