In the eye of the beholder


Many Chinese characters evolved from pictures, and learning the stories behind the shapes helps me to remember them correctly. But sometimes, I learn a little more than I can handle.

For example, nouns are often simplified drawings for the things they represent, like a tree, or a person, or the sun. With more abstract terms, you have to use some imagination. The character for look combines a hand and an eye, mimicking the gesture of an Indian scout in an old cowboy movie scanning the horizon. The character for good is a woman with a child. That may not be very progressive, but we're dealing with a language that dates back over 5000 years.

I expected an equally conventional and sentimental representation for the word beautiful. Maybe the character would be something like a young woman? But I never imagined the concept would be illustrated with the union of big and sheep! Is this an indication of the importance of livestock in early Chinese civilization? Or a hint at the sexual preferences of shepherds? These are not the kinds of questions that I can ask my teacher, so the mystery remains.

It does make me wonder what the Chinese had in mind when they translated America as beautiful country.

Posted: Tue - November 18, 2003 at 12:53 AM    

©