Sal
Making sense out of Chinese characters chaos

Dear fellow learners.
My first day here and I just want to suggest to you a topic of a discussion.
I think it'd be a great idea for us all Chinese learners to share what we could decode of the meanings behind Chinese characters in order to help us remember how to write them and how they came to existence.

Just a suggestion, what do you guys think?

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. The word 睡 sleep. looks complicated, ain't it? here is what I could decode out of its shape. it consists of this shape (目) which means (eye) if you imagine the outer box as your head and this is one eyed head, you'll get the shape. this is the first shape. the second shape (垂) that looks like strokes going crazy all over the place, this shape by itself means (to droop) and it consists of (千) thousand + (甘) sweet. I can explain why these two have this meaning but let's keep it short. now we have (thousand) + (sweet) = droop, you get the picture? now if we combine all the elements together (目) eye + (垂) droop. you get sleep (睡).
I bet it makes sense now, doesn't it?
That's exactly what I am after here... making sense of this chaos.
Please do share your opinions and your methods of remembering the shapes. We can all pull each other up.

Thanks for reading.
Looking forward to learn from you how you see these shapes.

Sal

Oct 2, 2015 6:43 AM
Comments · 2
3

Chinese is my mother toungue.
But I saw the way you learn Chinese which is Cool. 

Chinese character had been changing for thousands of year, they all came form a pattern, like a painting.
Then it's too hard for people to write, and the technology was getting new, like pen was invented. Chinese character turned into simpler than it was.

perhaps Knowing how they turned into this way may help you understand easier and remember it faster.

Go ahead !!   

October 2, 2015
1

Thanks 陳,

There was this website that I can't remember now, It had something similart to what you're describing. It showed the original shape of Chinese characters and how it changed from pictograph to just simple drawing of lines and symbols.

October 2, 2015