17 Nov 2023
Agriculture emerged early in ancient China. Farmers have been the bulk of the population since that period and until recently. Agriculture is crucial to national policy and is the foundation of millions of people's daily lives.
As a result, several characters associated with agriculture, farming, and the environment are essential to the Chinese language. Many of the figures resemble agricultural instruments if you look closely! Others have sometimes surprising connections to farm production and field management.
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For example, 木(mù) resembles a tree. The primitive pictogram 果(guǒ) is a fruit-bearing tree 木(mù). 田(tián) looks like a field, whereas 竹(zhú) looks like two bamboo stalks and leaves.米(mǐ)'s old shape resembled a spike of rice, with the dots symbolising the kernels.井(jǐng) is derived from a picture of a water well with a square mouth, and 禾(hé) resembles ripe grain harvests.
The direct reality and personal experience of Chinese people shaped the development of Chinese culture and language. Some agricultural-related Chinese characters have infiltrated the vernacular and taken on more significant or abstract meanings. Consider two such characters, 本(běn) and 末(mó), who complement each other.
本(běn) resembles a tree 木(mù), with an extra horizontal stroke representing a tree root. The English word "root" perfectly describes the character. As in English, it can refer to both the "root" of a plant and the "root" of a problem. Other definitions include "origin," "basis," "starting point," "original," and so on. It's also a measure term for books because books were once considered the source or "root" of knowledge and the foundation of science. Meanwhile, 末(mó) signifies the "tip of a tree" with its lengthy horizontal across the upper half of the vertical stroke. Nowadays, it can also indicate "end," "late," "final," and so on.
Other popular characters associated with agriculture include 生(sheng) and 來(lái). The old form of 生(sheng) is shaped like a sprout emerging from the earth. It might imply "birth," "to give birth to," or even "life." The primitive pictogram 來(lái) (simplified form) resembles a hanging fruit and meaning "to come" or "to arrive."