Learan Chinese Characters-龟

龟 guī:

The inscriptions of tortoise on bronzewares in the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

It has been symbolizing longevity from ancient China. It is said that a tortoise has a life span of over 150 years. The character evolved many writing forms. It also left many traces on decorations in bronze wares from the Shang Dynasty, the first dynasty in China. We say 乌龟 in oral Chinese. 乌龟 The first character means a color similar to black, just indicating the color of the tortoise.

鼠shǔ:



The rat has always been man’s enemy from ancient times. In Chinese, very few expressions associated with rate have good connotations. We call it老鼠 in oral Chinese, but the character  “老”does not have any actual meaning, just for a grammar function to keep the balance of rhythm, for one character (syllable ) seems a little unstable in oral Chinese.

虎 hǔ

It is considered as the king of wild animals in the wood. Therefore many phrases combined with 虎 has the meaning of vigorous, powerful, and imposing.

象 xiàng

When did the elephant was introduced into China? I didn’t know. Why does the Chinese chess call 象棋 instead of 马棋？some say that the chesses were made of ivories in ancient time, some say that it symbolizes a struggling war by using chess, for in ancient time there was a dance called 象舞 which mimicked man’s struggling.

鹿 lù

It is an auspicious animals as well as beautiful. In Chinese it symbolizes good luck on one’s official career and fortunes.
鹿死谁手：It is a useful Chinese idiom, meaning at whose hand will the deer die (who will win at last).

丽 lì

The pair of antler of deer are really beautiful. You will find that the Character l丽 was evolved from the pair of antler of deer.