Culture

The Chinese idiom 禮尚往來 (lǐ shàng wǎng lái) states that “propriety, or courtesy, suggests reciprocity.” Originating from a passage in “Li Ji” (禮記), or “Classic of Rites,” one of the Five Classics of Confucianism, the […]

The character 勇 (yǒng) refers to the concepts of bravery, courage, and valour. It is composed of two parts: the character 甬 (yǒng) on top, from which 勇 (yǒng) receives its pronunciation, and the radical […]

“Do not think about your own acts of kindness, but never forget kindness received.” — Chinese philosopher Zhu Zi The ancient Chinese believed that if we can do favours for others without seeking something in […]

夢 (mèng), the Chinese character for “dream,” is made up of four parts and is ideographic. The two upper parts, (艹) and ( 罒 ), together resemble the shape of an eyebrow above the eye […]

The Chinese idiom “point to a deer and call it a horse” (指鹿為馬, pronounced zhĭ lù wéi mă) refers to confounding right and wrong, deliberately misrepresenting the truth, or distorting the facts for ulterior motives. […]

The Chinese character 運 (yùn) is a pictophonetic character—one formed by combining a component that indicates the meaning with a component that indicates the sound. 運 has multiple meanings. It means to move, transport, or […]

The Chinese character 忍 (rěn) is a pictophonetic character—one formed by combining a component that indicates the meaning with a component that indicates the sound. 忍 means to forbear, endure, or tolerate. It also contains […]

The Chinese character 聰 (cōng) stands for intelligence or cleverness. It also refers to the faculty of hearing. It comprises three parts: 耳 (ěr), the character for ear, on the left; a pictograph symbolizing two […]

Portraying the traditional Chinese ideal of harmonious balance between nature and humankind  The Chinese character 和 (hé) stands for harmony or peace and is also a conjunction in Chinese that is equivalent to “and” in […]

Conveying the special significance of music, literally ‘the sound of happiness’ The Chinese characters 音樂 (yīn yuè) stand for music. 音 is the character for sound, while 樂 refers to music itself as well as […]