The Chinese characters 算 meaning is calculate; plan.

算, the Chinese character for calculate or plan, is cleverly conceived: two hands manipulating an abacus made of bamboo. Although 算 emphasizes doing with the hands, it also means to contrive, as exemplified by the character shown here who is planning more and doing less.

The Chinese characters 笔 meaning is pen.

A hand holding a stylus, scratching lines on a tablet, symbolizes a writing stylus. Bamboo (竹) added to stylus produces pen. Bamboo combined with hair (毛) also makes “pen”: 笔. Although both the traditional character 筆 and simplified character 笔 can be used to write “pen”, the saying goes: “A pen cannot write two words at the same time!’

The Chinese characters 竹 meaning is bamboo.

The Chinese character 竹 for bamboo is a pictograph of two whorls of bamboo leaves. Unlike a wayward man, the bamboo grows straight and upright into a useful and decorative plant. “The bamboo stick makes a good child,” so says the proverb. Our picture demonstrates how starting right from the bottom.

The Chinese characters 花 meaning is flower.

Originally, 化 pictured a man tumbling heels over head, indicating a complete change - a metamorphosis. With the plant radical (艹) grafted on, 化 assumed a different character and blossomed into a flower: 花 - that part of a plant (艹) which is strikingly transformed (化) or changed from the other parts.

The Chinese characters 叶 meaning is leaves.

The original seal form graphically portrays the luxuriant foliage of a tree. The regular form: 葉, signifying the generations (世) of a treelike (木) plant (艹), suggests the seasonal sprouting of leaves. The simplified character, however, simply borrows the character: 叶 (originally “harmony”) and leaves the harmonizing to the imagination.

The Chinese characters 苗 meaning is sprouts; shoots.

The concept of “sprout” (苗) germinates from grain stalks sprouting in a cultivated field (苗). By extension, 苗 includes man’s offspring, his progeny. As illustration, we picture here a productive farmer with his “sprouts”- the fruit of much labor of love and toil.

The Chinese characters 草 meaning is grass; weeds.

A pictograph of grass, commonly written: 草. Despised as weed that sways with the wind, the lowly grass nevertheless provides the root for a host of “plant” characters. And, unlike the grassroots of human society, it can draw comfort from the proverb: “Every blade of grass has its own share of dew.”

The Chinese characters 点 meaning is point; spot; dot.

The phonetic component: 占 means to divine, to ask about or interpret orally the cracks of a heated tortoise shell - to point out the unknown. Adding the radical component: 黑 (black) emphasizes the point with black. Hence: 點, a black point, a spot or dot. The simplified character comes even more to the point: 点 by setting divination (占) on fire (four dots).

ON THE STORK TOWER is a famous Chinese poetry. The author Wang Zhi Huan (王之涣) is a poet in the Tang Dynasty. He is good at describing the natural scenery.

The Yellow Rivet coming from the north passed by the Stork Tower and abruptly turned to the east. What a grand view the tower commanded! This poet described such grandeur only in ten Chinese characters as if he knew the magic of shortening a thousand miles into a foot.

ON THE STORK TOWER
The sun beyond the mountains glows;
The Yellow River seawards flows.
You can enjoy a grander sight，
By climbing to a greater height.

Note: The Stork Tower is located in Yongji County, Shanxi Province, China.

登鹳雀楼

白日依山尽，

黄河入海流。

欲穷千里目，

更上一层楼。

The Chinese characters 墨 meaning is Chinese ink.

Chinese ink: 墨 was first made by mixing smoke-soot (黑) with gum to produce an earthy (土) substance. The mixture was then molded and hardened into a solid stick, ready to be ground with water to form live ink. Even though a little ink is better than a good memory, people apparently prefer to heed the proverb: “He who is near ink gets black; committing it to memory.”