Lesson 03
Independent characters (2)
- Simple ideograms
zhǐ shì zì
• Simple ideograms (指 事 字 - indication ), which are also
called “Indicative characters”, express abstract meanings
by simple symbols.
• Characters of this sort either add indicators to pictographs
to make new meanings, or illustrate abstract concepts
directly.
• The indicative characters are much fewer in number than
the pictograms.
• In the examples below, low numerals are represented by the
appropriate number of strokes:
běn mò
In "本"(root) and "末"(treetop),a short string
underneath and a short string upside are
respectively used to indicate the positions of a
root and treetop.
běn
本 root
mò
末 top of tree - apex
shàng xià
In the characters "上 "and "下", an iconic indication above
and below a line is used to express the directions “up” and
“down”.
shàng
上 Up
xià
下 Down
shàng
上 up, on
xià
下 down, below
zhōng
中 middle, centre
dà
大 big
xiǎo
小 small
tài
太 too,excessively
tiān
天 sky,day
bái
白 white
cháng
长 long
lì
力 power
xuè
血 blood
yán
言 speech, word
huí
回 circle,return
Takk for i dag!

03 Simple ideograms