Page:Elementary Chinese - San Tzu Ching (1900).djvu/32

14

Lao was originally composed of 人 jen man, 毛 mao hair, and an obsolete character meaning to change; q.d. the hair turning white, seventy years of age. See lines,.

Ho is composed of 人 jen man as radical, with 可 k'o possibility, can, as phonetic. It is a common interrogative particle.

Wei is composed of 爪 chao claws as radical, over the alleged picture of a female monkey, which is said to be fond of scratching. It came to mean to be, to do. Read, it means on behalf, in place of; hence to pawn.

Yü was originally composed of three equidistant horizontal lines joined by a vertical stroke. It is now written with a dot, which is omitted in composition, to distinguish it from 王 wang. It is the gem par excellence of China, a species of nephrite or jade, and is held to possess five virtues. It is used for all kinds of ornaments, and is also put into the mouths of corpses to preserve them from decay.

Pu see.

Cho is composed of 玉 yü jade as radical, and a phonetic which is 豕 shih pig with its feet tied together. It means to prepare jade.

Pu see.

Ch'êng is composed of 戊 mou or wu flourishing, and what under