<p>@水巷孑蠻's answer has the correct information on 拉 and 斯. However, I'd like to point out that 巴 being a gigantic snake is a traditional explanation that has little evidence supporting it.</p>

<hr>

<p>巴 originally depicted a person in a kneeling position holding something in their hand:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/AiElC.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/AiElC.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>It is most likely the original character for 把, which originally meant <em>to grasp something in the hand</em>. A similar depiction can be seen in the ancient character for 以 (<em>with</em> or <em>using</em>, as in <em>doing X with Y</em> or <em>using X to do Y</em>), except that the person is standing:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Q4MQw.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Q4MQw.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>This kneeling depiction is also seen in the characters 色 (<em>facial impression</em> -> <em>colour</em>) and 邑 (<em>city</em>).</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>色 was originally a graphical variant of 印 (<em>press down</em> -> <em>print</em>),
  and, as seen below, both 色 and 印 originally depicted a person being
  pressed down by a hand:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/cR618.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/cR618.png" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CegqR.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CegqR.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>邑 originally depicted a person kneeling outside a city wall (囗):</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/u3I0H.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/u3I0H.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>In the end, these characters don't mean anything in your context, as they're just a sound representation of your name as @user3306356 said.</p>

<hr>

<h2>References:</h2>

<ul>
<li>黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》</li>
<li>季旭昇《說文新證》</li>
<li>裘錫圭《文字學概要》</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-24T07:18:20.647Z
2018-02-24T07:28:04.250Z
2018-02-24T07:28:04.250Z
dROOOze
<p>巴 (u+5df4) originally means "legendary gigantic snake", when it eats an elephant, it looks 3 year to excrete the skeleton of the elephant.</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E5%B7%B4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=巴</a></p>

<p>拉 (u+62c9) originally means "break", it does not mean "like a crops (wheat) and barn"</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%8B%89" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=拉</a></p>

<p>斯 (u+65af) originally means "cleave with an ax"</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%96%AF" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=斯</a></p>

<p>these these characters have difference meanings now, the above explanation would be correct only in the context of etymology.</p>

<p>well, "巴拉斯" together, sounds similar to your name "bharath"; at least in cantonese. interesting.</p>

<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-24T06:16:31.827Z
2018-02-24T06:37:52.347Z
2018-02-24T06:37:52.347Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>My understanding so far is that:</p>

<ul>
<li>巴 means a huge snake.</li>
<li>拉 means like a crop (wheat) and barn (store house).</li>
<li>斯 - this one is hardest to understand as it’s quite ancient.</li>
</ul>

<p>The word in its entirety means something on the lines of:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The hope to draw/pull to heaven/present </p>
</blockquote>

<p>I am no scholar and my knowledge of Mandarin or Cantonese is very poor.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-24T03:40:36.317Z
巴拉斯 together is just a transliteration of the surname Barras and can specifically refer to Paul Barras, a French politician in the mid to late seventeen hundreds and early eighteen hundreds. The individual meanings of the characters are irrelevant here.
Mou某
<characters>
Can anyone explain the pictograph representation of 巴拉斯 please?
# Can anyone explain the pictograph representation of 巴拉斯 please?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-24)

My understanding so far is that:

* 巴 means a huge snake.
* 拉 means like a crop (wheat) and barn (store house).
* 斯 - this one is hardest to understand as it’s quite ancient.

The word in its entirety means something on the lines of:

> The hope to draw/pull to heaven/present

I am no scholar and my knowledge of Mandarin or Cantonese is very poor.

**Tags:** characters

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 巴拉斯 together is just a transliteration of the surname Barras and can specifically refer to Paul Barras, a French politician in the mid to late seventeen hundreds and early eighteen hundreds. The individual meanings of the characters are irrelevant here.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-02-24. Score: 2

@username_3's answer has the correct information on 拉 and 斯. However, I'd like to point out that 巴 being a gigantic snake is a traditional explanation that has little evidence supporting it.

---

巴 originally depicted a person in a kneeling position holding something in their hand:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/AiElC.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/AiElC.png)

It is most likely the original character for 把, which originally meant *to grasp something in the hand*. A similar depiction can be seen in the ancient character for 以 (*with* or *using*, as in *doing X with Y* or *using X to do Y*), except that the person is standing:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Q4MQw.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/Q4MQw.png)

This kneeling depiction is also seen in the characters 色 (*facial impression* -> *colour*) and 邑 (*city*).

> 色 was originally a graphical variant of 印 (*press down* -> *print*),
> and, as seen below, both 色 and 印 originally depicted a person being
> pressed down by a hand:
>
> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/cR618.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/cR618.png) [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/CegqR.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/CegqR.png)
>
> 邑 originally depicted a person kneeling outside a city wall (囗):
>
> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/u3I0H.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/u3I0H.png)

In the end, these characters don't mean anything in your context, as they're just a sound representation of your name as @user3306356 said.

---

## References:

* 黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》
* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* 裘錫圭《文字學概要》


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-24. Score: 2

巴 (u+5df4) originally means "legendary gigantic snake", when it eats an elephant, it looks 3 year to excrete the skeleton of the elephant.

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=巴](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E5%B7%B4)

拉 (u+62c9) originally means "break", it does not mean "like a crops (wheat) and barn"

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=拉](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%8B%89)

斯 (u+65af) originally means "cleave with an ax"

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=斯](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%96%AF)

these these characters have difference meanings now, the above explanation would be correct only in the context of etymology.

well, "巴拉斯" together, sounds similar to your name "bharath"; at least in cantonese. interesting.

have fun :)


---

