Term
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Definition
cow
Symbolizes a cow with horns looked at from the front. |
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Term
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Definition
item, component;
measure word for a piece or thing
文件 – Document/file; 零件 – Machine parts/components
A person (亻) handling a cow (牛) — that’s one “item” of work, or one “thing” to take care of |
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Term
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Definition
temple,
Buddhist monastery
a joint effort of hands on a sacred soil build a temple |
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Term
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Definition
special, unique
a bull is offered to a temple for a special sacrificial ritual |
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Term
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Definition
do not / must not
classical; using a knife to draw blood is never ideal - so it cam to mean 'do not' |
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Term
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Definition
matter, object, thing
a cow must not be treated as a pure thing |
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Term
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Definition
eight
blessing coming down from the sky |
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Term
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Definition
half, semi-
半杯水 "half a glass of water"; 半透明 "semi-transparent"
Signifies a cow (牛) which is being butchered and cut in half (八). |
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Term
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Definition
knife
in the shape of a meat chopper |
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Term
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Definition
horn, angle, corner
角力 "wrestling" lit. "horn-power"; Geometry: 角度 "angle, degree"; 角色 "role/character," from the "horned" masks in ancient drama |
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Term
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Definition
to untie, to loosen
solve, understand;
separate
"To untie" (解開); "To separate" (分解); 解體 "To disintegrate"
"To explain" (解釋) - metaphorically "loosening" confusion
a cow (牛) is butchered by a knife (刀) and came into completely separate parts such as the meat, bones and even its horns (角). Also came to mean ‘understand’ by "dividing" everything into smaller parts. |
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Term
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Definition
to tell, to inform,
to announce
警告 "warning"; 告发 "to accuse"; 告诉 "to tell someone"
a mutilated cow (牛) tells (口) how it has lost its tail |
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