Hanzi Alive!(6)

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Chinese characters are frozen actions - look, "立" resembles a person standing firmly, while "交" is like legs crossed in meeting. One teaches us to stand tall, the other teaches us to connect.

交(jiāo)

Explanation:

A person standing with legs crossed represents "交." This character conveys the meanings of "intersect," "exchange," or "crisscross." For example, "交友" means "making friends" (imagine "crossing paths with friends"); "交心" means "heart-to-heart"; and "交通" means "traffic."

Example：

She has made many new friends.
她交了很多新朋友。  
Tā jiāo le hěn duō xīn péng yǒu.  

He always confides in his friends.
他总是和朋友交心。  
Tā zǒng shì hé péng yǒu jiāo xīn.  

Traffic congestion ahead!
前方交通堵塞！  
Qián fāng jiāo tōng dǔ sè!  

Find and circle the "交" in the image:

立(lì)

Explanation:

The character "立" visually represents a person standing upright, with the horizontal line at the bottom symbolizing the ground. A common Chinese saying, "三十而立" means by the age of 30, a person should be able to stand on their own and support themselves without relying on their parents.

Example：

We need to learn to be independent!
我们要学会独立！  
Wǒ men yào xué huì dú lì!  

She stood still in the original spot.
她站立在原地。  
Tā zhàn lì zài yuán dì.  

I immediately rushed out.
我立刻就冲出去了。  
Wǒ lì kè jiù chōng chū qù le.  

Find and circle the "立" in the image:

Now you understand: in the world of Chinese characters, "立" signifies a posture of solitude, while "交" embodies the wisdom of encounters. Perhaps the balance of life lies within the strokes of this "stillness in motion."

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