When you went to or passed by any China towns and you’ve seen their distinctive writings everywhere, have you ever wanted to understand what these Chinese symbols mean, but find it hard to do so? No worries! Today we’re going to learn some Chinese – the fun, easy and creative way.
ShaoLan is a London-based entrepreneur and writer whose origins come from Taipei. As she was having problems teaching Chinese language to her British-born, English-speaking children, Shaolan has created a way to make this tough language easier to understand; which she calls Chineasy. Her aim in this project is to make the Chinese language more knowable to everyone in order to allow Eastern and Western cultures to communicate devoid of any language restraint.
Do you want to try some Chinese symbols and words? Scroll down and check out some of her fun and creative illustrations below; you’ll be amazed on how some of them can be easily learned and understood. Come, take a peek, and enjoy.
The building block for Fire pictographically represents a central flame with two smaller sparks on either side of it.
The compound for Burning Hot is comprised of two building blocks for Fire . When this character is used in a medical context, it means ‘Inflammation’.
The building block for Tree pictographically depicts a tree trunk with hanging branches.
The compound for Wood is comprised of two building blocks for Tree .
In the ancient Oracle-Bone and Seal Inscriptions, the character for Sun was a circle with a dot in the middle. It has since evolved to look very similar to a Western window.
The compound for Sunrise is comprised of the building block for Sun and One . This is an easy compound to remember as it depicts the sun rising above the line of the horizon.
The building block for Person traditionally depicted a human in profile. Today it looks like the profile of a man walking.
The compound for Follow is a combination of two building blocks for Person .
The building block for Mouth represents a mouth opened wide.
Shout is a combination of two building blocks for Mouth . ? means to argue or to make noise.
Door looks very similar to a pair of saloon doors from the Wild West.
Bolt is composed of Door and One . It means “lock” or ” close”.
The building block for Water ? originally had a winding line in the middle indicating the flow of water, river and streams entering into it on either side.
Expanse of Water
The compound for A Wide Expanse of Water is comprised of three building blocks for Water .
The building block for Mountain pictographically represents the peaks of a mountain.
To Get Out
The compound for To Get Out is comprised of two building blocks for Mountain .
The building block for Moon originally derived from a pictogram of the crescent moon. It has now evolved to be a visual counterpart to Sun .
The compound for Leisure is comprised of the building block for Moon and Door .
The building block for Roof was hardly seen individually in the Oracle-Bone period.
The compound for Home is comprised of the building block for Roof and a Pig .
Woman depicts a woman squatting down with her arms folded across the front of her body in an act of submission.
The compound for Argument is comprised of two building blocks for Woman .
Throughout Asian history, Jade has been more prized than silver and gold both monetarily and spiritually. The building block for Jade
The compound for Master is comprised of the building blocks for Jade with a small dash above it.
Check out ShaoLan on her website. You can share what you think on her works by leaving a comment below.
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