The Chinese characters 娶 meaning is marry.

Chinese characters 取 means to select or obtain, i.e. figuratively taking hold of a person by the ear in the hand. To select a woman 女 therefore means to marry: 娶. Today, however, it is never wise for a man to select a wife in this way, for a hand on her ear definitely means a fist on his ear.

He Zhi Zhang (贺知章) is a famous poet in Tang Dynasty of China. He resigned the government post of imperial court and returned to hometown in A.D.744. He had been already 86 years old at that time. He had already left hometown for more than 50 years. Life is very transient, therefore, full of sigh with emotion in the heart. The emotion of this poem is natural and true.

Please watch the Flash to appreciate the artistic conception of this Chinese poetry. The following is the English translation of this Chinese poetry:

Return To Hometown
I left hometown when being young and returned in old age,
My local accent has not changed, but my hair has already turned white.
The local children see me, but they don’t know me,
“Where do you come from, reverend sir?” they asking with smile.

Chinese original text of this Chinese poetry:

回乡偶书

少小离家老大回，

乡音无改鬓毛衰。

儿童相见不相识，

笑问客从何处来。

The Chinese characters 取 meaning is take, select or seize.

To secure a firm hold on a person the hand is laid on the ear 耳. A hand on the ear, then, means to take hold of, to select or seize: 取. Pictured here are various Chinese characters extending a helping hand to demonstrate what 取 means.

The Chinese characters 耳 meaning is ear.

From time immemorial man discerned the wisdom of listening. He proclaimed from ear to ear the proverbial saying: “A good talker is inferior to a good listener.” The pictograph he created for the listening ear began with a natural rendition and ended with a stylized form: 耳. His talking about the listening ear began also with a natural rendition, but it doesn’t seem like ever ending in any form.

The Chinese characters 话 meaning is talk, speech or language.

Man combined words 言 and tongue 舌 to produce 話, meaning speech or language. To emphasize the importance of weighing words before delivery and to caution against their indiscriminate proliferation, the Chinese proverb warns: “Water and words are easy to pour out but impossible to recover.”

The Chinese characters 舌 meaning is tongue.

“The tongue is like a sharp knife; It kills without drawing blood,” so warns the Chinese proverb. Exemplifying this, early forms of the Chinese character show a forked tongue thrust viciously out of the mouth. Finally it straightens and becomes new form: 舌.

The Chinese characters 右 meaning is right.

The Chinese character for right: 右 is simply a hand and a month 口, signifying the hand you eat with — the right. 右 stands for the direction right.

The Chinese characters 左 meaning is left.

The Chinese character for left: 左 depicts the hand that holds the carpenter’s square. The left hand is meant to help its more skilled correlative member in manual work 工, for example, holding the ruler while the right hand draws the line. 左 stands for the direction left.

The Chinese characters 工 meaning is work, labor or skill.

工 is a pictograph of the ancient workman’s square or carpenter’s ruler. By extension, it means work, labor or skill. An early form included three parallel lines traced with the square. Man bas always bad problems with work and remuneration. Instead of striving for prosperity through work, he works for prosperity through strife, as the master and servant that the picture shows.

The Chinese characters 信 meaning is believe, trust or letter.

This picture shows a man 人 standing by his words 言, a fitting symbol for faith and trust: 信. Ancient forms show a man and mouth; also a heart and words, i.e., words from the heart — sincere and honest. As only man can transmit his word by writing, 信 (man and word) also came to mean the written letter or epistle.