Learn one Chinese Character a day - 殳

To learn a new Chinese character 盘 | 盤, we need to prepare ourselves with some other Chinese characters, otherwise you might wonder how come a type of kitchenware can be related to a boat?

Today's character 殳 is one of that. What does 殳 mean then? We can only know that lower part of 殳, which is 又, refers to hand. What is its upper part here? You might have said that was 几, which means a small table. Let us check its evolution history to double check: (image taken from http://chinese-linguipedia.org/)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 殳

Now we can tell clearly that 殳 is to mean holding a long rod with one big end.

In ancient China, soldiers normally used a long rod with one end tied up with sharp stones or metals, as shown below. Thus 殳 is borrowed to mean such weapon.

殳

Its original meaning, however, is preserved while 殳 is used as a Radical. For example the Chinese character 般 we are going to learn next.

Before that let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 殳 inside:

殳篆

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 尽 | 盡

Our new character today has a very different Traditional version - 盡 than its Simplified version - 尽. This is another example why I like Traditional version more than the Simplified counterpart.

Though there are certain transfiguration comparing its Traditional version 盡 with its Oracle Script, 盡 is still quite clear of what it tells. Below is the evolution history of 盡 | 尽 (image taken from http://chinese-linguipedia.org/)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 尽 | 盡

Looking at its Oracle Script it is a vivid view of "using a brush to wash a container by hand ", as shown in below picture:

盡

Its Seal Script presents a more vivid view of the same.

That is the original meaning of 盡. Now looking back at 盡 again, is not the current Traditional version 盡 preserves the same view still?

And we can also tell that the Simplified version 尽 is obviously inherited from its cursive script (草书, cǎoshū, literally "grass script") - 

While we start to clean a container, it means that everything in that container has been finished.

So 盡 | 尽 is used to mean finish as verb, or finish / end as noun.

related to 盡, there is another Chinese character 儘 (adding a 人 to 盡) or its Simplified version 侭 (adding a 人 to 尽), which means that a 人 has tried all his best or used up all his resources. Chinese ancestors eventually merged back 儘 to 盡 or 侭 into 尽.

Thus 盡 | 尽 now has the meaning of 儘 | 侭 that: (a 人) tried all his best or used up all his resources. And it is later extended to mean all. 

Before ending our lesson today, let us enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 尽 |  盡 inside:

白日依山尽，黄河入海流；
欲穷千里目，更上一层楼。

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 盅

Today we continue to examine another Chinese character related to 皿 - 盅. It is composed of 中 and 皿. Both of them have been learnt. 盅 is then obviously some kind of 皿 (container). What's the meaning of 中 here then? Quite clueless. Let us see whether ts ancient scripts can provide us more ideas if any. (Image taken from http://vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 盅

Its Bronze Script (with  and  ) represents exactly the same concept as its current form 盅. It is then still impossible for us to reason its meaning properly. However if you have any good interpretation, please do share your thoughts.

So today we do the opposite way to see whether we can appreciate how 盅 was created with knowing its meaning: 

盅 means handleless cups (normally small in size and are used for serving Chinese tea or Chinese spirit), as shown below the small cup receiving tea:

盅 for tea

And 盅 in big size is usually used as slow cooker for soups, like:

盅 for soup

From the drawing of , it actually has handles. 中 which has meaning of middle, is believed to emphasise that 盅 refers to the middle part of  without handles. And 中 also works as the phonetic indicator that 盅 pronounces same as 中.

Now we have learnt the meaning of 盅, it is time to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 盅 inside:

蹈盅

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 溢

Answer revealed, 溢 is the character we mentioned in our last lesson that Chinese ancestors created in place of 益. Following the same way how 沙 was created, water was added to 益 to create 溢 to present the original meaning of 益 - water overflows.

And that is consistent with our observation that: when water is used as Radical to form other Chinese characters, it is normally simplified as .

We then would also not be surprised that 溢 pronounces exactly the same as 益.

And eventually 溢 is extended to mean overflow of anything. For example overflow of buffers in C programming language.

To confirm our understanding, let me go through the evolution history of 溢: ( image taken from  http://vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 溢

As we can see that Oracle Script of 溢 is same as that of 益 - 

Now it is time to enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 溢 inside:

福杯满溢

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 益

Today we are examine another Chinese character created with 皿 (a container), which is 益. Looking at 益 of today, we would not be able to reason its meaning. But if we know its Seal Script - , we would probably guess something close? Anyway let us check its evolution history first: ( image taken from http://vividict.com)

Learn one Chinese Character a day - 益

Seal Script of 益 - is composed of on top of a 皿. What is ? If we recall Seal Script of 水 (water) as . Then  is now a vivid drawing of what is shown in below picture:

what original meaning of 益 presents

Yes, original meaning of 益 is "water overflows a container".

Now if we look back to Oracle Script of 益 -, it represents another layer of meaning that "pouring water () into a container ()". 

Bronze Script has tried to change into  to emphasise the fact that water overflows and is separated. However it is still confusing as could be read asand, where means eight or divide and means blood as what we just learnt.

That is why at Seal Script age, Chinese ancestor further tuned the character into to make it clear and sound.

From its Oracle Script , 益 was eventually borrowed to mean add or increase as verb, and more or further in adv.

As same as what is stated in the picture above - "My cup overflows with your blessings",  pouring water into someone's own cup is like providing benefits to that person, that is why 益 is further extended to mean benefits or goodness or interests. 

  

Since 益 now lost its original meaning, Chinese ancestors then created a new one in the place of it. If it were you, how would you do that? We will reveal the answer next.

Before ending our lesson today, let us now enjoy a Chinese calligraphy with 益 inside:

心宽益寿，德高延年