Frequent but Abstract

táng

main room
6shàng + 土
outhouse + soil

The main room of a house is actually the outhouse where one can soil in privacy.

alternatively: 龸+口+土 playhouse + mouth + soil, kids pretending to be nobles in their playhouse eating mud pies

xīn

heart

as a component: “心字底”

derivatives: 忄*meme, ⺗ *valentine

xiǎo

small

as a component: “小字旁”

component derivative: ⺌ “小字头”

háng

a business, *intersection

alternatively: 彳+一+丁 queue + one/ceiling + nail, queue at the hardware business to buy the one nail available

When this character separates its left and right halves and there is another component in the middle, we'll call it "boulevard."

child

as a component: “子字旁”

inside, *computer

In the movie Inside Out, emotions are stored in something like a computer.

alternative breakdown: 田+土 field + soil; anciently, a li was a measurement of distance one could use to measure a field

as a component: “里字旁”

also, *scorpion

cái

genius, *genie

rén

person

derivatives: 亻 *persona, 𠂉 *lying down

as a component: “人字头”

zhī

of, *road block
road modified

fēi

non-, *jail cell

one, *ceiling/floor

as a component: “横”

logic
王 + 里lǐ
jewel + computer

the jewel, the motherboard in the computer, contains its logic

department
咅 + 阝
comedian + city walls

it would be nice if DMV workers were comedians

self, *snake

derivatives: 已 *snakeskin, 巴 *boa

le

[-ed], *completed
子 - 一
child - [its arms]

the swaddling is completed when the arms of the child stay tucked in

shēng

life, *seed
丶 + 龶
drop + grow up

picture of a seed on a plant

shàng

above
卜 + 一
magic wand + floor

magic wand hovering above the floor

xià

below
一 + 卜
ceiling + magic wand

magic wand hovering below the ceiling

no, *no symbol
一 + 丿 + 卜bǔ
ceiling + slash + magic wand

alternatively: 下 + 丿 below + slash

zài

at
𠂇 + 丨 + 土
by one's side + stick + soil

 Brigham Young, first governor of Utah, puts his stick in the soil and declares the Salt Lake Valley as “the place” for settlement.

go
土 + 厶
soil + monument

go to the monument on a soil path

shì

is
旦 + 龰zhǐ
daybreak + trail of footprints

Picture yourself at daybreak at the beach drawing this character in the sand with your feet.

lái

come
一 + 米
one + rice

come one, come all, get your free rice

large, *large dog
人 + 一
person + “arms"

a person trying to make themself look large by spreading out their arms

When 大 appears as a component, it is often derived from 犬 dog, so in these cases we'll call it a "large dog" in our stories.

as a component: “大字旁” or “大字头”

tiān

heavens
一 + 大
ceiling + large

large person grows and grows until his head reaches the ceiling and then the heavens

nián

year
午 + 匚
noon + box

Sleep in till noon on New Year’s day, then start checking the boxes of your New Year’s resolutions.

his-hers-its-theirs, *laundry basket
甘 + 一 + 八
basket + “base” + animal legs

wicker basket with legs, divided into His, Hers, Theirs, for the laundry of different members of the family

that
刀 + 二 + 阝
knife + two + city walls

point with a knife to that city (the other, the second)

fāng

direction, *compass
丶 + 万
drop + ten thousand

ten thousand directions on a compass, moves by a drop

as a component: ”方字旁“

can [aux. v.]
丁 + 口
nail + mouth

“I think I can, I think I can” Little Engine spitting nails

oneself, *nose
丶 + 目
drop + eye

your nose is the drop between your eyes; Chinese people refer to themselves by pointing at their nose

individual
𠆢 + 丨
umbrella + stick

express individual style through your umbrella: Gene Kelly “Singin’ in the Rain”

alternatively: 人 + 丨 person + stick: maybe you are counting people, maybe sticks

hǎo

good
女 + 子
woman + child

woman with her child is good

jiā

home
宀 + 豕
house + sow

house on stilts with pigs underneath

yǒu

possess
𠂇 + 月
by one's side + body part/moon

you possess the body parts by your side  

Despicable Me villain wants to possess the moon

John Swigert Jr. was one of the astronauts on the Apollo 13 moon mission.

shén

what
亻 + 十shí
persona + ten/needle

What in the world is going on here? (sees persona with needle)

me

[suffix]
丿 + 厶
slash + monument

he
亻 + 也
persona + also/scorpion

your persona: he is also covered with scorpions

she
女 + 也
woman + scorpion

woman covered in scorpions named She

men

[plural]
亻 + 门mén
persona + gate

your persona finds her doppelganger (a person's look-alike) at the gate

gēn

heel [n./v.]
⻊ + 艮gèn
lower leg + silver

"Mother, may I put my silver-spurred heel forward?" (Mother, May I?)

"Silver rush was followed on its heel by the Panic of 1893." (Silver Mining)

kàn

look at
手 + 目
hand + eye

hand over your eyes looking for something

yīn

cause [n.]
囗 + 大
enclose + large/large dog

What is the cause of enclosing the St. Bernard?

the mnemonic for remembering the spelling of "because": Big Elephants Can't Always Understand Small Elephants (so they get enclosed)

wèi

act [v.]
力 + 丶 + 丶
muscle + 2 drops

you act with your muscles, producing two drops of sweat

zěn

how?
乍zuò + 心
saw + heart

country song: how could you have sawed my heart in half?

open heart surgery: how do they saw without hurting the person?

huì

meeting
8 + I
meeting + Great Wall

ultimate summit meeting: on the Great Wall

you
亻 + 尔
persona + you [literary]

alternatively: 亻 + ⺈ + 小 persona + mask + small: your persona says, “You (little person)! Put this mask on.”

人尔你

I, me
手 + 戈
hand + rifle

I've got a right to my rifle!"

alternatively: a picture of a hand pointing to its other hand

méi

not have
氵 + 殳
water + boomerang

boomerang territory (Western Australia) does not have much water

alternatively: 氵 + 几 + 又 water + wind + right hand: water washes it away, so there is nothing left, wind blows it away, so there is nothing left, hand brushes it away, so there is nothing left

zhè

this
文 + 辶
gentleman farmer + road

alternatively: 亠 + 乂 + 辶 top hat + X + road, you see a top hat on the road and when you pick it up, underneath an X marks this spot

A gentleman farmer Robert Frost wrote this poem: “The Road Not Taken” OR "This Gentleman Farmer: During the Dust Bowl, many have to leave their farms. This gentleman farmer is one of them." (1930's On the Road)

wén on the road…zhè! (to the tune of "Minimum wage! Hyah!")

chī

eat
口 + 乞qǐ
mouth + beg

beggars need to eat

hěn

very
彳 + 艮gèn
queue + silver

Soon there was a very long line of men at the silver mining office ready to be hired.

by means of
𠄌 + 丶 + 人
plow + drop + person

plow pulled by means of a person, a drop of sweat

de

[possessive particle]
白 + 勺
white + ladle

white de ladle:白色的勺子

yào

want [v.]
西 + 女
Wild West + woman

poster in the Wild West Wanted: Women

Western women want it all: family, career, etc.

miàn

face-to-face
百 + 目
hundred + eye

face-to-face interview: a hundred eyeballs on you

面 also means "noodles": picture a hundred eyeballs tossed in your noodles

shuō

speak
讠 + 兑
microphone + devil

Speak of the devil!”

gěi

give
纟 + 合
thread + fit

give threads that fit

qián

in front, *butcher shop
丷 + 刖
horns + butcher

horns hang in front of the butcher’s shop

hòu

behind
𠂆 + 一 + 口
drag + one + mouth

a back seat driver behind you dragging you down

dragging behind in the chanting

duì

that’s right
又 + 寸
right hand + thumb

"That's right!” Swear it with your right hand or just give them a thumbs up.

xué

study
Nxué + 子
schoolhouse + child

a child studies in a schoolhouse

dào

arrive
至 + 刂dāo
until + sword

waiting in place with swords raised until Mongols arrive

néng

ability
厶 + 月 + 匕 + 匕
monument + body part + 2 spoons

showing off a special ability at the monument: some trick with a body part and 2 spoons

shí

time
日 + 寸
sun + thumb

primitive sundial: holding up your thumb to see its shadow and tell the time

zhǔ

lord
丶 + 王
drop + king

a drop of a king is a lord

xiǎng

think
相xiāng + 心
one another + heart

think of one another, the one you love

木 + 目 + 心 tree + eye + heart: you are under a tree, you close your eyes and think in your heart of the one you love

yàng

appearance
木 + 羊yáng
wood + sheep

a wooden sheep has the appearance of a sheep

dōu/dū

all/metropolis
者 + 阝
hero + city walls

Dōu! All the heroes jumped over the city wall of the metropolis.

harmony
禾hé + 口
grain + mouth

whole grains in your mouth = (digestive) harmony

when grain fills the mouths of the populations, there is harmony

chū

exit [v.]
山 + 山
mountain + mountain

exit through a pass between two mountains

jìn

advance [v.]
井jǐng + 辶
well + road

You advance from well to well on the road.

"Advance to the Well: As extended families attempt to stay together on the road, often messages are left for those who will follow behind. An example: “Advance to the Well.” (1930's On the Road)

zài

once more
一 + 冂 + 土
one + hood + soil

If I have to ask you once more…pick up your hoodie from the soil!

jiàn

see
目 + 儿
eye + human legs

見 is the traditional character of 见, showing that when you see something, it's like your eyes arrive there

as a component: “见字旁”

zhōng

middle
口 + 丨
mouth + stick

a stick goes through the middle of something

guó

country
囗 + 玉
enclose + jade

country’s wealth (jade) is enclosed, crown jewels protected

start up
走 + 己jǐ
walk + snake

You are tying your shoe and see a snake. You start up quickly and walk away with your friend.

Cherokee legend of the boy walking up the mountain and the rattlesnake who asked to go with him: "You knew what I was when you started up."

yòng

utilize, *Little Red Riding Hood
冂 + 1
hood + bouquet

Little Red utilizes her hood every day when she is picking bouquets.

duō

many
夕 + 夕
evening + evening

"many moons ago" (a story told in the evening)

jiù

at once
京 + 尤yóu
capital + Goofy

in Beijing, they force Goofy to leave at once

京尤就

be like
女nǚ + 口
woman + mouth

women talking about what it would be like if…

ancient ritual where people walk out of a cave to symbolically represent rebirth, like coming out of a woman’s birth canal

hái

or?
不 + 辶
no + road

Do you want this road or that road? No, not that one.

"No?: Should you hit the road or no? Take our reader’s quiz to assess your probability of finding work." (1930's On the Road)

ground [n.]
土 + 也
soil + scorpion

scorpion lives in the soil or ground

zuò

make
亻 + 故
persona + deliberate

your persona deliberately makes…

alternatively: 亻+古 + 攵 persona + ancient + taskmaster, persona makes ___ (whatever you want to picture your persona making) when ordered to by the ancient taskmaster

de

[for verb complements]
彳 + 旦dàn + 寸
queue + daybreak + thumb

verb to what end? day worker waiting in line at daybreak, with their thumb up to get picked up

guò

cross [v.]
寸 + 辶
thumb + road

"Cross (Town) with Your Thumb: Without money for transportation, many who hit the road have to rely on hitchhiking to get them to the next place." (1930's On the Road)

sòng

deliver
关 + 辶
shut + road

"Deliver and Shut: This woman is delivering her daughter’s family to the road. Too old to travel herself, she won’t shut the door until they are out of sight." (1930's On the Road)

Yu, *clothing pully
干 + h
clothesline + “hook”

Mrs. Yu, the inventor of the clothing pulleys that are installed outside people’s apartment windows

zhī

know
矢shǐ + 口
dart + mouth

a know-it-all: you want to throw darts at his mouth

dào

way
首 + 辶
heads + road

"The Way: (Follow) the Heads: Heads of religions are teaching the way to peace despite the trials of this life." (1930's On the Road)

zhe

-ing
⺶ + 目
wool + eye

pulling the wool over someone’s eyes

jué or jiào

senses [n.]
Nxué + 见
schoolhouse + see

learn about five senses at school, the first of which is seeing

xiàn

the present
王 + 见jiàn
jewel + see

Look into the crystal ball and see the present. Oh, maybe it's a mirror.

běn

notebook
木 + 一
tree + one

slice out of tree trunk becomes a notebook

cóng

follow
人 + 人
person + person

one person following another

zhǐ

only
口 + 八
mouth + animal legs

the one and only Pacman

zuì

most [adv.]
日 + 取
sun + take

you can take the most from the sun and keep taking

next
冫 + 欠
ice + lack

have to wait for next round of ice skating because the ice lacks, Zamboni make the sound "ci"

Frequent but Abstract

Quiz

his-hers-its-theirs, *laundry basket

gēn

heel [n./v.]

qián

in front, *butcher shop

jué or jiào

senses [n.]

kāi

open [v.], *open hands

duì

that’s right

miàn

face-to-face

zuǒ

left [n./adj.]

yòu

right [n./adj.]

xiàn

the present

de

[for verb complements]

oneself, *nose

send out, *friend’s hair

fēn

part [n./v.]

Yu, *clothing pully

Show Answers