The Magic of Chinese Characters: Structures’ Elegance

Chinese characters related to the human body from pictographs

Person (人)

In pictographic characters, the character “人” (person) is like a person who is bowing or working. With just a few simple strokes of a single left-slanting stroke and a right-slanting stroke supporting each other, the shape of a person is outlined. In modern Chinese characters, many characters related to people are based on this. For example, the character “从” (follow) consists of two “人” characters, symbolizing one person following another, with the meaning of following. The character “众” (many people) has three “人” characters, giving the feeling that many people have great strength. By understanding the origin of this pictographic character, “人,” we can better understand and remember these derivative characters.

Eye (目)

The pictographic character “目” (eye) is so much like an eye! The outer frame is the eye socket, and the two horizontal strokes inside are like the eyeballs. Based on this pictograph, we can easily understand the word “eye.” And for characters like “看” (look), the upper part is the transformation of “手” (hand), and the lower part is “目.” It’s just like putting a hand over the eye to look into the distance. Isn’t it very vivid?

The Embodiment of Natural Things in Pictographs

Sun(日)

Looking at the pictograph of the character “日” (sun), isn’t it just like the round sun in the sky? The dot or horizontal stroke in the middle is like a sunspot or something similar in the sun. Characters with “日” as a component are also very interesting. For example, the character “明” (bright), with the sun (日) and the moon (月) together, has the meaning of brightness. The character “晒” (sunbathe) means that when the sun comes out, things can be sunned, which is closely related to the characteristic of sunlight.

Mountain (山)

The pictographic character “山” (mountain) is like three peaks standing tall, with the middle one high and the two sides low. In many characters with “山,” we can feel the image of mountains. For example, the character “峰” (peak) highlights the pointed top of a mountain. The character “岭” (mountain range) gives the feeling of a continuous mountain range. Through this pictographic radical “山,” these characters make us think of various scenes related to mountains.

Pictographs Related to Animals and Chinese Character Learning

Horse (马)

The pictographic character “马” (horse) is like a horse that is either running or standing, with a long mane and vigorous posture. There are also many characters derived from “马.” For example, the character “骑” (ride), with a person on the left and a horse on the right, shows the scene of a person riding on a horse. The character “驰” (gallop) reflects the fast running and galloping state of a horse. By understanding this pictographic character “马,” these action characters related to horses are easier to remember.

Bird (鸟)

The pictographic character “鸟” (bird) is very vivid, with a pointed beak, small eyes, and spread wings. For characters like “鸣” (chirp), with “口” (mouth) and “鸟” (bird), the meaning of a bird chirping is very clear. There are also characters like “鸵” (ostrich) and “鹂” (oriole), which are different kinds related to birds. Through this pictographic radical “鸟,” we can quickly recognize and understand the meaning of these characters.

Why to learn pictographs

By studying pictographs, we can find that Chinese characters are like vivid pictures, and each character has its own story. In the process of learning Chinese characters, by using the shape analogy of pictographs, we can understand and remember Chinese characters faster and more deeply and feel the profoundness of Chinese characters. I hope everyone can enjoy the process of exploring the mysteries of pictographs in Chinese learning and start a wonderful journey of Chinese characters!