The Chinese characters 本 meaning is root; origin; source.

本 is a pictograph of a tree (木) with the root and stump emphasized by a horizontal stroke, indicating the level of the earth. Although the root is the lowest part of the tree, it is of the highest value in its struggle for survival. With good reason, also, 本 is used as a classifier for books, the “root” of knowledge.

The Chinese characters 来 meaning is come.

“He who sows his grain in the field puts his trust in heaven,” so observed the proverb. A bountiful yield of grain was therefore gratefully acknowledged as having come from above. Thus 来, originally a pictograph of growing wheat or barley, came to stand for “come”. The simplified character grafts rice (米) on to tree (木) to produce 来 — a character no less welcome.

The Chinese characters 有 meaning is have.

Early forms portrayed a hand grasping a piece of meat, signifying to possess or to have. Because of the resemblance between meat and moon (月), man soon lost sight of meat and reached for the moon, promising it to anyone he wishes to possess. Today, with hand on moon (月), he classified 有 under “moon”.

The first two stanzas of this poem are realistic, written in a simple and plain style and the third more imaginative, written in a picturesque style. In AD 207 Cao Cao (155 - 220), King of Wei State, who had unified northern China, came to the Rocky Hill, which is now situated 8 km north of Changli County and 15 km west of the sea, and wrote this poem which described not only the external world but also his own internal world, that is, his unbounded ambition. Just as the sea seemed able to swallow sun and moon, Cao Cao thought he could conquer Wu in the south and Shu in the west and unify the whole country. His grand army, boasting eight hundred thousand men, marched south against the eighty thousand strong Wu navy. Just as Antony, who was good at fighting by land. Cao Cao was defeated by General Zhou Yu at Red Cliff, which was often glorified in later poetry for it was a victory against heavy odds.

THE SEA

I come to view the boundless ocean
From Rocky Hill on eastern shore.
Its water rolls in rhythmic motion,
And islands stand amid its roar.

Tree on tree grows from peak to peak;
Grass on grass looks lush far and nigh.
The autumn wind blows drear and bleak;
The monstrous billows surge up high.

The sun by day, the moon by night
Appear to rise up from the deep.
The Milky Way with stars so bright
Sinks down into the sea in sleep.

How happy I feel at this sight!
I croon this poem in delight.

观沧海

东汉 曹操

东临碣石，以观沧海。

水何澹澹，山岛竦峙。

树木丛生，百草丰茂。

秋风萧瑟，洪波涌起。

日月之行，若出其中；

星汉灿烂，若出其里。

幸甚至哉，歌以咏志。

The Chinese characters 胖 meaning is fat; fleshy.

The original idea of 半 is “half a ox”, denoting size. The radical: 月 (flesh) supplements the thought, indicating fleshiness. Hence 胖: fleshy or fat. Beefiness and other bovine characteristics are not altogether undesirable according to the proverb: “You win a cat and lose a cow.”

The Chinese characters 肉 meaning is flesh; meat.

The Chinese character for meat: 肉 is composed of pieces of dried meat wrapped in a bundle. From the ancient custom of offering such dried meat to the teacher came the term: “dried-meat money” - a teacher’s pay.

The Chinese characters 牧 meaning is tend cattle; graze.

The phonetic: 攵 depict right hand wielding a rod. The radical: 牛 (cattle) added to 攵 (oversee) forms the ideogram: 牧, meaning to oversee cattle. Such oversight teaches man the futility of brute force against will power. In the words of the proverb: “If an ox won’t drink, you can’t make him bend his head.”

The Chinese characters 告 meaning is indict; tell; inform.

Originally 告 means to indict or accuse, i.e., do with the mouth (口) what the ox (牛) does with the horns: to gore. By extension it also means to tell, inform or even to warn. So, before starting to gore like an ox, be warned: “Man knows not his own fault; the ox knows not its strength.”

The Chinese characters 伴 meaning is companion; associate; mate.

The ideograph: 伴 is made up of people (亻) and half (半), suggesting that the single man is but half of a pair. To attain “oneness” another half, a complement, is needed. Hence: 伴, meaning companion, associate or mate. In the choice of a better half, let man take heed: “Tiger and deer do not walk together.”

The Chinese characters 半 meaning is half.

This Chinese character originated from the butcher’s practice of dividing an ox (牛) into two halves, in all its length, before cutting up. Ox is exact divided into the two halves. Hence: 半, meaning “half”. Even though it is easy to split one ox into two halves, the saying proves true: “You cannot get two skins from one ox.”