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Portrait of Euin
175
So great were ins virtues, that he comprehended all things, understanding their qualities, their powers, and the ends for which they were best fitted. When he first drew the eight diagrams, each had three strokes. He increased their whole number to sixty-four. From this commencement, he proceeded to invent written charac- ters, which were substituted for knotted cords. The sources from whence the language was formed, were the six following:
日
日指
事意味
一二三四五六
characters resembling objects or things;
characters having borrowed meanings;
characters pointing out objects;
those formed by combining ideas;
by inverting their significations;
and by uniting sound to the object.
We quote these six classes from the History Made Easy, and will add an example or two under each, as we there find them givers.
1. The sun and the moon are denoted by the following characters, which in their original shape were thought to resemble those two objects: ji, the sun; yue, the moon.
2. This includes characters that have two meanings, one literal and the other borrowed; thus ling, an ensign of authority, is used to denote the exercise of authority, i. e. to rule.
3. Those under this class point out their meaning, by their form
&c.; they say, ▲ – ERE jin tsái yi sháng, wei sháng, the character man (\) standing (#) above (†)
(八)
one (-), makes () the character sháng (E) above, or to ascend.
4. This class comprises such characters as are composed of two or more parts, the meaning of which, when combined, form a new word having a meaning derived from those two parts: thus they say, jin yen wei sin, man and words make truth, verity, or good-faith; i. e. a man who keeps his word is truthful, and may be trusted.
5. The characters tsò, the left hand, and ₺ yiú, the right hand, are examples adduced under this class; the first inverted forms the second.
ỳ,
6. The characters . kiáng and ju hò, both meaning a river, are given to illustrate this class: in each case one part of the charac- ter undicates the form, and the other the sound of running water.