Bird, Black, Fly - 鸟（鳥），乌（烏），飞（飛）

The evolution of the character for Bird

 

From left to right

Shell bone, bronze, big seal, small seal, clerical scripts; traditional, simplified song typefaces

 

Shell bone script: side view of a standing bird, very simplified drawing.

Bronze script: more like the bird.

Big seal script: similar to bronze script, but much better outlined. 

Small seal script: the top head outline is not continuously line, losing some pictography. The bottom is similar to that of big seal. 

Clerical script: some similarity to small seal script, but the head and eyeball form a 曰 on the top. The long horizontal line in the middle is for feather. The tail is inward, and four dots in the bottom are legs. 

Traditional song typeface: similar to clerical script.

Simplified song typeface: the horizontal line inside the top box for eyeball becomes a dot, which is better pictographic. The long horizontal line in the middle for feather is disappeared. The bottom four dots for legs become a horizontal line, the pictography is lost.

 

Now Let’s see the character for Black – 乌.

The evolution of the character for Black

From left to right

Bronze, big seal, small seal, clerical scripts; traditional, simplified song typefaces

 

All scripts are similar to corresponding scripts of the character for Bird: a side view of a bird. The difference is the eyeball on head: there is no dot, or short line inside of the head except the bronze script which has one line on head in comparison with two lines in the character Bird.

No dot, or no line means no eyeball. Does bird have no eyeball? Yes, of course. The scripts are for crow, which is black. Eyeball is black, surrounded by black feathers, making it looks all black no eyeball. 

Ancient Chinese use the black crow to express the black.

 

Now let’s see the character for Fly.

The evolution of the character for Fly

 

From left to right

Big seal, small seal, clerical scripts; traditional, simplified song typefaces

 

Big seal script: a flying bird in the air with two wings open (the bottom ones), the top is the neck feather. 

Small seal script: similar to big seal script, but the feather is not falling down, but horizontal, not very pictograph.

Clerical script: the top right is neck feather, the bottom right is an open wing. The middle vertical stroke is not touching the top horizontal line, losing the pictography. The left is another wing, but not like the real one. Why did people change to that? It may want to get the typical clerical silkworm head and wild goose tail stroke.

Traditional song typeface: similar to clerical script.

Simplified song typeface: just head feather of one wing left. 

 

The three characters are all from drawings of bird, different posture or structure makes different meaning. But we still need imagination to find out what the ancient people want to express, challenging but interesting.

 

Pictographic Meaning of Chinese characters (23) Grateful, and Thanksgiving - 感恩

 Thanksgiving is translated into 感恩 in Chinese. Let's analyze the pictographic meaning of 感恩.

1,  感 (Feel)

感 is formed by 咸 + 心. 咸 is formed by 戌 + 口. I am going to analyze one by one.

1a, Let's look character 戌.

The evolution of character 戌

From left to right

Shell bone, bronze, big seal, small seal, and clerical scripts.

Explanation

Shell bone script: a pole-axe, ancient weapon.

Bronze script: the left triangle is the axe, the top right is a sharp fork which is another offensive part. the bottom X is the handle of the weapon, the curve of the bar makes it easier to switch from using axe to using fork. Because the weapon was not used for at least 2000+ years, the real weapon has never been found, the description above is the best guess. 

Small seal script: the axe bottom edge is disconnected with other part of the character, making it strange, and unreally like axe anymore. It may be for easier to write by the creator. 

Clerical script: similar to small seal script.

戌 as a weapon was disappeared long time ago, it became to be the "11th earthly branch" (第11地支), which is the meaning most people know right now. Few people know its original meaning of weapon. 

1b, Let's look at character 咸 (Salty).

The evolution of character 咸

From left to right 

Shell bone, bronze, small seal, and clerical scripts

Explanation 

Shell bone script: the top and right is character 戌 in shell bone script, an ancient pole-axe; the bottom is character 口(Mouth). The axe is to injure or kill enemies, resulting in bleeding, when the blood dropping in mouth, you feel a little bit salty.

But why ancient Chinese didn't use character Salt to mean Salty?

I guess, first there was no character Salt created at the time of shell bone script. Secondly, the taste of blood was well known by everyone who may cut himself by anything. Therefore, using the taste of blood was the only way to express salty in that time.

Bronze script: the top is similar to character 戌 in bronze script, the bottom is character Mouth. 

Small seal script: similar to bronze script except the short horizontal line hanging in the air.

Clerical script: similar to small seal script.

It is time to put 咸 (Salty) and 心 (Heart) together to form 感 (Feel)

The evolution of character 感 

From left to right

Big seal, small seal, and clerical scripts.

Explanation

    Big seal script: no shell bone, bronze scripts indicate that the character 感 was appeared much later than 咸 because 感（Feel) is perception, much more complicated feeling than sensation. 

    The top is character 咸 (Salty), here it means bleeding. The bottom is character 心 (Heart), which ancient Chinese believed that the Heart is the center of nervous system, extremely sensitive to pain which is the cause of bleeding.

    Small seal script: similar to big seal script except the hanging short horizontal line. 

    Clerical script: similar to older scripts on the top; the bottom is character Heart in clerical script.

2, 恩（Grace）

    恩 = 因（Because) + 心 (Heart)

2a, Let's look character 因.

    The evolution of character 因

From left to right

Shell bone, bronze, small seal, clerical scripts

Explanation

    Shell bone script: a character 大 (Big) in the middle of rectangle. 《汉典》explains “甲骨文字形，象人在车席子上“ （Shell bone script, it looks like a person sitting on a mat on a vehicle). What is rectangle? It is mat for person to sit? Why does it mean Because?

    I think that the 大 is not siting, but standing person. The rectangle may be a mat on bed for sleep. The sleeping place is the safest area for the person, he could be completely relaxed, feel peaceful, and his home. He feels that it is his base, original ground, which affects his behavior, good or bad.

    Bronze script: similar to shell bone script.

    Small seal script: similar to older scripts with more symmetrical, and rounded lines. 

    Clerical script: similar to older script with all straight lines. 

2b, Let's look at character 恩 (Grace)

The evolution of character 恩

From left to right

Big seal, small seal, and clerical scripts 

Explanation

    Big seal script: character 恩 has no shell bone, bronze scripts, indicating it was created much later because its meaning is more complicated. 

    The top is character 因, here it means someone's home, safe place to live. The bottom is character Heart (心). When you gave someone something (gift, advice, or action) which let him feel peace in mind, or a home like place to life,, you have grace to him.

    Small seal script: similar to big seal script.

    Clerical script: similar to old scripts. Same as above, the clerical script of Heart is very different from the older scripts.

We have understood character 感, and character 恩. Put them together to form 感恩, which means Grateful. Chinese also translate Thanksgiving to 感恩.

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Pictographic Meaning of Chinese characters (22) Single, Double, Gather - 只（隻），双（雙），集

The Shell Bone Script of character Single is

The lower part shows a hand, and the up-right part shows a bird. A hand catching a bird represents the character Single, or One.

The Bronze Script of character Single is

The top part shows a bird, and the lower right part shows a hand.

The Small Seal Script of character Single is

The top part means a small bird, and the bottom part shows a hand.

The Clerical Script of character Single is

The top 隹 is bird, the bottom X is hand.

In the traditional song typeface is: 

The bottom part "又" means hand.

During the simplification of Chinese characters, "隻" was merged into another simplified song typeface

Absolutely no any connection with the older scripts, lost all pictography. I don't know where it is from.

The traditional song typeface "隻" was abolished.

Now let's look at the character Double.

There is no Shell Bone Script or Bronze Script for character Double. The earliest form is in Bit Seal Script:

The top part shows two birds ("隹"), representing two birds. The bottom part shows a hand. A hand holding two birds represents the character Double, or Pair. 

The Small Seal Script of character Double is

Two "隹" with one hand.

The Clerical Script of character Double is

The bottom part "又" means hand.

The Simplified Song Typeface

This simplification is quite unusual, not retaining the two "隹" at the top but changing the bottom "又" to two "又" characters. Perhaps two "隹" were still too many strokes, whereas two "又" have fewer strokes. Of course, two hands also represent the meaning of "double."

Now let's look at the character Gather.

The Shell Bone Script of character Gather is

The top part shows a flying bird, and the bottom part shows a tree. Here, the tree means "tree." Birds flying towards the tree (meaning many birds flying towards the tree) represent the character Gather.

The Bronze Script of character Gather is

Three birds standing on a tree: to gather, or assemble, or collect.

The Big Seal Script of character Gather is

One bird ("隹") standing on a tree. Why one bird? It is simplified drawing. If drawing three birds, the space is two small, and difficult to draw.

The Small Seal Script of character Gather is

Still one bird and one tree.

The Clerical Script of character Gather is

One bird ("隹") and one tree.

Only the Bronze Script of "集" uses three "隹," while the other scripts use just one "隹." However, this is mainly for ease of writing (three "隹" take up too much space), but the meaning remains the same: many birds gathering on a tree. These three characters are all related to "隹," meaning small birds. One "隹" is 隻 (single), two "隹" are 雙 (double), and three "隹" are 集 (gather). These are all associative compounds, representing the number of birds to express single, double, and gather. This is a very ingenious way of expression, reflecting the wisdom of ancient Chinese people.

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Pictographic Meaning of Chinese characters (21）Strange - 奇，Ride - 骑

Shell Bone Script of character Strange is

The above script depicts a person riding a horse. The current widely accepted theory is that horses were domesticated in Central Asia around 4000 BCE and were introduced to China from there. Initially, horses were mainly used for pulling carts, especially war chariots. Cavalry only appeared in China during the Spring and Autumn period. This means that during the Oracle Bone Script period, Chinese people did not ride horses. Therefore, the original meaning of the character "奇" was likely a person from the Western regions riding a horse, which referred to the non-Han people, or "Hu people." For the people in the Yellow River basin, riding a horse was a strange thing, which is the explanation given by the Pictograph Dictionary.

This explanation seems reasonable, but it could also be that the appearance of horse-riding Westerners seemed strange to the Chinese, or perhaps it was a combination of both.

Big Seal Script of character Strange is

the upper part "大" represents the person riding the horse, and the lower part "可" represents the horse and saddle.

Small Seal Script of character Strange is

The Small Seal Script is similar to the Large Seal Script in structure.

Clerical Script of character Strange is

As time passed, the meaning of "奇" as "strange" became more prevalent than the original meaning of "riding a horse." Therefore, the ancient people added a horse radical (馬) to create a new character "騎" specifically to refer to riding a horse or a horse rider.

Let's see the character Ride.

Big Seal Script of character Ride is

On the left is the horse radical, and on the right is the character "奇."

Small Seal Script of character Ride is

The left part is the Small Seal Script form of the horse radical, and the right part is the Small Seal Script form of "奇," similar to the Large Seal Script form of "奇."

Clerical Script (隶书) of character Ride is

Simplified Song Typeface of character Ride is

The original form of "奇" related to horse riding has disappeared, and now it only retains the meaning of "strange", the original meaning of riding is replaced by 骑.

Pictographic Meaning of Chinese characters (20) Same - 同，Prosper - 兴（興）

Shell Bone Script of character Same is

The upper part represents a brick mold, and the lower part shows pressing mud into the brick mold and then cutting off the excess, producing the brick blank. Since they all come from the same mold, the size and shape are identical, that is Same.

Bronze Script of character Same is

Similar to the Shell Bone Script, but the two vertical lines are elongated, making the mold somewhat asymmetrical. The mud is no change.

Small Seal Script of character Same is

The mold no longer resembles its original form, actually the mold is not exist anymore. 

Clerical Script of character Same is

Similar to the Small Seal Script, it no longer looks like a mold.

Now, let's look at the character Prosper. 

Shell Bone Script of character Prosper is

It is complicated image. 

The middle top part is mold, the middle bottom part is mud. 

There are two hands on top, fingers down; there are two hands on the bottom, fingers up. 

Two hands on the bottom lift a piece of mud up with fingers up: 

the meaning of the bottom image of shell bone script above.

then he releases the mud into mold, his fingers pointing down (the top image of shell bone script above).

The shell bone script actually is a drawing which describes a continuous action of making brick blanks: lift the mud, and hit down. 

Using a taut wire to cut off the excess mud. This is what the upper part of the Shell Bone Script of character Prosper depicts.

Put the web bricks in a big place to air dry for couple weeks in the summer, or longer in the winter. 

 

Two hands are taking the finished bricks away and stacking them to dry. 

Why did ancient Chinese make bricks often? No. In ancient times, most common people lived in straw huts, and those who could live in wooden houses were considered well-off. Brick houses were very rare, usually only for kings, and even then, only in very prosperous times, kings could make brisks to build big palace, bridges, big houses, and big towers. Brick making was a symbol of prosperity in ancient time.

Bronze Script of character Prosper is

The top is the mold in the middle, and two hands on the two sides. The triangle is the mud. The bottom are two hands with fingers up. The top two hands touched the mold, and the two hands on the bottom are connected, due to the poor casting technology 30000+ years ago, causing deformation.

Small Seal Script of character Prosper is

The brick mold and brick blocks are very close, two hands are very long.

Clerical Script of character Prosper is

The upper part is similar to the Small Seal Script, while the hands in the lower part have turned into two dots.

The Song Typeface of character Prosper is

Now we must ask: How did the traditional character Prosper become the simplified character?

Cursive Script of character Prosper

The first character is simplified, while the remaining five are the traditional "興". They are all written vaguely. The left hand is replaced by a vertical stroke, and the middle part sometimes looks like "月," "习" or "刁." Only the right hand is clearly written. The simplest is the bottom left, almost just four vertical strokes, with vague lines and two dots. Some are written even more simply.

This is the source of simplified characters. The four vertical strokes above were simplified to three dots, though it's unclear why not four. Perhaps people wrote three strokes, and the extra strokes were vague. Three strokes can represent many strokes.

Many simplified characters have traces of cursive script, so understanding some cursive script can help understand the origin of simplified Chinese characters.