Hot on Weibo: The Anatomy of a “Winning” Character
What are five qualities a winner must possess? How could you represent them all in one character?
A fascinating image circulated on Weibo this week. It is a great example of the profound and logical beauty found in so many common Chinese characters.
It analyzes the five radicals which together form the character 赢 (yíng- to win), each representing a different trait needed to become a 赢家 (yíngjiā - winner).
赢- 赢家的五种素质 (yíng- yíng jiā de wǔ zhǒng sù zhì)
Five Characteristics of a Winner
1. 亡: 危机意识 (wáng: wéi jī yì shí)
亡 (wáng), a radical meaning death, reveals a winner must understand danger and crisis
2. 口: 沟通能力 (kǒu: gōu tōng néng lì)
口 (kǒu) meaning mouth or speech, indicates a winner must possess great communication skills
3. 月: 时间观念 (yuè: shí jiān guān niàn)
月 (yuè) meaning month, shows a winner must conceptualize time
4. 贝: 取财有道 (bèi: qǔ cái yǒu dào)
贝 (bèi), technically meaning "shell", but as a radical meaning "money" or "valuables", indicates a winner must be adept with financials
5. 凡: 平常心态 (fán: píng cháng xīn tài)
凡 (fán) indicates the concept of "ordinary" or "commonplace", revealing a winner must stay grounded and cultivate a calm mindset
We think this is fascinating, and so did lots of Weibo users! Many noted the subtle wisdom and erudite foresight shown in the development of Chinese characters. Below are our 6 favorite reactions to this image.
6. 中国文字果然是博大精深啊
zhōng guó wén zì guǒ rán shì bó dà jīng shēn a
Chinese characters really are very profound
5. 我更喜欢"胜"！月：时间观念，生：生存之道！
wǒ gèng xǐ huan "shèng"! yuè: shí jiān guān niàn, shēng: shēngcún zhī dào!
I like "sheng" more! Composed of month, showing the concept of time, and life, showing the path of survival
4. 老祖宗真是太有见地了
lǎo zǔ zōng zhēn shì tài yǒu jiàn dì le
Our ancestors were very insightful
3. 拆字解义很有道理，精辟！
chāi zì jiě yì hěn yǒu dào lǐ, jīng pì
Analyzing characters for meaning really shows wisdom, brilliant!
2. 古人造字简单但有内涵
gǔ rén zào zì jiǎn dān dàn yǒu nèi hán
Ancient people created characters quite simply, but with deep meaning
And our favorite weibo comment about the character composition of 赢…
1. 终于可以记清"赢"字怎么写了
zhōng yú kě yǐ jì qīng "yíng "zì zěn me xiě le
Finally, I can remember how to write "ying"!
What other characters have fascinating compositions?
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