Amazing Chinese Characters (550) Mud - 泥

 The big seal script of character Mud is

The left is character Water (Post 13), the right is character Buddhist Nun (Post 549). The right one original means clingy in relationship, here it means sticky mud. 

The small seal script of character Mud is

The left is Water, the right is Buddhist Nun, meaning sticky.

The clerical script of character Mud is

The left is Water Radical, the right is character Buddhist Nun.

The Pinyin of character Mud is Ni2, same as 尼 - Buddhist Nun.

Amazing Chinese Characters (549) Buddhist Nun - 尼

 The big seal script of character Buddhist Nun is

The top 

is character Body (Post 423).

The bottom

is character Dragger (Post 453), but here means person, a little child.

An adult and a child back to back, they love each other, so they sit very close together.

The small seal script of the character is 

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of the character is

Still some similarity to older scripts.

The pinyin of the character is Ni2.

When and why the character means Buddhist Nun long time ago are unknown. 

 

Amazing Chinese Characters (548) Easy - 易

 The shell bone script of character Easy is

The left are three water drops, the right is half of character of Enon and Mortise. When it is difficult to put Enon and Mortise in position, but it is easier to do so when you spray some water on Enon and Mortise. This is my explanation.

There is another shell bone script for character Easy

People believe that ancient Chinese extracted metal Tin by heating soil containing Tin, the Tin has very low melting point, can be easily melt. The diagram of the character above shows the transfer of melted Tin between two cups, one could be used as pan for melting Tin, another could be used as container of Tin.

It is easy to melt Tin, which is the meaning of the character. Also the exchange of Tin between two cups means Change, which is another meaning of the character: change hands (trade), change positions, etc.

The bronze script of character Easy is

Similar to shell bone script, just the Enon and Mortise is flipped. 

There are another bronze scripts of the character 

The left is the cup with melted Tin, means Change, or Easy (to melt). The right one is lizard. There is no explanation online for why the character has this kind form. What I guess is that the people at that time (in East Zhou Dynasty, about 1000 years later after the Shang Dynasty when the shell bone scripts were created), didn't know the original meaning of the character, misunderstood the meaning of the pictography of the earlier scripts, mistakenly changed the drawing of the character. The Lizard is nothing to do with Easy.

The small seal script of character Easy is

It is obvious heritage from the right form of the bronze script, which is not right.

The top is character Sun (Post 4), the bottom is character Do Not (Post 547). People in the sun get sweating easily. The character is totally different approach the meaning from the older scripts, but it is very reasonable. 

The clerical script of character Easy is

similar to small seal script.

The pinyin of character Easy is Yi4.

 

Amazing Chinese Characters (547) Do Not - 勿

 The shell bone script of character Do Not is

A person sweats profusely, the short left-falling lines are sweat drops. It may be due to sick, the person bent as S shape, can't stand straight because he is sick. Do not be like that, it is not good. However, it may be not sick, just because it is too hot. 

In Dictionary of Pictography, the above shell bone script is explained as a Bow (Post 43), I disagree. It is character Body (Post 423). Let's see the shell bone scripts for the two.

Shell bone script for character Bow

Shell bone script for character Body

We can see that shell bone script of Body is the one in character Do Not.

However, Dictionary of Pictography may refer to the bronze script of character Bow

Which is similar. 

But I think that the Body is the one, not the Bow. We should compare shell bone scripts, even though bronze script is close to the time when shell bone scripts were used, but there are hundreds years apart. 

Secondly, the shell bone script of character Pee (Post 500) shows the similar situation

Dictionary of Pictography explains that the dots are drops of poison liquid on the bow to kill enemy, which is not reasonable because poison liquid should put on Arrow, not on Bow. Besides, only a little bit poison needed, not spraying everywhere. Therefore, it is person who is sweating, not a bow with poison liquid dropping heavily.

The bronze script of character Do Not is

More sweating drops.

The small seal script of character Do Not is

The sweat drops becomes long lines. 

The clerical script of character Do Not

Similar to small seal script.

The Pinyin of the character is Wu4.

Amazing Chinese Characters (546) Stretch - 伸

 The big seal script of character Stretch is

The left is character Person (Post 37), and the right is character Extend (Post 544). A person extends his body, which is Stretch. 

The small seal script of character Stretch is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Stretch is

The left is Radical of Person, the right is character Extend.

The Pinyin of the character is Shen1, same as 申.

伸 is not just stretching, but reaching out too. He reaches out to shake her hand, which he is not stretching his arm and hand, just nature moving his hand forward, in Chinese, use 伸。

Amazing Chinese Characters (545) God - 神

 The bronze script of character God is

The left is character Display - 示（Post 329), the right is character Extend - 申（Post 544), here means Lightning, Ancient Chinese believed that the powerful lightning must be created by God who is showing the power by making lightning.

The big seal script of character God is

Similar to bronze script.

The small seal script of character God is

The right part, lightning is changed a lot. The long vertical reverse S line is the lightning, The two fork alike stuffs are God's hands.

The clerical script of character God is

The left is the Radical of Display, and the right is character Extend, meaning lightning.

The pinyin of character God is Shen2.

Chinese are polytheism, the God who is in charge of lightning is Thunder God. 

Amazing Chinese Characters (544) Extend - 申

 The shell bone script of character Extend is

Which is lightning in the sky, the top hook and the bottom tail-alike who may be believed to be a divine with superpower. 

The bronze script of character Extend is

Similar to shell bone script.

It is a part of character Electricity (Post 270). We can see the bronze script of character Electricity

The lower half is character Lightning, the top half is character Rain (Post 206). 

The big seal script of character Extend is

Similar to older scripts, which is the bottom half of character Electricity

The small seal script of character Extend is

The middle lightning is pull straight, and two on the sides may be the hands of the divine. 

The small seal script of character Electricity

Just changed the straight line to be a little bit bent.

The clerical script of character Extend is

Similar to small seal script with one disconnect space of the two horizontal short lines.

The Pinyin of the character is Shen1.

The character is used often in words with another character for Apply - 申请，Report - 申报，Appeal - 申诉，etc. Anyway, asking the boss or authority for help.

 

Amazing Chinese Characters (543) Disturb - 扰（擾）

 The big seal script of character Disturb is

The left is character Hand (Post 55), the right is character Especially (Post 539), which is a monster who has many arms, very scary. The character means Disturb from hands of a monster.

The small seal script of the character is

The left is Hand, the right is character Worry (Post 533). The Hand disturbs people who is worry. 

The clerical script of the character is

Hand + Worry, similar to the older script.

The song typeface of traditional character is

Similar to clerical script.

The song typeface of simplified character is

The right is character 尤（Post 539）- Especially, which is same as big seal script. 

The right part has two expressions: one Worry, another Especially. The former emphasizes the worry of the person who is disturbed, another is monster who makes the disturbance. 

The Pinyin of the character is Rao3.

Amazing Chinese Characters (542) Grant - 授

 The big seal script of character Grant is

The left  is character Hand (Post 55), the right is character Receive (Post 537), which has two hands holding a boat with gift,  there is another hand on the left that receives the boat of the gift.

The small seal script of character Grant is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Grant is

The left is Radical Hand, the right is character Receive.

The Pinyin of character Grant is Shou4.

授 has some similar meanings:  award, give but 授 is normally used in formal situation, such as the diploma, medal, prize, etc. 

Amazing Chinese Characters (541) Excellent - 优（優）

 The big seal script of character Excellent is

The left is Person radical, the right is character Worry (Post 533). The character means the actor or actress who is very beautiful. The actor or actress plays a role who has emotions of worry, happiness, sad, and angery, which needs excellent acting skills. Nowadays, the character more often means Excellent, but the original meaning of good looking actor or actress is still kept.

The small seal script of the character is

The left is Person, the right is character Worry.

The clerical script of the character is

Similar to small seal script, but some differences. See the explanation in Post 533 for the right part difference between its small seal script and clerical script.

The song typeface of the traditional character is

Similar to clerical script.

The song typeface of the simplified character is

The right 尤 is character Especially (Post 539), different from Worry 憂. But they pronounce the same You1. The meaning of 优： an especially person is an excellent person, which is roughly the same.

The Pinyin of the character is You1, same as 尤, and 憂。