Page:Elementary Chinese - San Tzu Ching (1900).djvu/27

Rh Chi is composed of 木 mu wood as radical, with 幾 chi how many? as phonetic, and is rather the motive power than the machine itself, which is an extended sense.

Chu is composed of 木 mu wood as radical, with 予 yü I as phonetic, and is the shuttle for holding the thread of the woof (see ). What Mencius' mother did was to exemplify to her son the disastrous effect of want of continuity in learning by snapping the thread of the woof. Eitel translates, "She tore (in his presence) loom and shuttle." Père Zottoli has "fregit textorium radium." But it was the thread which she broke, not the shuttle, the latter being put by synecdoche for its contents.

Tou is composed of 穴 hsüeh a hole as radical, with 賣 (see ), here an abbreviation for 瀆 tu a ditch, as phonetic. It was the surname of 竇禹鈞 Tou Yü-chün, a scholar of the 10th cent. A.D. He lived in 幽州 Yu-chou, a part of modern Chihli which fell under the jurisdiction of Yen; hence he received the sobriquet of Yen-shan, the name of the 順天 Shun-t'ien Prefecture under the 宋 Sung dynasty, A.D. 960–1260.

Yen was under its old form a picture of a flying swallow, the two halves of 北 pei north, between which 口 k'ou mouth is inserted, representing the wings, and 火 huo fire , under which radical it is now classed, giving a good idea of the forked tail.

Shan was originally a picture of mountain peaks.

Yu is composed of 月 yüeh moon as radical, below 又 yu a hand