Page:Elementary Chinese - San Tzu Ching (1900).djvu/150

 It meant to answer questions, a test first applied to candidates for the highest degree by the fourth Emperor of the Han dynasty, B.C. 179—156. His Majesty however objected to the appearance of "mouth" in the character, on the ground that replies should not be too long-winded, and he accordingly substituted 士 shih scholar, with which the word has been written ever since. [Père Zottoli makes a grave mistake in translating the line "coram augusta aula." He has apparently been misled by the later senses of tui, namely opposite to, in the presence of.]

Ta see.

T'ing is the audience-chamber, the Court, the hall in which the final examination was held.

K'uei is composed of 斗 tou a ladle or dipper as radical, with 鬼 kuei disembodied spirits as phonetic. It originally meant a soup-ladle. How it came to mean chief, eminent, etc., is difficult to say,

To is composed of 夕 hsi evening duplicated, and means reiterated, one upon another. Evening is said to have been chosen because evenings come one after another in succession; hence many.

Shih see.

Pi see.

Wan is composed of 日 as radical, with 免  as phonetic, 既  is another reading.

Ch'êng see.