Hanzi Alive!(14)

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Chinese characters are the body's secret code --- '鼻' (bí) is the raised hill on the face (self + field), '肉' (ròu) is the pulsating muscle texture. These two characters allow you to breathe in culture with one and touch life with the other.

鼻(bí)

Explanation:

  • The character "鼻" (nose) resembles a nose with breathing nostrils.

Example:

  • I can smell the flowers with my nose.  
    我能用鼻子闻到花香。  
    wǒ néng yòng bí zi wén dào huā xiāng.
  • His nose is bleeding.  
    他的鼻子流血了。  
    tā de bí zi liú xiě le.

Circle and find "鼻" in the image:

肉(ròu)

Explanation:

  • The character "肉" (meat) originally looked similar to "月" (moon), but it actually represents a hanging piece of meat.

Example:

  • This meat is very fresh.  
    这块肉很新鲜。  
    zhè kuài ròu hěn xīn xiān.
  • I don't eat pork.  
    我不吃猪肉。  
    wǒ bù chī zhū ròu.

Circle and find "肉" in the image:

Now you understand: Chinese characters record breath with '鼻' and depict flesh and blood with '肉'. The next time you look in the mirror, you will discover - the logic of Chinese character creation is inscribed on your face and body.

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