The Chinese characters 恩 meaning is mercy; kindness; grace.

Why is a mature man confined in a cell or enclosure! The answer forms the character: 因, meaning cause or reason. The sight of such a confined man may excite pity in the heart (心), and if this feeling leads one to liberate him, that is grace or mercy - the result of tempering reason (因) with sentiment (心) .

Though nowadays the development of China is fast, China is a mysterious and old country to most Occidentals. The mysterious eastern country is attracting more and more tourists. Maybe you plan one China holidays in the near future. However, if you come to China for the first time, you will have some difficulties. I think the biggest difficulty is the language problem. If you learn some daily Chinese language, your China tours will become more convenient and happy.

Perhaps you will worry the language problem before beginning your China holidays. In fact most Chinese young people are studying English now, but Chinese language is the mother tongue, so Chinese only speak Chinese language in daily life. I advise you to learn some basic Chinese and common expressions, for example ask the way, order dishes or bargain, know the Chinese name of your destination. This will be very helpful to your China holidays tour.

By the way, if you have plenty of time and love tropical tour, maybe you have another good choice — Indo China holidays. There are several small and beautiful countries in Indo China, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, Burma… Perhaps you can find the Garden of Eden that belongs to you here. In any case, have a pleasant trip!

The Chinese characters 慧 meaning is wit; wisdom.

Two leafy branches held in the hand improvise a broom. Broom placed over heart (心) clears the way for wit and wisdom. Hence: 慧 - a heart swept clean, ready to receive the proverbial counsel: “Man combs his hair every morning; why not his heart?”

The Chinese characters 聪 meaning is intelligent; clever.

This simplified character 聪 ingeniously combines 耳 (ear) with 总 (general, comprehensive) to convey the idea of cleverness at hearing and comprehending things generally.

The Chinese characters 匆 meaning is haste; hurry; alarm.

The original ideogram depicted a restless heart (心) prompting one to peep anxiously through the window. Hence the meaning: haste, excitement or alarm. The haste shown even in the evolution of this exciting Chinese character - from the seal form to the final simplified character form: 匆 - gives cause for alarm.

The Chinese characters 忘 meaning is forget.

The old form of the phonetic: 亡 represents someone entering a place of concealment, and means to disappear or perish. The addition of the heart radical: 心, enforces the idea of “lost mind” or a mind that ceases to act; hence, to forget: 忘. Minds should not be lost when it comes to the memorable proverb: “Forget favors given: remember favors received!’

The Chinese characters 忆 meaning is recall; remember; reflect.

The phonetic: 意 denotes sound (音) in the heart or mind (心), i.e. intention or thought. The addition of another heart (the radical, 忄) to thought (意) suggests to think again - to reflect or remember. As a mnemonic aid, the simplified character form combines heart (忄) with second (乙) producing 忆.

The Chinese characters 想 meaning is think; hope.

This Chinese character is composed of 相 (inspect) and 心 (heart). The phonetic: 相 represents an eye (目) on behind a tree (木) on the lookout for possible danger, and signifies to examine or inspect. Combination with the radical: 心 (heart, mind) produces 想, meaning to examine or inspect in the heart or mind, i.e., to think, ponder or hope.

The Chinese characters 爱 meaning is love.

The simplified character: 爱 highlights the role of friendship: 友 - a more realistic love. But whatever form love may take, excel the selfless and unselfish love based on the principle extolled in the proverb: “Those who love others will themselves be loved.”

Wang Han (689 - 726)was a frontier poet though as secretary of Premier Zhang Yue he had never been to the frontier, This quatrain begins with the wine of grapes which was believed to have been imported from Greece during the reign of King Mu of the Zhou dynasty or Emperor Wu of the Han, and with the cup of jade glowing at flight which was also the product of Western countries, so the very first line creates a frontier atmosphere and tells us there was intercultural communication as early as the Zhou or the Han dynasty in Chinese history. The second line is subject to three different Interpretations; (1) the Pipa, a musical instrument which Giles replaced by bugle and Bynner by guitar, summoned the warriors to the battleground while they were drinking! (2) the warriors were playing music on horseback or (3) they were summoned while drinking to the Pipa songs. I prefer the last to the first and think the second is a misinterpretation. As to lines 3-4, most commentators agree that they express the warriors’ feeling of sorrow; some think that soldiers should make merry while they might since few could come back alive; only a few say that this shows the dauntless spirit of warriors in face of death. In either of the last two cases, this quatrain may be compared with the following verse in Jolly Mortals, Fill Your Glasses of Robert Burns:

What is title, what is treasure,
What is reputation’s care?
If we lead a life of pleasure,
This no matter how or where!

The English song has eight stanzas or Quatrains but the Chinese poem has only one which expresses as much as eight, so we may well say that never has so much been said in so short a poem as a Tang Quatrain.

STARTING FOR THE FRONT
Wang Han
The cup of jade would glow with wine of grapes at night.
Drinking to Pipa songs, we are summoned to fight.
Don’t laugh if we lay drunken on the battle ground!
How many warriors ever come back safe and sound?

Note: Pipa is a kind of musical instrument of China.

凉州词

唐 王翰

葡萄美酒夜光杯，

欲饮琵琶马上催。

醉卧沙场君莫笑，

古来征战几人回?