favourite word and character 'backstories'

[wanderliz]

What are your favourite Chinese 'backstories' true or untrue? ie - 好 means good because it's a mother and son; 男 means man because it's strength in a field etc...

Would love to compile a list of these. Thanks!

[roddy]

的 (why did I never notice it's 白 and not 日? Silly)

and

意面

[Eranee]

Hows about 女 （woman）under a 宀 (roof) = peace and contentment (安)

[Shelley]

I like this part of learning chinese. It is how I remember loads of characters. You may be interested in a series of books (3) Fun With Chinese Characters, The Straits Times Collection.It was originaly a feature of the Straits Times Bilingual Page. ISBN No.981-01-3004-x. It has some very good explainations and pictures and a sense of humour .

Hope you can find it. Enjoy. Shelley

[Glenn]

融 -- There's this guy hanging by his mouth (口 ) from the roof (一) of some room with a cover (冂) over a vat of acid, which will melt (融 ) him if he falls in. You can see his legs (儿 ) dangling there. Now there's this spike (丁) on the wall that acts as a switch that keeps the cover (冂) closed, so he's safe. But then along comes some rather large bug (虫 ) that just happens to land on that spike (丁), thereby opening the cover (冂) and lowering the poor guy into the vat, from his legs (儿 ) to his mouth (口 ), and he ends up melted (融).

That's perhaps the most convoluted story I ever came up with to remember a character. It's also one of the few that I still remember.

[jbradfor]

聽 -- there was a boy with long 耳 surnamed 王. He is 十四 years old, and goes to 一心 school.

No way I'd ever remember how to write that otherwise.....

[imron]

First there's a roof, then.......... ah forget about it.

[Glenn]

Apparently the way to remember it is this:

一點一橫長，言字當中梁，兩邊水裊裊，中間一匹馬在扛；東邊長，西邊長，心作底，月搭墻，關公出來踢一腳，婆婆出來戳一刀，一個小孩飛上墻。

Source: http://big5.xinhuane...ent_6921948.htm

Yeah, that'll stay right with you.

[Demonic_Duck]

I hardly know any characters yet, but here's a story I invented today for the character xué:

學 - the child puts on his learning hat (which happens to look like a top hat with two crosses in the middle).

学 - (simplified version of same) now instead of a top hat it's a beret with 3 feathers sticking out of it.

[Gharial]

Is that the character for 'car crash', then?

My favorite story isn't so much for a character but rather a katakana symbol, 厶 (mu): "A vet's arm disappearing up a distraught cow's..." - ah, forget about it!

[heifeng]

I like the pictogram meaning for 即 & 既 which, in my earlier studies learning about the character etymology helped to 'un-confuse me' on these two characters & their meanings, along with some others

即 =a person (on the ride side) facing towards an old time bowl thingy on the left：Character progression shown here

既=a person (right hand side) this time turned away from that food vessel thingy: Character progression shown here

from Baidu:

既 : (会意。甲骨文字形,左边是食器的形状,右边象一人吃罢而掉转身体将要离开的样子。本义:吃罢,吃过)。

食尽。指日全食或月全食。完毕;完了。

即：(会意。甲骨文作坐人形(后讹为卩)面对食器(皀)会意。本义:走近去吃东西)。基本义是接近、靠近、走向,与“离”对举。登上;走上。

可理解为一个是完成时，一个是将来时。

[jbradfor]

兩邊水裊裊

Those are 水? I always thought those were (single) 丝?

[Glenn]

Yeah, that one surprised me too. I don't know what they're supposed to be, to be honest.

[Gharial]

In this context, how about "splishy splashy squiggles"?

[jbradfor]

The problem with that suggestion is that your description pretty much covers every character, at least for me.

[Gharial]

I know. But getting serious for a minute, I have that particular splishy splashy squiggle down as 'Tiny, minute; slight, faint'. That is, nothing really to do with water (other than the little I use to slightly dilute or rather top up my whisk(e)y pints (sh) ).

[Demonic_Duck]

I've memorised the stroke order for "biang2" now, sure it was an exercise in futility but it was a nice little diversion from my real studies, hehe... Wikipedia's mnemonic is pretty useful (inasmuch as a mnemonic to remember a useless character can be useful)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biang#Mnemonics

[Gharial]

I'm trying to remember in which book I saw that character mentioned before... (you know, the part where any self-respecting Sinological author gives an example or two of "the most complex characters", even though graphically simple characters like 'le' are a lot harder to learn in terms of actual meaning and usage!).