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This instruction guide accompanies and supports the Wordz Lianxi Language Learning System software application for iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone. v1.2c Special Note: this is FREE, Educational Use, LOW RESOLUTION PDF optimized for reading on iPad, PC and tablet computer screens. I high resolution PDF (600 DPI) or printed copy can be purchased at www.lulu.com at https://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=9809329
Newport Coast Software 11654 Plaza America Drive, Suite 333 Reston, VA 20190 wordz@newportcoastsoftware.com www.chinese4beginners.com February 2011
COPYRIGHT PAGE Wordz Lianxi Learning Basic Chinese Characters 2011 Newport Coast Software, LLC ISBN 978-0-557-92660-2
Introduction This study guide accompanies Chinese4Beginners and related applications of the Wordz Lianxi Language Learning System application software. Wordz Lianxi 1 is designed to assist learners of Chinese with recognizing over 286 basic Chinese words comprised of some 340+ unique simplified Chinese characters (Hanzi). This guide includes references to, and information about, nearly 500 Chinese characters used in everyday life that include many simple examples of nouns, adjectives, verbs and other common word types that are organized and presented to maximize learning for students new to the written Chinese language. Traditional approaches are guided by simple word frequency, random exposure via simple dialogs, or someones idea of the most important characters. This guide and the Chinese4Beginners software present words in a logical order that help you learn them in several ways: a) by identifying common character components, their meaning, and how words that use them related to each other and the common elements; b) by grouping words in a fashion that emphasizes commonalities; and c) by layering the character exposure so that knowledge builds adding new characters by leveraging information learned about previous characters. This software and instruction guide is not designed to be a primary source for learning the written Chinese language, but to accompany materials and other forms of instruction in basic Chinese. We use here the simplified Chinese character set as used in the Peoples Republic of China and Singapore. (Traditional characters are still widely used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.) Learning Chinese is difficult for those accustomed to alphabet-based languages for a great variety of reasons1. Many experts recommend that learners of Chinese already fluent in another language take a very different, and more efficient, approach to learning Chinese than is used for native speakers that grow up in an environment filled with the sounds, syntax and tones used in everyday Chinese. Foreign learners, as I shall call them, are better served by learning aspects of the language vocabulary, syntax, sounds, tones, characters and words in various modes, and not necessarily all things at once. Most foreign learners of Chinese begin their study by learning the basic sounds and tones of Chinese, and need a few simple words to use for practice. In addition, good practice requires simple sentences, dialogs and descriptions using basic and familiar words and these words are chosen to give the student a starting point in such practice during their early study of the Chinese language. Many foreign learners focus solely on the spoken language when starting with Chinese; others want to learn both the written and spoken language together. This material is designed for the beginning Chinese learner that would like to begin becoming familiar with Chinese characters for everyday words.
1 Why Chinese is so Damn Hard, an essay by David Moser dedicated to John DeFrancis to celebrate his 80th birthday and contributions to the study of Chinese. At http://goo.gl/mrJvp
A more comprehensive approach to learning Asian language characters, designed for learners already fluent in another language (such as English, German, French, Portuguese and Spanish), was developed by James W. Heisig in the 1980s (initially for learning Kanji, or Japanese characters) and adopted by Heisig and Timothy W. Richardson for Chinese (both for Traditional and Simplified Hanzi or Chinese characters) in 2007. Others (notably Matthews and Matthews, see the references below) extended and modified the approach to address more aspects of the language (e.g. sounds, tones) but use the same basic building block approach for teaching learners how to recognize and learn the basic Chinese character set. This approach starts with individual strokes and simple characters, adds character components and then adds characters of increasing complexity. Each new character adds to characters already learned in a simple incremental way, by combining existing forms or strokes, or adding the smallest additional element required. By using a combination of incrementalism, keywords and mnemonic phrases or short stories, some students have learned large vocabularies (in terms of visual character recognition and association with meaning) in much shorter times than conventional approaches to learning characters (e.g. learning characters in order based on frequency and utility). The key is that as a result of this incremental approach, students can see common character elements from the beginning, making adding more complex characters to their visual vocabulary easier. The Basic Chinese Characters 1 product, and this learning guide, is focused on helping learners recognize a specific set of over 286 basic words and associated characters. Tips and ideas to assist with learning each of characters and words that comprise the 16 word sets are included in the information in this Learning Guide. In many cases, these tips include building block information following the model used by the Heisig and Richardson approach to character learning to help make the characters easier to learn and remember. This work however is my own, and any errors, omissions or failings in my attempt to emulate even the template of their excellent work should not detract from your motivation to study their excellent system. Unlike this collection of common words, their system builds up so that every character beyond a minimal base set of shapes is built up from primitive components in an orderly, structured way. With Basic Chinese Characters one, we focus generally on high usage words, so many important components are introduced on the fly and reinforced through common occurrence in other elements within the sets of Wordz. Further, the brief twitter sized hints provided in the software point to cues in this text, but by themselves are too short to teach. Rather, they are designed to trigger memory of what can be learned from this guide. For more information on learning Chinese, and on our software tools, web-based learning resources and other products, visit us at www.chinese4beginners.com. You may also order physical copy of this book in rich and vivid color see our web site for more details. Thank you for purchasing our software! Harry Layman Spring 2011
References: Remembering the Kanji, by Dr. James W. Heisig, University of Hawaii Press, May 2007. Additional works with similar titles going back to his first edition of the basic system for Kanji in the 1987.
Remembering Simplified Hanzi, by Dr. James W. Heisig and Dr. Timothy W. Richardson, University of Hawaii Press, October, 2008. Chinese Characters, Dr. L. Wieger, S.J., Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1965. The first edition 1915; the second edition 1927. Translated from the French by L. Davrout, S.J. Analytic Dictionary of Chinese and Sino-Japanese, Dr. Bernhard Karlgren, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1974. Originally published in 1923.
"Grammata Serica, Dr. Bernhard Karlgren, The Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities No. 12, Stockholm, 1940; reprinted by Elanders Boktryckeri A.-B., Gothenburg, 1940. Additional links and information: www.chinese4beginners.com www.chinese4children.org www.wordzlianxi.com www.wenlin.com
(pao3) means run. The left side is a compressed form of , which means
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which means bag or wrap (sound: bao1). The character has the
meaning run which is derived from the meaning of the left side. And it has a sound derived from the right side. But of course, while foot and run are related, once does not imply the other. Similarly, pao sort of rhymes with bao but they are different tones. The sounds are close same final sound, similar initial sound. But one does not imply the other. So what we have are clues, not deterministic rules. As a result, it is more important for you to develop your own way of remembering what characters mean rather than remember specific, historical reasons for what they are and mean and sound like (which, often, are themselves only guesses). This is because learning to read will require you to recognize characters correctly, and quickly, but not that you know their correct histories, derivations or how they have changed since ancient times. Note also that some characters have multiple pronunciations, and sometimes each variation has its own meaning. These are relatively rare, and while we meet one or two in these lessons, we wont dwell on this issue. Example: in lesson 1 we have bicycle: This pronunciation for
as xing2, and it is associated with the meaning go or okay; it is quite , which is yin2hang2. In this case, when pronounced
common. For example, it is used in bu4xing2! for wont work!, not okay, wont go, etc. But equally common is the word for bank:
as hang2 means row, column or line. Luckily these sorts of things are rare (there are only a small number of such characters among the most common 1,500 characters.) Another example in Basic Chinese Characters 1 is which in sleep ()isgivenasJiao4,butinthinkor feel is (), or Jue2. These dual-pronunciation items are different from characters with a single pronunciation and multiple meanings, as we see with wait and meet (both ).
This text uses the term radicals, which are special, common word components in Chinese, and has been used to organize the words in the language for ages. Figuring out which element was the primary radical has long been the bane of learners using printed dictionaries; the rapid rise of electronic dictionaries has made radical-based lookup, and to some extent stroke order and proper stroke counting, less essential. It remains quite useful to know and understand how to write characters properly by hand, but much less so in an electronic world.
In this text (and often in the software hints) I sometimes refer to the following radicals by these names:
roadorgoradical:
, , ,
(this,connect,farandnear)
Connectisinlotusrootanddress.
(stop,body)
, , (riceorfood,dumpling,wanton)
, , , (speak,talk,words,who) , (oil,soup)
threedotwater:(from)
twodotwater"(from),
(cold,ice)
silk:leftsideof,(red,give)
wildortwistedsilk:bottomof,
(purple,vegetarian)
Triangle()noteupordownclouds,meetorbeable.(si1radical).
eyecomponent.SidewaysthisisNET. field.
metalorgold(from gold).evening.hill,moundorcity.
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Table of Contents
1. Set1OntheGo.......................................................................................................9 2. Set2BasicFoods1................................................................................................14 3. Set3Clothes1......................................................................................................19 4. Set4Adjectives1..................................................................................................23 5. Set5Adjectives2..................................................................................................27 6. Set6Verbs1.........................................................................................................32 7. Set7Verbs2.........................................................................................................37 8. Set8Queries1......................................................................................................42 9. Set9ShopEtc.......................................................................................................48 10. Set10Cooking....................................................................................................53 11. Set11EatOut.....................................................................................................58 12. Set12Dishes......................................................................................................62 13. Set13BodyWords.............................................................................................67 14. Set14Home+Family.........................................................................................72 15. Set15BasicFoods3............................................................................................77 16. Set16Queries2 ..................................................................................................82 17. SomeAdditionalCharacters ......................................................................................87
1.
Set 1 On the Go
This first word set (or Wordz) presents various means of transportation. Many are vehicles, so one expects the name to end in the character or Che1, which is the word for vehicle, and often used as American English speakers might use car. Qi4 che1 is more like automobile, or literally gas (powered) car, so sometimes this references is used to be more explicit. Ka3Che1 is truck, and the first character has the ka3 sound and is also used in other words where the Chinese word uses the ka3 sound to connote card credit cards and hotel room key cards are good examples. Jing3che1 for police car also follows this pattern, and illustrates another Chinese word forming pattern: The Jing3 in Jing3che1 comes from Jing in Jing3Cha2 (
) for police but as often the case, the first character of the word
for police is combined with the vehicle word to create the word for police vehicle. This will be a familiar pattern for example, the word or phrase for European-American is made from just the first characters of the word for Europe and America so (ou1zhou1) + (mei3guo2) = (ou1mei3). Other words in this set that end in Che1 include mo2tuo1che1, created as a transliteration of motor plus the character for vehicle. The Mo2 character is the word used for message which has a lean-to shelter above it, two little trees (sound for these as characters by themselves is mu3) under the shelter but above the character for hand). These three components - , (used twice) and , all combine to form . A quick glance might suggest that the two together almost form an M and can remind the reader of the mo sound, giving mo-che1 or motor-something-car (three characters means three symbols) hence this character must be the word for motorbike or motorcycle (mo2tuo1che1). A more sensible approach to learning Chinese characters might first teach the three components and some cases, their components first, building up to complex characters like the mo2 () which is exactly what the Heisig-Richardson and Matthews-Matthews approaches do in the books referenced in the introduction. Some additional observations about the words in this set:
Dian4()forelectricorelectronicisafrequentcharacterinmanymodern words.
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Additional mnemonics for remembering other on the go characters are presented below, followed by the pictures for the set:
Hanzi
Pinyin
Zi4xing2che1
Char-bychar
Self Action Vehicle
English
Bicycle
Notes
Actionisxing2dong4using but hasmultiplemeaningsandpronunciations. Thezi4()characterforselfcanbe visualizedasapersonpointingtotheirown foreheadbetweentheeyes(mu4or)is thecharacterandwordthatmeanseye seelesson13).
Fei1ji1
Flying Machine
Airplane
Eachcharinthiscasecanbeusedbyitselffor themeaningsindicated:fei1()meansfly; ji1()meansmachine.Notalwaysthecase (e.g.carpetinEnglishhasnothingtodowith carsorpets)!Notethatfei1canbeseen asastickdrawingofacrane,alargebirdof China,facingleft,withtwowingsonitsback. byitselfcanbehowmanywhen pronouncedji3(risingfallingtone),or smalltablewhenpronouncedji1(high leveltone).Thinkofthenasamachine builtwithwood(andsoormuscle(ji1), mustbeamachinemadeofflesh(thinkof asmoonorpartsofthebody/flesh,aswe willseeagaininset3andset5,andthemany bodywordsofset13).
or
Chuan2
Boat
Boat
Che1
Car
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
vapororgas.
Ka3che1 Kart-Car Truck
mo2tuo1che 1
Mo-tuo car
Motorcycle
dian4dong4c he1
Ebike
Dian4ti1
Electric Ladder
Elevator
Di4tie3
Earth Iron
Subway
Gong1gong4 qi4che1
Bus
Chong1lang4 ban3
Surfboard
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
characteriswoodortree(),theright sidefan3())whichcontributestothe soundwhichisofcourseban3(rhymes withfan3).meansturnovereasy topictureasurfboarderdoingthat!
Jing3che1 Police Car PoliceCar Hua2ban3 Slide Board Skateboard
Hua2xue3ban 3
Skis
Note there are 3 words ending in Ban3 (). Hua2 here is slippery, smooth, slide, etc. Can mean cunning, crafty The top of the character for snow means rain ( ); the bottom was a symbol for hand frozen rain you can sweep holding a broom is snow. From dugout canoe, Du2mu4 is transliteration of dugout that uses the wood character) and zhou3 () is the left side of the boat character we started with (see above) two-seater canoe pointing up. Straightforward compound word. Left character () is water radical () next to the character for water itself () meaning ice; right character is standard character for Knife. Xiao1fang2 means fire prevention, from two characters meaning disappear and guard or protect (but also embankment). Di1fang2, using this Fang2, is the common word for place. So fire prevention vehicle. (Fire prevention = protect from disappearance?) Jiu4hu4 means give first-aid; rescue or relieve. The middle character hu4 is also used in Nurse: (hu4shi) (note: for scholar differs from for earth / dirt. )
Du2mu4zhou 3
Du Wood Boat
Canoe
Bing1dao1
Ice Knife
IceSkates
Xiao1fang2ch e1
Fireengine
Jiu4hu4che1
Ambulance
The jing3 here is from jing3cha2 (), which means police. Its components are respect ( ) over () or yan2, words.The word for respect: znjng
The characters and pictures for this set are included in the table below.
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13
2.
In this second set of words we will see several characters repeated, and which can help us to recognize food words not in the set. These include:
Guo3orwhichmeansfruit.Thischaractermeansfruit.Thewordforfruitis ,literallywaterfruit.ItappearsinoursetinthewordsforApple,butis alsousedinthewordsfororchard,fruitjuice,fruittree,rind,andnutrelated words,andinwordswherefruitisusedasinthefruitofyourlabor.Fruitis composedoffield()overtree(). Xiang1orasinfragrant,scentedorappetizing.ThisisthesameXiang1asin Xiang1Gang3orHongKongasitisknownbysome(thecharactersareliterally fragrantharbor).Thiswillappearinthewordforcilantro(orcorianderforthe British)andBananahere,butalsoinwordsforsesame,fennel,andasanise.Xiang1 lookslikegrainmadepungentbybeingleftinthesun(,) Dou4orwhichmeansbeanwhichwewillseelaterinDou4fu()for Tofu,andisusedinsoybean(),literallybigbean(da4dou4).Inthissetitis usedinthewordforpeas,potatoandstringbeans.Thecharacterhasanoriginina pictureoffoodorvessel.
Gua1or
isthewordformelon,andgivesusthewordsfordong1qua1or
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variouskindsandtheircomponentsandbyproducts.Huanggua()or yellowmeloniscucumber.
Information on the characters for set 2 is presented below, followed by the characters and pictures.
Hanzi
Pinyin Char-by-char
ping2guo 3 Apple fruit
English Notes
apple Grainorplantradical( as in ) overthe characterwhichmeanslevelfollowedby charforfruit.Notethatthefruitcharisfield( )overatree(). Rememberxiang1forfragrant(seeabove). Otherthanthecluefromfragrant,notmuch togoontorememberthisone.Youwillmeet( )inSet8aspartofothercharacters;here withagrassradicalaboveandfirebelow,the birdwithashorttailmightbesittingina bananatree!
xiang1jia o1
Fragrant plantain
banana
tao2zi
Peach noun-marker.
peach
mi2hou2t ao2
kiwi
Fewfruitshaveexoticthreecharacternames,so thenameforthisexoticfruitfromNewZealand isalsomemorable.Eventhoughkiwiactually originatedinChina.Andmi2hou2isarhesus monkey,sowehaveamonkeypeachasbeing thewordforkiwi.Ifthathelps. Twocharactersunderthegrain/plantradical: thefirstlookslikeamorningflower()and thesecondthewordforevery()(seeset 9).Everymorningflowerunderplantsigns= Strawberry
cao3mei2
Grass Berry
Strawberry
mi3fan4
Rice Food
rice
yu4mi3
Jade Rice
corn
Hanzi
Pinyin Char-by-char
fan1qie2 Fan1qie2
English Notes
(wang2andhuang2) socorncanbe rememberedasakindofyellowrice. tomato Thefirstcharacterlookslikealid,ontopofrice ()ontopofafield().Thesecond characterlookslikethewordaddorjia1() underthegrain/plantradical(). The qie2 character is also the first character of eggplant, below. Another word for tomato is or xi1hong2 shi4 and those characters are west red persimmon which is maybe easier - or not.
tu3dou4
Earth Bean
potato
Earthbeanisgood,andwehaveseeneachof thesetwocharactersinothercontextssubway =earth+iron,andTofu(set10)andotherbean words. Twogoodcharacterstoknow,andapopular foodconsumedinChina.Remembertheshape oftheGua1characterassprawlingplantson thegroundbeforesquash,melons,etcstartto grow. Thefirstcharacteristhekeyitlookslikeacar( )ontheroad(outerpartof )underthe plantradical.Thinkofthehighlyinterconnected lotusrootleavestorememberthisgreatdish fromHangzhou. Vegetablebean.Twoimportantcharacters,one easyword.Acommoningredientandeveryday food. Basicredpotato.Redismadefromsilk() andwork():.Visualizedyeingsilkredfor useinChinesefestivals.Yam(alsoinset15)is moredifficultitshowsthegrainradicalovera netoveroronewho..soonewhonets food? TheYu2character()isusedfortaro.Itshows aplantradicaloveracommonsurnamewith thesamepronunciation:yu2().Thesecond characterisusedforheadandlookslikea stickfiguremovingtotheright.Seeset13for headandhair(,).Mr.Yu2shead. Thefirstcharacteriscomposedofaleftside (dou4,orbean)andarightsidethathasthe soundofwan1)butwhosemeaningdoesnt matter(weatherwelookator).Andthe secondcharacterisagainbean.Sothisbasic beanbeanwordmeanspeaabasickindof bean. 16
nan2gua1
South Melon
pumpkin
lian2ou3
Lotus Root
Lotus root
cai4dou4
Vegetable Bean
String beans
hong2shu 3
Red Yam
Sweet potato
yu4tou
Yu2 Head
taro
wan1dou 4
Wan1 bean
peas
Hanzi
Pinyin Char-by-char
jiu3cai4 Flowered-garlic, Vegetable
English Notes
chives Thefirstcharacterisforfloweringgarlicor Chinesechives;thefigureissaidtocome fromthegrowingleavesoftheplant.The secondcharacterisourfriendvegetable. Twokeywordsandcharacters.Grainhe2() oversun()getsFRAGRANT.Seediscussion above.
Xiang1cai 4
Fragrant vegetable
Cilantro
Qin2cai4
Celery Vegetable
Celery
Qin2showsjin1(),abasicunitofmeasure, nowahalfkilogram,underaGRASSradical.
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3.
Set 3 Clothes 1
In this third set of words we will see several characters repeated, and which can help us to recognize words generally. These include:
Yi1or,whichisageneralwordforclothesorgarment.Itcanappearas
The words in the set and some clues to help remember their shape are presented in the table below.
Hanzi
Pinyin
han4shan1
Char-bychar
sweat shirt
English
tshirt
Notes
Thisisatshirtorunlined,upperbody garment.Thinkoftheleftsideasawet person(stickfigure,waterradicaltoleft). Shan1isasquishedformofYiorfor clothingontheleftsidewith on the right (think of a drying wind). Shirtorblouse.Thefirstcharacterhastheleft sidewhichisthesameastheshan1character ontherightasquishedformofYifor clothing,thistimepairedwitharightsideof or cun4 for inch (visualize a hand with thumb and forefinger separated). Thetwocharacterscombinetomakethe meaningoftheword. HereYi1forclothesiscombinedwithku4( )forthesound(meanswarehouse).The 19
/ T
wai4yi1 ku4zi
coat pants
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
characterisacarinafactory( in )= warehouse,butonlythesoundisusedhere; meaningisfromtheleftside(clothes).
duan3ku4
Short Pants
shorts
wa4zi
End-Clothes noun-marker
socks
xie2zi
Shoe nounmarker
shoes
tuo1xie2
Pull shoes
slippers
qun2zi
Skirt nounmarker
skirt
lian2yi1qun2
dress
wei2jin1
Surround cloth
scarf
20
Hanzi
Pinyin
yao1dai4
Char-bychar
Waist belt
English
belt
Notes
Theyao1characterisaconfusionofthings but isyao4forwantand isyue4for monthorflesh(aswithbodyparts).Moon wantdoesntgetclosetowaistforme butstudiesshowchangesovertimefroma womanfigurewithhandsonherwaist (body).Woman()canstillbeseenonthe bottomrightsideofthischaracter.Dai4 alsohasmanymeaningsanduses,butbelt andbringarethetoptwo(alongwithzone andcarry).
yu3san3
Rain umbrella
umbrella
mao4zi
hat
chuan1yi1
Todress
yan3jing4
eyeglasses
yi1fu
Clothes Service
clothes
shou3tao4
Hand cover
gloves
The characters and pictures for set three are presented below.
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4.
Set 4 Adjectives 1
Key words in this set that will help with learning other words include the following:
And you will see below characters for Red and Short, both of which have already appeared as part of other words we have reviewed. Red will appear yet again (in,afamousdish). The table below lists the words in set 4 with information to help you remember and understand them. Afterward, the pictures for the set are printed.
Hanzi
Pinyin
hong2
Char-bychar
Red
English
red
Notes
As described before, think of silk () being dyed at work () and what says work better than a steel ibeam? for use in Chinese festivals (always a sea of red). The first character by itself can be the noun for indigo plant. With the second character, which means color, it means blue. Compare with lan2, , meaning basket and used in lan2jiu2 or basketball. The color lan2, derived from the indigo plant, has the grain radical on top, whereas basket lan2 has the bamboo radical on top as a woven object. 23
lan2se4
Indigo color
blue
Hanzi
Pinyin
huang2 bai2
Char-bychar
Yellow White: drop on the sun. Black or dark
English
yellow white
Notes
Almost looks like a person. Sometimes followed by se4 (color), which helps make it easier to recognize. The character or ri4 means day, and is a picture of the sun with a dot in the middle, made square. Now with a drop (of fire?) on it, it means white. I think of this as a front on view of a black cat seated, looking at me with those eyes. The four little paws might also be the fire radical Here notice the hot coals or flames below the character. This fire radical will be part of other characters, often where the heat is relevant. Sometime fire looks more like the full form character. Above the fire I think I see hand in squished form () and meaning pill or pellet. So we can think of hands throwing coals into the fire to keep it going.
hei1
black
re4
hot
leng3
cold
cold
Left side is the left side of ice, (set 11, ) or two dot water radical; and the right side or ling4, for make or cause. Wen1 by itself can mean warm; it has components water, sun and container (, & ). Nuan3 can mean warm, genial, and is made from (ri4) 'sun' and (yuan2) 'drag', as in the days get warm when the sun drags on. This character has the two-dot water radical next to the familiar character for capital, as in north capital or Beijing (formerly Peking):
wen1nuan3
Warm warm
Warm
liang2
she1wet
Cool: watercapital (Beijing, a cool place) Wet: water and sun on two flowers growing
Cool
wet
This character decomposes as water (three dot, or standard water radical) followed by xian2 or appear, , which is itself made up of day or sun and ye4 or commerce which looks like two flowers growing. Hence: water makes the flowers grow in the sun and makes things WET.
Lv4se4
Green Color
green
Contains silk radical what must be a green plant growing out of a variant of water (normally ). The left hand side of the first char is a squished form of yi1 for clothes; the right hand side is a rare component used in drink and thirsty. The left hand character he4 by itself means coarse cloth, as might have once been called a gunnysack or potato sack. Hence coarse cloth color or brown. Hint: the only color that starts with a cloth radical. 24
he4se4
Potato-sack Color
brown
Hanzi
Pinyin
cheng2se4
Char-bychar
Orange color
English
orange
Notes
The left character means orange as in fruit; the character signals its origin with a left hand side meaning tree (mu4) . The right hand side of the left character is ascend. Climb and orange tree is our clue the only color that starts with the tree radical.
zi3se4
Purple color
purple
The top of the left character is or this (ci3); the bottom is a form of the silk character. The sound, zi3 is close to ci3. The only color beside red with a silk radical.
hui1se4
Grey color
grey
An easy one: a fire under a roof causes smoke; the color of smoke. can also mean dust.
gao1
Tall
tall
As discussed above, a widely used concept word. The picture, too, is a concept: something tall / stacked up.
duan3
Short: arrowbean.
short
Short was used in set 3 short pants or shorts. The right hand side is bean, used often in set 2. Shooting and arrow at a bean, it seems, refers to something short.
chang2
long
long
Historically, might be long hair tied with an ornament. Means long or lasting. Every city in China it seems has a long peace or chang2an1 () boulevard Long and Lasting Peace being the fondest hope of the Chinese people.
The characters and pictures for set four are presented below.
25
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5.
Set 5 Adjectives 2
This set contains additional adjectives. Key words or characters in this set include:
Kuai4asin()isaverycommonsoundandwordcomponent,inpartbecauseof thepopularityoftwoothercharactersinthesamefamily,withthesame pronunciation(initialsound,finalsoundANDtone).Thecharacter means fast.Theleftpartisacompressedformoftheheartradical()whilethe rightpartlookslikeda4orBig()withabentcrossstrokethroughit(likethe oneseeninfive:wu3or ).IvisualizethischaracterasaBigperson,a marathonrunnerwithgreatHEARTrunningandcarryingalongscrollormessage (whichisthebentcrossstroke).Thestoryandthecharacterremindsme wherethewordmarathoncomesfrom.Butnotealsothatkuai4zi(withanoun markerattheend)arewhatwecallChopsticks,andthiskuai4isthesame characterexceptthatitalsohasabambooradicalontop,signifyingawooden artifact().Anothercommonwordforapieceofsomethinglikemoneyis kuai4asinnotethelefthandsideisnowaformof orearth,asina pieceofearth,achunk,aclodofdirt.Lastly,happyiskuai4leor
, so
isNot,averyimportantdistinctioninanysentence!Soundslikeboo
, whichisaperson(twoleggedstickfigure,asyoumightdowithyour
ownhandwalkingonatabletop);Bigorapersonwitharmsoutstretchedtolook big,perhapstoscareoffpredators;skyorheavenssothereisnowaline abovetheheadofapersonwitharmsoutstretched;andlastlyhusbanda personwithfourarms,tobetterhelpthemcarefortheirspouse.
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& . Inthissetitisusedasthefirstpartofthewordforlost:.
formally,itisthegoradicalorchao4().
The complete group of words in this set is described below. Hanzi Pinyin Char-by-char English Notes
More
miao2tiao
Seedlingtwig Thin
Miao2showsagrainradicaloveraricefield(
pang4
Fatorplump
Fat
Flesh(ormoon)is();therighthandside (ban4)meanshalfandcontributestothe sound.Fleshandahalf==>plump. Leftcharacteristhewordfast(below);theright sideisliketreewithacrookedhatontop(abit tipsy?). Notanadjective,thiswordmeansgetangry. Sheng1canmeangivebirth,grow,causeto happen,life,etc.(birthdayissheng1ri4).This qi4isliketheqi4incarqi4che()but withoutthelefthandwaterradical.Thinkofa womanshoutingvaporsduringchildbirthtohelp rememberthismeansgetangry.
kuai4le4
Fastpleasure Happy
sheng1qi4
Birthvapor
Angry
28
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-by-char
English
Notes
qiang2
Strong
strong
Theleftsideisabigstrongbowforarchery;the rightsideisobscureandletsthinkofitasperson holdingthebowaSTRONGperson.This charactermightbeonyourapplianceforthe highsetting. Thismeansweakorfeeble,soyoucanthinkof thisasadrawingofthewingsofayoungbird,not yetbigandstrong.Thischaractermightbeonthe loworweaksettingofyourdryerorheater. Womannu3()nexttochildzi3().Astheu innu3hasanumlautandispronouncedwith curledtongue,itisproperlyshownasnv3(witha v)inpinyin.Bothcharacters(orhalvesofthis char)aresomewhatpictographic. Huai4meansbadorbroken.Spoiled.Notgood leftoutontheground(earth)andspoiled. Zui4formostcanbeusedtomodifyother adjectivesbad,close,faretc.WhenIlookatthis characterIseedayorsun()overear() nexttoagain().IthinkofmyMOSTfavorite musicIwanttohearagainanyday.
ruo4
Weak
Weak
hao3
Good
good
huai4
bad
zui4hao3
best
bu4cuo4
Notwrong
Notbad
Cuo4meanswrongandacommonexpression forprettygoodisbu4cuo4(thecinpinyinis trickyatfirstworthseriousstudy).Seeseparate infooneachofthesecharactersinthisset. Averyveryimportantcharacterandword.I visualizeabirdflyingwronglyintotheceiling andbeingstopped.NO!itcantflyupintothesky THROUGHtheceiling!!Notethatthecharacteris pronouncedwithafallingtoneBu4butwhen precedingafourthtone(asinbu4cuo4or bu4dui4)itispronouncedwitharisingtone:bu2. Asnotedintheintro,aheartradicalontheleft, stickfiguringrunningamarathonwithgreat heart,carryingascrollacrosshisbodygiveus kuai4forFAST. Mi3ismadefromthecharacterforrice,mi3( )ontheroadradical.Ifthebirdseattherice trailyouareleavingontheroad,youwillbe LOST.Thesecondcharacter,lu4,isonalmost
29
bu4
Not
not
kuai4
Fast
fast
mi2lu4
Loseroad
lost
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-by-char
English
da4
Big
Apersonwiththeirarmsspreadwide, indicatinglargeortryingtoappearbig. Useformicroortiny(Microsoftiswei1ruan3 usingthischaracter).Acomplexthreepart character,trytomakeyourownstoryoutof thisone.Componentsmightbefootsteps() andstrike();withperhapsmountain() andoneinthemiddleabove().Remember thatbigisasmallorsimplecharacter,and thatTINYiscomplexwithmanystrokes
wei1
Tiny
dui4
Right
Correct
Madeofagain()andinch(),thinkof measuretwice,cutonceasagoodruleof thumbformakingsureyouareRIGHTbefore youtakeanactionyoucannotfix. Theleftside()isacompressedformof gold()ormetal;therightsidelookslike twoadjacentearths()overthesun(). AsaGOLDstandard,earthoverthesun,instead ofvisaversa,isjustWRONG! Ithinkitisbesttoremembera)theheart radicalontheleft;andb)somethingthatlooks likeajollyroundishmaninaclownsuit walkingslowing(maybetheheartradicalisa walkingsticktohelphim).Therightsidebeing astackofsun,sidewayseyeornet,and bottomsittingagainjustdoesntlead anywhereworthwhileinanalyzingtheoriginof thischaracter.Note:wheneveryouleavea restaurant,andperhapssomeoneshouse,they maysayman4zou3walkslowly.Thereis noEnglishequivalent.Itremindsmeofyoung studentsaskingmehowtosayhaveanice dayinChinese.Youcouldbutyouwouldget verystrangelooks.
cuo4
Wrong
Wrong
man4
Slow
slow
30
31
6.
Set 6 Verbs 1
The words in this set illustrate the following key concepts for learning Chinese characters:
Kou3,or, representsmouth,oropening(asinthemouthofariver).Thisis foundintwoofouronecharacterwordsforsing() andkiss (),whichboth involvethemouthdirectly,andinthewordforexit(orgooutofthemouth). Chu1(),oremit/goout,isaverb;writtenaschu1kou3or,thiswordis thenounforexitandoftenseenonsigns. Zhao3dao4,or(),representsanexampleofcombiningtwoonecharacter words,bothinthissetseek()andarrive()intoanewwordfind,which seemsverylogical:seekingtothemomentofarrivalatwhatyouseek,givesyou find.
and .
Ofcourse,theconnectiontolanguageisless
preciseforwordslikeplease,count,theory(butinthisinstancecanmean talkabout)andremember(,
, , ).
Notes
Thischaracterlookslikeandtome,which wouldbeking(wang2)andmoney(yuan2)or primary.VisualizeaKingplayingwithhismoney.
Hanzi
Pinyin
wan2
Char-bychar
play
English
play
lai2
come
come
32
Hanzi
Pinyin
qu4
Char-bychar
Go
English
go
Notes
Iprefertoseethischaracterasapersonridinga bicycle,orashipcomingstraightatme.Itis composedof (orearth)on whichisa radicalbyitself,butmostfamiliarin and : cloudandtransport(cloudsonroad). is alsofoundin , and, butwithnoeasy associationIcanexplain.
zhao3dao4
Seek+arrive
find
Thecombinationofseekandarrive;seethe individualcharacters,describedinthisset.
jin4
Enter
enter
chu1kou3
Leave + egress
exit
zhao3
Seek: hand+spear
seek
dao4
Arrive or until
arrive
reng1
throw
throw
Theleftsideisthehandradical,whichisourbest clue.Thinkoftherightsideasafishingpollandline youcastwithaTHROWingmotion.Therightside, , is most familiar from the word for milk: (nai3).
wen3
Kiss
kiss
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
left).Therighthandsidebyitselfwouldmean donot!(wu3)andisseenonnosmoking signs.
kan4
See or look
look
du2
Read
read
chang4
Sing
sing
xiao4
laugh
laugh
Herethe (yao1)lookslike (tian1),except notethetophorizontalstrokeslopesdowntothe left(inxiao4).Imagineapersonslightlybentin laughter,armsoutstretchedwithabamboo radicaloverhead.Perhapsinthiscasethe bambooappearstobeeyes,squintingin laughter. Theleftsideofpao3isacompressedformof orfoot.Therightside isbao3andmeans wrap.
pao3
Run: foot-wrap.
run
zou3
Walk
walk
Hanzi
Pinyin
fei1
Char-bychar
Fly
English
fly
Notes
ThewordforflightinChinacomesfromasimple stickfigureofaCrane,headfacingleft,tail slightlyup,wingssymbolizedbythepairof strokesontheback. Theleftsideis,asinclaw(zhao3).Thisisthe samezhao3asinfeng4zhao3,whileliterally meaningphoenixclaw,itisthechickenfeet widelyconsumedasfood.Therightsideis ba2,indicatingthepa2soundherefortheword. Also,noticehowgua1()ormelon(settwo)is differentfrom zhao3orclaw!
pa2
Climb
climb
35
36
7.
Set 7 Verbs 2
Chi1()andhe1()foreatanddrinkbothhavekou3()ontheleftside,as theyinvolvethemouth.
Zuo4()forsitisusedbothasintakeaseatandasinrideatrain.Further confusioncancomefromthethreecommoncharacters/wordspronouncedzou4:
, , . Thefirsttwowordsmeandoormake,butthefirstismostly
usedinthesenseofmanufactureorproduce(theverb);whereasthelatteris usedinthesenseofdoing,asinhomeworkoremployment( or).To makemattersworse(orjustpotentiallymoreconfusingforthebeginner),the samesound(initialandfinal,zuo)withadifferenttone,isusedforthecommon wordsyesterday(2ndtone)andleft(3rdtone):() and . Solistenfor thosetones! Ting2()inpark,whichmeansliterallystopcar,hasalefthandsideperson radical.Notethat istheformofwhenitappearsaspartofacharacter.Note alsothedifferencefrom,whichisstepforward(andfoundatthebeginningof tinyorwei4()and()xing2/hang2.
37
Hanzi
Pinyin
shuo1
Char-bychar
Say
English Notes
speak Theleftsidecluesthewordhastodowithwords;the rightsideshowssoundscomingupoutofthemouth() overaperson(legsforthebodyareshowas ).
zuo4
Sit
sit
kai1che1
drive
Che1forvehiclewascoveredinset1.Someremember kai1fromitsoriginfromtwohandsreachingfromthe sidestoremoveaboltfromthedoor;othersthinkofthe OPENingcreatedbydrawingbackaBow(wherethe middlelineisthearrow). Itmighthelptoknowthattheleftandrightpartsare Che1forvehicleand or zhuan1 for special, but I recommend seeing the followed by squiggles for TURNing.
zhuan3
turn
turn
ting2che1
Stop - car
park
ku1
To cry
Tocry
pa4
to fear
Tofear
Lefthandsideisheartradical( becomes ; dont confuse it with tree: ). Right side is white (from set 4, drop of / on the sun). Heart races; skin goes white (pale) > when you become afraid. 38
Hanzi
Pinyin
chou1yan 1
Char-bychar
take out from + smoke; emit smoke
English Notes
Smoke (cigarettes, pipe,etc) Chou1hashandradical()nexttofrom();the rightsideillustratesthemeaning(takeoutfrom).Yan1is seenalloverChinaatplacessellingcigarettes.Itmeans smokeorCigarette,andembodiescausefire.Itis madefromfire()andcause().Further: yin1wei4 means because (set 8, next).
ti1zu2qiu2 Kick-foot-ball
Play soccoer
Qiu2meansballandisusedinmanysportswords,from pingpongtobasketball.Ti1hasthesameleftsideas or, and zu2 for kick is quite similar to walk () (both in set 6). Try to remember foot and ball; the rest will fit together easily.
Playtennis
you2yong 3
Swim-swim
swim
chi1
Eat
eat
Thischaractercombinesmouthwithqi3forbeg(), whichsuggestseating.
he1
Drink
drink
This character combines mouth with he2 () which is a general question word (how? Why?) In this case, the mouth is drinking.
shui4jiao4
Sleep-perceive
sleep
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English Notes
bottomisJian4()orsee,asinthecommonparting wordsseeyouagain,seeyoulaterorliterally againseezai4jian4().Twofourth(falling)tones helpdistinguishshui4jiao4fromshui3jiao3() whichareboileddumplings!
qi3chuang 2
Getup; arise
zhan4li4
Station - stand
Standup
Thefirstcharacterzhan4meansstandandisusedin trainstation/standorhuo3che1zhan4() whichwouldthenbefirecarstationoractually railwaystation.Noticethatleftpartofzhan4that givesitthemeaningstationorstandisitselfa character,theoneontherightli4orstand().Can meanstandorerect.Withtwostandshere,thisis easytoassociatewithstandup. Luo4isnotastraightforwardcharacter.Grainradical ontop,waterradicalontheside.Remainderofthe characterisge4(),whichmeanseach.Eachseed ofgrainordropofwater?Hmm.Isuggestmaking yourownstoryforthisone.
luo4
fall
da3
hit
40
41
8.
Set 8 Queries 1
Set eight contains some words that are very helpful in forming sentences that are questions. Not that in Chinese, one way of forming a question is to add the question particle to the end of an otherwise declarative sentence. So this is your wife becomes is this your wife? when ma () is added to the end of the sentence. Declaration: Zhe4 shi4 ni3 de tai4tai. Or . Question: ? (Zhe4shi4ni3detai4taima?).Notethatsentencesthatarequestionsbyvirtueofthe factthattheyusespecificquestionswords,suchaswhen,whereorwhattimeorhowmany (asinhowmanypeopleareinyourfamily)donotneedamainterrogativeparticleattheend. Otherimportantaspectsofthiswordsetareasfollows:
Shen2me()representsthebasicconceptofwhat,andisusedbothinthe wordsforwhenandwhy.
Chi1()andhe1()foreatanddrinkbothhavekou3()ontheleftside,as theyinvolvethemouth.
Explanationsandmemoryaidsforthewordsinset9follow.
Hanzi
Pinyin
shui2
Char-bychar
who
English Notes
who Scholarssaytherightsideevolvedfromthedrawing ofashorttailbird.Itisanimportantcharacter componentsofindingawaytorememberitisuseful saytherackoffeathersonthebackofabird whosebeakyouseeonthetopleft,andanextra headfeatherleaningforward.Thatthisuseofshort tailbirdhavingthewordradicalcanbe yourcluethatthissymbolicwordisaplaceholder fortheunknownbirdwho. Theleftcharacter,Shen2,hasalefthandperson radicalandarightsideoftenhencetenpeople who,inthiscase,formWhat(wedontknow WHATthetenpeoplearefor).Themecharacter aftershen2isasuffixcharacterthatformsvarious adverbsandinterrogativesitdoesntoccurby itself.Thispairisahighfrequencyword. Bothcharactershereareimportant.Na3()has threecomponents:Mouth,somethingthatalmost lookslikemonthbutisnot,andthentheBA componentthathasameaningofHillormound associatedwithit.Sowehavemouthand 43
shen2me
what
Na3li
Loosely: whichplace
where
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English Notes
not.Inset9weseethatbyitselfis that,andwhenfollowedbyanrsounds,is there().ItisasifourMOUTHwantstoask whereisthisspecialmoonhangingoverahill withstreamershangingoff.WHERE????The characterhereis,whenbyitself,pronouncedwitha 3rdtone,andcanmeaninside,aswellasvillage/ hometown/nativeplace.Itsuseasvillage derivesfromitstwocomponentsfield()and earth().Afieldontheearthaparticularplace.
Whattime
when
Seethediscussionofwhatinthissetand shi2houfortimeinset9.
Onaccount ofwhat?
why
ForWei4,thinkoforli4whichmeans strengthorpower,picturedasanelephant. Perhapsthehorizontalstrokethatextends rightwardandcurlsdownisthepowerfulelephants trunk.Thenunderstandthetwocharacters (dian4ordrops)ashandsplacedonthesideofthe elephanttoGUIDEit().Givingitareason,aWHY, togoinaparticulardirection.Guidingtheelephant signifyingwhy. Firstcharacterisda()insideasurround, representingabed().Abigmanlyingona mattressprovidesthemanifestationoftheabstract BECAUSEWHYishejustlyingdown?BECAUSE! (hecan?)Toreinforcetheconceptofcausality,we alsofindthesecondcharacterofwei4,usedin why.
yin1wei
Causeon accountof
because
should
Ying2()deriveshistoricallyfromacharacterthat wasparteagle,partheart,gettingatanoble notionofdutyorshould.Nowthesimplified characterlookslikeanabstractofsomethingthree flowers?growingunderafactoryshed(,or chang3)thathasachimneytoletoutmoistureand circulateair.ThreeflowersSHOULDgrowinthe shed. Gai1isjustamesswehavethewordradicalon theleft(),andthephonetichai1ontheright( )whichwealsoseeelsewhereinthewordforkids 44
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English Notes
orhai3zi().Sinceitwonthelptodescribethis symbolasderivedfromtwelfthandlastinthecycle ofanimals,orboar,onceagainweleavethejobof creatingastorytothestudent.
zong3shi 4
TotalIs
always
Zong3()asasimplifiedcharacterlooksliketwo earsorhornsontopofafaceontopoftheheart radical.Itstraditionalformisfarmorecomplex,and soagainwewillignorethehistoricalderivation. Envisioninsteadabisontwohorns,bigface,and body(withabigheart)thatwasALWAYSpresent ontheGreatPlainsofAmerican.Atleastuntilthey werent.Buttheyareback.Andyoucaneatthemat Teds.Shi4inthiscaseistheveryimportantand perhapsnumber2frequencywordafterde() thewordIS.Learnit.Thefinalchapter,extrawords, givesaderivationforthischaractersform. Thecong2character,from,ismadeoftwopeople, onefollowingtheother,walkingFROMtheirvillage. Lai2forCOMEisdefinedinset6,andbu4forNOTis definedinset5.representstheadverbialat alltimes,always,sotheNOTofthatisnever.
cong2lai2 bu4
Atalltimes NOT
never
you3shi2 hou
Have(at) times
deng3
wait
Thebambooradicaloveracharacterthatisitself earth()overinch().Wesawinchasa componentofshirtinset3;andearthaspartof potatoinset2.Wealsosawthebambooradicalover ()inkuai3ziorchopsticksinset5andxiao3or laughinset6.Sinceearthoverinchgivesussi4 ortemple(),wecanthinkofpatientmonks waitingandprayingalldayatthetemple(madeof bamboo). Haveissymbolizedhereasthecombinationof rightside(meansright,anditborrowsthe crossinglines)andmoon(orflesh)whichis(). Sotobeontherightsideofthemoonistobein favorwiththegodsandHAVEgoodfortune,and hencemanythings.
you3
have
have
45
Hanzi
Pinyin
yi1dian1
Char-bychar
Onedot
English Notes
Alittle Thecomponent()occursinthecharactersfor storeandstand( and )dian4andzhan4. Thinkofitasapotwithaventedlidonitinthis case,sittingonafire.Thedotsarethedropletsof hotsoupthatcomeoutofthevent.
bang1zhu 4
help
Bang1meanshelp;thebottomcomponent()is jin1orcloth(seescarfinset3).Zhu4ismadefrom qie3()andli4forstrength()andalsomeans help.Rememberonecomponentoneachside cloth,powertorecognizethisword. Ke3containskou3()andispartofthewordsfor maybe(ke3neng2)andbut(ke3shi4).Yi3isa smallandimportantcharacterwithmanyuses:in thewordsforafter(yi3hou4),therefore(suo3yi3), aswellas(yi3ji2),before(yi3qian2),think incorrectly(yi3wei2).Soifyouarenotallowedto speakbu4ke3yi3();ifyoudontknowhow toospeakChinesebu4hui4shuo1guo2yu3( ).
ke3yi3
Mayusing
Can/may
hui4
Beable,or meet
Beable
gei3
Give
give
qian2
money
money
46
47
9.
This set contains a variety of words that can be useful when shopping: talking about it, doing it or thinking about it. We will start to see more and more connections between the 288 words and hundreds of characters used in this set.
Hanzi
Pinyin
mai3
Char-bychar
Buy
English
buy
Notes
Thetraditionalcharacterismorelikeanetover money,buthasevolved,thenbeensimplified,so nowitisjustahorizontalstrokewithhook (fragmentforbent,sometimeszhe2)overhead ()ortou2(seeset13also).Irememberthenet (tocatchmoney)asdroopinglikeavolleyballnet, givingthecharacterthethirdfallingrisingtone.
mai4
Sell
Sell
dong1xi
Eastwest
Thing
Eastandwestareimportantcharactersby themselves,oftenusedtosignifythingsfrom orientalandoccidental,orofthefareastor thewest(westerncivilization).Eastlookslikea combinationofche1forvehicleandjing1for capital( and);westlooksalittlelikejiu3 or()foralcoholicdrink.Someseethesun shiningoverthehorizonaboveatree(henceinthe EAST);andforWEST,abirdsittingonanest(since birdsgotoroostwhenthesunsets).Shen2me dong1xiiswhatthingorsomething.
zhe4
This
This
na4
That
That
48
Hanzi
Pinyin
zhe4xie1
Char-bychar
This(plural)
English
these
Notes
Xie()canmeansome,sozhe4xieisafrequent formforindicatingthese.Thexie1characteris composedof()forci3,meaningthis(partof ru2ci3forlikethis,forexample)and()for two,asinmultiplethisthese.
dou1
All
all
mei3
Every
every
duo1shao Manyfew
Howmuch
nan2ren2
Maleperson
man
nv3ren2
Femaleperson
woman
Astickfigurewoman,distinguishedfrom()or genericpersonbythesubstantialbodyportion, symbolicofchildbearingcapacity.Notethepinyin hereavee(V)indicatingausoundwith umlaut(orcurledtongue).Thatis,insteadof, weuseVwhichcanbecombinedwithtone markswithlesscomplication. Thehai2characteriscomposedofthe()zi3or childcharactercombinedwith()thelastofthe twelveheavenlybranches(andasymbolicdrawing ofaboar).Alsousedinxiao3hai2r()for littleone/smallchild.
hai2zi
Child(noun marker)
kids
49
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
open
Notes
Starttheday,turnon,begin.See()kai1in enter(set6)anddrive(set7).Thetwohands reachinguptoopenthedoorbyremovingthebolt acrossitdiscussedbysomescholarsis unconvincing;anarcherabouttoshootanarrow worksbetterforme.Theuseof()fordooris moreidiographic.Themen2characterusedto makethewordsIandyoupluralis()this onewithapersonradicaltotheleftaperson standingbythedoor.
kai1men2 Opendoor
guan1me n2
Closedoor
Close
dian3zho ng1
Dots(on)clock Timeoclock
Dian3meansdotsandzhong1meansclock.So 4dotsontheclock=fouroclock.Dian3isa frequentcharacter,madefrom()andthefour dotsformofthefireradical.Thinkofthisasapot overafirethrowingoffdotsofhotliquid. (Note:alittlebitissaidyi1dian3dian3,or .)Zhong1herehasasquishedformofthegold ormetalradicalontheleft()and()orzhong1 (center)ontheright. isasimplifiedformof wordsforbellandclock.Rememberthephonetic zhong1(asinthemiddlekingdom,or akaChina).
shi2jian1
TimeSpace between
Time (duration)
Sh2hou
Time
Time(point intime)
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
is()whenIhearthiswordisthesoundusedin attheback(hou4mian)orafterward(yi3hou4). Replacetheanimalradicalwiththeperson radicalinfrontofthistimerelatedhouandyou getthehou2inmonkeyhouzior()!
da4xiao3
Bigsmall
Size
Aswithdou1shao3(many+few=howmany) da1xiao3(big+small=size).
51
52
10.
Set 10 Cooking
Notethesimilaritiesinformbetweengoose,chickenandduck:,and
Hanzi
Pinyin
chao3
Charby char
Fry
English
fry
Notes
Madefromthecomponentsfire() indicatingacookingwordandfew(), suggestingtoputonahotfireforafew minutes:stirfry.Friedrice: or chao3fan4.
hui4
Braise
braise
Madefromthecomponentsfire() indicatingacookingwordandhui4 whichwehaveseeninsets8(beable)and set16(meet).Herewecanthinkofheating manywetanddryingredientstogether hencetheymeetinthepotforan extendedperiod. Againwehavethecomponentzhe3,or onewho()[aswesawin inset9for all]andthecomponentfourdotsoffire alongthebottom.Visualizeatwolayerpot withfireonthebottomandaremovable toplikeadoubleBOILER.
53
zhu3
Boil
boil
Hanzi
Pinyin
Charby char
roast
English
Notes
shao1
roast
rou4
Meat
meat
zhu1rou4 Pigmeat
pork
niu2rou4 Cowmeat
beef
Thefigureof()evolvedfromaschematic ofacow.Itseemstohavelostonehorn, andtheleftoneisdrooping,butthatis whatthescholarssay.Looksabitlike Nian2oryear(). Thelefthandsideisyou4()meaning again.Therightsideisniao3()for bird(occursinduckandgoosetoo, below).Dontconfuseniao3withma3() whichishorseorwu1()whichiscrow!
ji1
chicken
chicken
yu2
fish
fish
Hanzi
Pinyin
Charby char
sheep
English
Notes
fortail.
yang2
sheep
dou4fu
Bean Rotten
tofu
Thedou4characterrepresentsadishfor food.Thefu3charactermeansrotten,and hascomponentsfu3()overrou4(). Thisfu3ismadefromguang3()forwide orbuildingandfu4()forpay.Andthis fu4ismadefromren2orperson()and inch(cun4).Isuggestyoulookforthe beancharacterfollowedbyacomplex characterwitha overtheabove collection,keyingonatthebottom.
ya1zi
e2
Mebird: goose
goose
tang1
Soup
soup
Hanzi
Pinyin
shui3jiao 3
Charby char
Water dumpling (e.g. boiled)
English
dumpling
Notes
Shui3iswaterasseeninset12(icewater) andset15(water),fromadrawingof flowingwater.TheJiao3characteris dumplingtheleftsideindicatingfood andtherightside()thewordfor intersection(manyingredientscome togetherinadumpling).Notealsothat shui4jiao4inset7(differenttonesand characters)meanssleep).
tian2
sweet
tang4
scalding
tang2
Sugar
sugar
56
57
11.
Hanzi
Pinyin
niu2nai3
Char-bychar
Cowmilk
English
milk
Notes
Firstcharacter,niu2,iscow(set10,beef).Nai3is milk(orbreast).Theleftsideofnai3isnv3or woman;therightsidecontributessound.Visualize itasamilkcontainer. Suan1meanssourandiscomposedof()and anoldcharacterforwalkslowlywhich contributessound.Sincetheleftsideofsuan1 lookslikejiu3()andrightsidelookslikea verticallyorientedrottingfish,Ithinkofitasmilk spoiltbyalcohol.
suan1nai3
Sourmilk
yogurt
huang2you2
Yellowoil
butter
Eachcharacterisaword[set4,set15].Together themeaningofbutterisclear.
tuo1zhi1
Removefat
skim
ka1fei1
Soundwords
coffee
58
Hanzi
Pinyin
bing1
Char-bychar
Ice
English
ice
Notes
Twodotwaterradicalnexttowater(). Historicallyfromtwocrystals,lumpsofice.
pi2jiu3
beer
pu2taojiu3
Grapeliquor
wine
Pu2taomeansgrape;theonlyotheruseforthis pairofcharactersisinPu2tao2ya2Portugalis .Asthisissound/loanword,withno meaningassociated,Itrytofindtointeresting subcomponentstothecharacterstoremember.In thiscase,notice()inpu2whichispartof pu2fu2,orcrawl;and()whichispartoftao,and isakindofjar.Orbetterstillbothcharacters contain(),whichhasbao3forsoundandboth havegrainradicals,asaplantformakingspirits should.Baobaospirits=wine.
kuai4zi
dan4gao1
Eggcake
cake
ji1dan4
Chickenegg
egg
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Chicken wrap
Notes
Thenewcharacterhereisjuan3forwrap (somekindsofspringrollsusethisterminology). Like(),thebottompartsuggestswrap;here thetoppartisalmostguan3or(),hence Juan3.
na2tie3
Soundwords
latte
da4bei1
LargeCup
Largecup
Chao1 da4bei1
Superlargecup
Verylarge cup
Chao1meanssurpass;overtake.Madeform zou3(walkorgo)whichis()andzhao4for thesound().Butcanmeansummonso ifyouwalktogetsomeone,tosummonthem, youmustovertakethem.Toovertakebigis tobesuper.UsedalsointheChinesewordsfor superbowl(asinAmericanFootball). The character has roots in the symbols for hand with a dot, thought to relate to crossing fingers, maybe with a stick in it. So perhaps a picture of a hand with a stick in it to eat with.
cha1zi
Fork
fork
shao2
Spoon
spoon
dao1
Knife
knife
Onceapictureofabladeorknife.
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12.
Set 12 Dishes
Notethewordsforsaltandsalty,likethewordsforsugarandsweet,areunrelated. NotealsothatthenamesofChinesedishesareoftenopaque(e.g.eighttreasures, threedelights)ormerelyhintatthedishbyspecifyingthetypeofpreparation(both intermsofcookingboil,braise,quickfry,etc,andintermsofdirectpreparationof oneormoreingredients,asinchop,preserve,dice,cutintostrips,flatten,etc.). Knowingbasiccharacters(forvegetable,soup,grainsandparticularvegetables,meats andfoodshelpsbutisnotalwaysrelevant. Jian4kang1()meanshealthy,andJian4issometimesusedinthenamesof productspromotinghealthbenefits.Itcomesfromthewordforconstruct,jian4 (),withastandingperson()radicalnexttoit(thingsthatbuildstrongpersons). Thisinturniscomprisedofa()yu4character,forhandholdingapenwritingon paper,andtheyin3radical,() forjourney.(Seethefirstcharindietcoke).
Kuai4le()meanshappy;(fasthappy)butthele4characterherecanalsobe pronouncedyue4asin()whichisyin1hue4,andmeansmusic.,andthe
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character()whichisxing1inbicycleorhang2inbank(yin1hang2or),arethe onlytwosuchbadlybehavedcharacterscoveredinthiscollection.
Hanzi
Pinyin
yan2
Char-bychar
salt
English
Salt
Notes
Inyan2youcanseeadiviningrod() investigatingtheearth()forasaltcake() (asthisthirdcomponentmightbedescribed;it ismin2forvessel,not()forxue4orblood).
xian2
Salty
Salty
yi1wan3 mi3fan4
Onebowl cookedrice
Bowlrice Thecomponentsofwan3forbowlincludestone (orshi2)and()whichiswan3and includingforsound(wan3run2isjustlike; wan3ran2isasif).Thewan3partofbowlis composedof over and . Distinguish thiswan3from(),also,wan3,whichmeans completeorfinish.Mi3fan4orcookedrice isdefinedinset2.
xian1
Fresh
Thesymboloffishtogetherwithsheep(,), twothingstraditionallyeatenjustafter slaughter,isusedforfresh(seeset10). Atraditionaldish,dou4fuwasdefinedinset 10.Ma2()meanshempandisapictureof twobundlesofhemp(thoughyouwillrecognize ()astree)underashelter;po2meansold ladyandispartoftheexpressionlao3po2,a colloquialexpressionsimilartotheEnglishmy oldladyforreferringtoaspouse(seethe() asthebottomcomponent).
ma2po2 dou4fu
mapodofu
jiang4bao4 qie2zi
Sauceexplode eggplant
Eggplantin brownsauce
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
partof()jiu3seeninwordsforwineandbeer (set11),andinsuan1(sour)asinyogurt(sour milk,alsoset11).Bao4(thischaractercanvary) containsthecharactersforfire/cooking() andarighthandcomponentforthebao4 sound.
gong1bao3 ji1ding1
Kungpow chicken
xiang1cai4 gan1si1
Icedwater Dietcoke
kao3ya1
Roast Duck
Roastduck
bao1zi
Steamed buns
Bao1comesfrombao1()forwrapandsi4( )asafetus.Averyoldwordforsteamedbun 64
Hanzi
Pinyin
su4shao1e2
Char-bychar
Veggie roasted duck
English
Vegetarian goose
Notes
withfilling. Shao1isacookingmethodlikekao3();e2for gooseisfromset10.Su4canmeanplain,white orvegetarian,andismadefromatop componentwhichrepresentsmulberry branches(wherewildsilkcocoonscanbe gathered)andabottomcomponent(), the twistedsilkradical(seeninpurpleinset4). Inthiscase,andwithotherfoods,su4() indicatesvegetarian.Alayered,cookedtofu preparation.
hun2tun
Traditional
Wantonsoup
shu1cai4 shui3jaio3
Vegetable water-(boiled)dumplings
Vegetarian dumpling
tang2cu4 li3ji1
Sweetsour pieces
hong2shao1 rou4
Braisedpork
Yang2rou4 chuan4
Lambkabob
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13.
Hand,orshou3()andasaradicalontheleftsideofcharacters()isahigh frequencycharacter/symbol.Example:ba3wo4,orgrasp:
Tou2orhead()isusedtwicehere,andinothercharacters(buy,sell,read)and words(mountaintop,turnaround,bone).
Hanzi
Pinyin
lian3
Char-bychar
Face
English
face
Notes
Leftsidefleshradical,rightsideisqian1() whichscholarssayisphoneticbutwhichalso evolvedfromsomethingthatlookedabitlikea face.ThisQian1meanstogether.
yan3jing
eyes
eyes
zui3
mouth
mouth
Wehavemouthorkou3(),thisorci3()and hornorjiao3().Seemsalotoffussforwhat 67
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
mighthavebeenkou3(Perhapscombine and )?
bi2zi
Nose(nounsuffix) nose
tou2fa
Headhair(or emit)
hair
Fa1heremeanshairbutalsomeansemit,or sendout.Fa1zi4()issometimesusedin emailwhereweseefrominEnglish.Tou2()is describedasastickfigure(akada4,or )with twodotsforeyes(butwhyononeside?)Fa1can bevisualizedasanarcher,kneelingandaimingto theright.Fa1soriginsareconfusedbyamelding ofdifferenttraditionalcharacters(asisoftenthe case)intoonesimplifiedcharacter.
er3dou
ear
ears
shou3
Hand
hands
jiao3
Foot(fromflesh fleeauthority)
foot
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Hanzi
Pinyin
du4zi
Char-bychar
Stomach(noun suffix)
English
stomach
Notes
Madefromflesh()andearth(tu2)()(partly forsound?),thinkmoundofearthwhichwould representwhereyourbellyis. Bei3orNorth()isontop,showingtwopeople backtoback.Thefleshonthebottomsignals bodypart.(Beijing:isNorthCapital).
bei4
back
back
tou2
Head
head
Astickfigurewithtwoeyesonthetopleft.Or hairflowingbehind?
ge1bei
Arm
arm
pi4gu
Buttocks
butt
shou3zhi3
Handfinger
finger
jiao3zhi3
Foottoe
toe
Hanzi
Pinyin
shen1ti3
Char-bychar
Bodybody
English
Bodyor health
Notes
Scholarssaytheleftcharacterisapregnant woman;canmeanlifeorincarnationtoo.Ti3is ren2()orpersonandben3()meansbasisor origin(orvolumeofabook).Thephrasethe originofapersonshealthstartsfrompregnancy getsallthesethoughtsandmeaningstogether.
yan3jing4
Glasses
glasses
Yan3isthesamecharacterasusedineyes(). Jing4()meansmirrororglass,andhasaleft handradicalofJin1(metal)andarighthandside ofjing4orfinish().Jing4,finish,iscomposedof yin1orsound()overer2(child),as()buta variationofperson().Divingdownthrough yin1orsoundtostand()andre4forsun()is probablyoverkillyin1aspartofmusic (yin1yue4),pronunciation(fa1yin1)andnews (yin1xin4)isworthlearninginitsownright.But whenyouseenotfollowedbyacharacterwith aneyeleftsideradical,lookformetaland musicandyouwillknowyouarelookingat glasses.
shou3ji1
Handmachine
Mobile phone
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14.
Jia1(
)forhomeorfamilystartstheambiguity.Jia1canrefertothe
, and
.Likestream,creek,river,canal,etc.,theyallconnotedifferentideasand
expectationsaboutthespacetheyareusedfor.Pinyin:Jian1,fang2,ting1andshi4.
Hanzi
Pinyin
jia1
Char-bychar
Homeor family
English Notes
home Ahomeisrepresentedbyaroof()overapig( )asignofprosperityforanyhousehold!
ba4ba
Father
father
ma1ma
mother
mother
Ma1ismadefromnv3()forwomanandgetsits soundfromthecharactermaforhorse().
fu4mu3
parents
parents
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English Notes
upperandlowerdot.
di4di
Younger brother
Younger brother
ge1ge
Older brother
Older brother
Asnotedforthewordcaninset8,thislookslike astackedpairoftheke3character().
jie3jie
Oldersister
Older sister
mei4mei
Younger sister
Younger sister
wai4po2
Outsideold lady
Maternal grandma
wai4gong 1
Hanzi
Pinyin
nai3nai
Char-bychar
Milkmilk
English Notes
Paternal grandma Thisnai3isformilkorbreasts,asseenin niu2nai3formilk,inset11. Theye2charactershowsfatherontop()anda variationonjie2(),apersonkneeling,onthe bottom.Thebottomsymbolisoneof authority,(rememberfoot?)soafathersfather authoritymustbethegreatest.
ye2ye
Grandpa
Paternal grandpa
chu2fang 2
Cooking room
Kitchen
xi3shou3 jian1
Washhands room
Bathroom
Xi3forwashhasathreedotwaterradicalnextto xian1orfirstwhichisthefirstcharacterof misterorxian1sheng().Sowateronthe misteriswash.Shou3ishandfromseveral earlierexamples(mobilephone,handinset13). Jian1()isagreatwordtorememberforroom andyoucanseeawindow()throughthedoor ().(Forgivemeforsuddenlycallingour character/radicalforsunordayawindow,but forthisoneitfits.)
ke4ting1
Guestroom
Living room
Hanzi
Pinyin
wo4shi4
Char-bychar
Liedown room
English Notes
Bedroom Wo4meansliedown;shi4meansroom,and showsaroof()overtheplacewhereanarrow meetsitstarget(flyingup)zhi4or().ThisShi4 orroomisusedinformaladdresses.
shu1 fang2
Bookroom
study
sun1zi
Grandson.
grandson
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15.
Thewordsinthissetareadditionalcommonfooditems.Somenoteshereasreminders:
Water,tea,noodlesandriceshouldbemasteredearly!
Hanzi
Pinyin
mo2gu1
Char-bychar
Mushroom mushroom
English
mushroom
Notes
Mo2describessomesortofplant()that growsonorinrocks()andtrees()under ashelter()(oracrosswideareas).Nottoo difficultforanineteenstrokebeast!Gu1also isofplants()andcontainsgu1,for soundawordthatmeansfatherssister( )asyoucanseefromthe ornv3 (woman)andgu3(, meaningancient).
hu2luo2bo
recklessradish
carrot
yan2cong1
Oceanonion
onion
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
bottom(),andcong1()forurgent, rushed)inthemiddle.Awetsheephasa strongsmell,likeayelloworwhiteonion somethingeventhestrongheartedmight hurryawayfrom.
qing1cai4
Green vegetables
greens
zi3shu3
Purpluesweet potato
luo2bo
Radishor turnip
radish
jiang4you2
Sauceoil
Soysauce
mian4bao1 Noodlewrap
bread
Hanzi
Pinyin
you2
Char-bychar
Oil
English
oil
Notes
Iseethisasfluidextractedfromafield becauseofthethreedotwaterradical,and thefieldcomponent()withapipesticking upoutofit.Thescholarlyexplanationisthat thewaterradicalsignalsafluid,andthat() isacharacterthatsoundslikeyou2.
cu4
Vinegar
vinegar
mian4
Noodle
Noodles
xiao3mai4
Littlewheat
Wheat
zhou1
Porridge
Porridge
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
cupofthisJoewouldNOTbecoffee.
Suan4
garlic
garlic
gan1lao4
Drycheese
cheese
zhi1
Juice
juice
Threedotwaterradicalfollowedbyten(). Juicehastentimesthenutritionofwater!
shu3
Water
water
cha2
Tea
tea
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16.
Set 16 Queries 2
Thissetincludesmoreusefulwordsforaskingandansweringquestions.
Hanzi
Pinyin
tiao4
Char-bychar
jump
English
jump
Notes
Tiao4hasacompressedfootleftsideand omenorbacktobackstickfiguresonthe right.Danceistiao4wu3,soperhapsthe figuresarejumpingaround.Footzu2is( ). Thebambooradicaloveracharacterthatis itselfearth()overinch().Wesaw inchasacomponentofshirtinset3;and earthaspartofpotatoinset2.Wealsosaw thebambooradicalover()inkuai3zior chopsticksinset5andxiao3orlaughin set6.Sinceearthoverinchgivesussi4or temple(),wecanthinkofpatientmonks waitingandprayingalldayatthetemple (madeofbamboo).
deng3
Wait
wait
hui4
Meet
meet
Clouds()gatheringunderagentlysloping roof,allowingalargegathering.
ke3neng2
Canbeable
maybe
zher4
Thishere
here
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
Thatthere
English
Notes
basicwordbestsimplymemorized. Mnemonic:thisHEREistheGOTOword.
nar4
there
yuan3
Far
far
jin4
Near
near
you4
Right
right
zuo3
Left
left
zhi2
Straight
straight
peng2 you3
Friendfriend
friend
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
longervisible.Alternately,thinkofa)that stridingstickfigure(inleftandright),andb) duplicatingitagain,becauseyou4()is thecharacterforagain.
xiao1 peng2you 3
Littlefriend
youngster
di4tu2
Earthpicture
map
tu2shu1 guan3
Picturebook building
library
Wehaveseentu2forpicture(inmap)and shu1forbook(instudyorbookroom); nowwehavebuildingorguan3(). Guan3containsthefoodradical()asoften buildingshaveplacestoeat,andguan1for official().Guanlookslikeabuildinga coupleofsectionsunderaroof.Usedin variouswordshotel(lv3guan3),teahouse (cha2guan3),guesthouse(bing1guan3), restaurant(cai4guan3),andmanymore.So picturebookbuilding=library.
shu1dian4 Bookstore
bookstore
shang1 dian4
Businessshop
store
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
English
Notes
supportingcommerce(e.g.ChinaMerchants Bank).Dian4()canbeseenasabuilding( )withsomegoodsinside(),
xi3
Wash
wash
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17.
Simple sentences using the nouns above as subjects and objects, with verbs and adjectives, and be easily constructed from the words we have. However, this lessons do not contain the simple and most basic words often learning in introductory lessons the words for I and You; the simple greeting for hello; and verb for is or to be which is shi1 (); or the most frequent character used in the Chinese language the particle de () used, for example to show possession. These important characters are presented below to allow you to express many more ideas and to construct many simple sentences using the word in Wordz Lianxi I that would not otherwise be possible.
Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
I or Me
English
Notes
Wo3
Hand+daggerorspearforfeeding oneself;anexpressionofidentity. Rightsideisoldthoutypeof formalism. Closeto()forwalkinset6,Shi combinesSun()ontopwitha formofcorrect(zheng4)onthe bottom().Theguidinglightofthe suntellsuswhatiscorrect,and providesthebasisforallexistence. Hencesun+correcttellus,and enable,whatIS.
Ni3
You (informal) Is
You
Shi4
Is
De
Possessive Particle
Indicates possession
Ming2zi
Name
Ming2pia n4
Businesscard
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Hanzi
Pinyin
Char-bychar
Question Particle
English
Notes
Ma
Indicatesquestion
Chu1zu1 che1
Go Out-RentCar
Taxi
Chu1andche1(, )arecoveredin sets6and1.Zu1(),thecharacter forrentcombinesgrain()he2 withanabstractwordthathasa senseoffornow()qie3asin youcanborrowmygrainfornow (asinaloantoatrader).canbe seeninhelp()andoldersister( )sets8and14).
Wo3men I plural
We
Ye3
Also
Also
Ta1
You (male)
He,him
Ta1
She,her
Ta1men
They,them
Ni3men
You-plural
You(plural)
Ye3xu3
Also allow
Perhaps
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