The Chinese characters 针 meaning is needle.

The original form of this Chinese character comprises 金 (metal) and 咸 (bite). The needle takes up, as it were, mouthfuls of cloth, biting its way along. The regular form it has a good point, with the substitute phonetic 十 resembling a threaded needle - warning us never to bite off more than we can chew, for “No needle is sharp at both ends.”

The Chinese characters 钱 meaning is money.

Two spears (戈) breaking gold (金) into pieces means “money”: 钱. And money, taking on the vicious character of spears, means power. So, when money talks, man listens in silence and whispers: “If you are rich, you speak the truth; if you are poor, your words are but lies.”

The Chinese characters 银 meaning is silver.

Silver is produced by consolidating 金 (gold) with 艮 (hard): 银. 艮, originally the eye (目) turned suddenly around to look a man full in the face defiantly, means “obstinate”. Compared with gold, silver is a hard metal, more precious than common copper. Hence the saying: “Even he who has accumulated 10,000 taels of silver cannot take with him at death half a copper.”

I like travelling, I hope to experience various region’s culture, scenery, custom, local diet and art. I finished my Beijing tours in the last month. The historic sites of Beijing make me be unable to forget. Perhaps I will travel Beijing again in the future. I open my tour map now, begin to plan next tour destination. Regard Beijing as the centre of a circle, flight time of 5 hours is the radius, except busiest Japan and Korea, where can I go? Oh yes, Indochina. There are special scenery and custom in this place. Pure virgin forest and splendid sunshine is what I want. I will begin tours of Indochina soon.

Elegant Vietnam: motorcycles flow in Hanoi; the plant grows excessively in the mountain area; the dress of ethnic minority is bright-colored and dazzling; pleasant beach; towering mountain; beautiful Vietnamese girl, this is glamour of Vietnam.

Kampuchea: As one of Seven Wonders of the World, Angkor Wat is attracting the visitors from all parts of the world. Capital Phnom Penh is the place that attracts visitors too: religious buildings, Independent monument, Tashan Mountain and beautiful Boeng Kak.

Laos: Laos is another country on the Indochina. Compared with Vietnam and Kampuchea, Laos is more unsophisticated. It will show you one kind of “The primitive tour sense”.

Tours of Indochina is closely connected with these words, such as challenge, traversing and explored secrets, etc. If you like exploring in the primeval forest, tours of Indochina is a good choice.

Most scholars think this poem was written in 759 when the poet in exile, favored by a general amnesty, was on his way from White Emperor Town in modern Sichuan Province to Jiangling in modern Hubei Province. But, at variance with these scholars, I think this quatrain was written when the poet left home at the age of twenty five. If it were written after the amnesty, the exile would not have glorified White Emperor Town crowned with rosy or rainbow clouds, symbol of the Goddess trysting with King Xiang of Chu, which would only stir the poetic fancy of a youthful mind.

In the first half of this poem there is a marked contrast between the long distance and the short time. To go a thousand li in one day’s space would seem impossible in ancient China for human beings but possible only for gods and goddesses. Here we see the poet likened more to an immortal than to a man. In the second half we hear the sad adieus of monkeys who were considered as companions of Taoist immortals, and we see the fleeting movement of a skiff which looked like a leaf used by gods and goddesses to float on water. So a celestial atmosphere is created in this terrestrial poem, and that is the reason why some critics call this quatrain a masterpiece written by an immortal hand.

LEAVING THE WHITE EMPEROR TOWN AT DAWN
Leaving at dawn the White Emperor crowned with cloud,
I’ve sailed a thousand li through canyons in a day.
With monkeys’ sad adieus the riverbanks are loud,
My skiff has left ten thousand mountains far away.

早发白帝城

朝辞白帝彩云间，

千里江陵一日还。

两岸猿声啼不住，

轻舟已过万重山。

The Chinese characters 金 meaning is gold; metal.

The regular form reveals two nuggets: 金. In the simplified radical form, even these two remaining nuggets are missing: 钅. However, the proverb reassures us: “True gold fears no fire.” Only thieves!

The Chinese characters 贪 meaning is covet; greed.

The presence (今)of anything precious (贝, cowrie money) arouses the emotion of covetousness or greed. Hence: 贪, to covet. Such greed enables a person to gain the things money can buy and lose the things money cannot buy.

The Chinese characters 念 meaning is read; recite.

The components of 念 are 今 (present) and 心 (heart). 念 is to bring to mind the past - by means of reading, reciting or chanting. Derived meanings include thinking, studying, remembering and even wishing to revive the past.

The Chinese characters 今 meaning is now; present.

This Chinese character, dealing with time, it shows the continuity of time and unity of its three elements: past, present and future. 今, the time element we are always in contact with - the present.

The Chinese characters 合 meaning is unite; join.

The upper portion of this Chinese character is made up of three lines joined together to form a balanced triangle, indicating “together”. The lower part is the Chinese character for “mouth”: 口. Hence: 合 - three mouths together, i.e., unity and understanding - a very rare occurrence, as the saying goes: “If three persons can agree entirely, then the earth can be changed to gold.”