Amazing Chinese Characters (754）Wooden Club - 捶

The big seal script of character Wooden Club is

The left is character Hand (Post 55), the right is character Hand Down (Post 410). Originally it means that women beat wet cloth repeatedly with wooden club , which is traditional way of washing clothes. 

It also means that people use fit(s) to hit themselves when they feel frustrated, or hit good friends gently to show their good relationships, especially a woman hits her husband or boy friend with her fits to show her love.

The small seal script of character Wooden Club is

similar to its big seal script.

The clerical script of character Wooden Club is

The left is Radical Hand, the right is character Hang Down.

Its Pinyin is Chui2.

Amazing Chinese Characters (753）Sleep - 睡

The big seal script of character Sleep is

The left is character Eye (Post 17), the right is character Hand Down (Post 410). One's upper eyelids are dropped, he is sleeping or wants to sleep.

The small seal script of character Sleep is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Sleep is

The left is Radical Eye, the right is character Hand Down, but all lines are straight, lost pictography.

The Pinyin of the character is Shui4.

Amazing Chinese Characters (752) Borderland - 陲

The bronze script of character Borderland is

The left is cliff, the right is character Hang Down (Post 410). The remote Borderland is area where few people, but many cliff, and hong down trees. The character implies "Remote area". 

The big seal script of character Borderland is

Similar to bronze script.

The small seal script of character Borderland is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Borderland is

The left is Radical Ear, means cliff. The right is character Hand Down.

Its Pinyin is Chui2.

The character is almost always used with character Side - 边（邊） to form 边陲 -  Remote borderland. It is very rare to use it alone. 

Amazing Chinese Characters (751）Grazing - 牧

 The shell bone script of character Grazing is

The left is character Ox (Post 120), the right is character Father (Post 166), which means that a person holds a stick to drive the herd, here is herd.

The bronze script of character Grazing is

The left is Ox, the right is a hand holding a stick.

The big seal script of character Grazing is

Similar to bronze script.

The small script of character Grazing is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Grazing is

The left is Radical Ox, and the right is Radical Anti Text which means hitting something with stick.

The Pinyin of the character is Mu4.

Amazing Chinese Characters (750) Inexpensive - 廉

The big seal script of character Inexpensive is

The top and left part 厂 or 广 alike means the side of hall or side of house like closet or storage, the bottom is character Extra Work, meaning a very capable worker who lives in place where is not a bedroom, which indicates that he is inexpensive or cheap for his work. 

The small seal script of character Inexpensive is 

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Inexpensive is

Similar to old scripts.

The character also means Integrity now.

The Pinyin of the character is Lian2.

Amazing Chinese Characters (749) Dislike - 嫌

The big seal script of character Dislike is

The left is character Woman (Post 20), the right is character Extra Work (Post 747). There are two possibilities: the very capable women dislike people who are not capable; or people don't like women who are too capable. The latter is more likely because the social status of women in ancient China was low, the capable women made men feel embarrassed, they have more muscles and may be not beautiful, therefore most men who control the society dislike them.

Right now the character is used for Dislike in general, not specifically to women. 

The small seal script of character Dislike is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Dislike is

The left is Radical Woman, the right is character Extra Work.

The Pinyin of the character is Xian2.

 

Amazing Chinese Characters (748）Modest - 谦

The big seal script of character Modest is

The lest is character Say (Post 158), the right is character Extra Work (Post 747). A very capable person but very humble when speaking.

The small seal script of character Modest is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Modest is

The left is Radical Say, the right is clerical script Extra Work.

The song typeface of character Modest is

The left is simplified Radical Say.

The Pinyin of the character Modest is Qian1. 

Amazing Chinese Characters (747） Extra Work (or Combine ) - 兼

 The bronze script of character Extra Work is

There are two character Rice Crop (Post 34), better than hold one (Post 746)

and a character Again (Post 102), meaning hand here

holding the two rice crops, to reap the harvest.

Normally, one hand holds one rice crop, when one hand could hold two rice crops, indicating the person has strong hand and better skills, could do extra things, or could combine two things together.

The character means "Extra Work" or "Combine Work".

The big seal script of character Extra Work is

Similar to bronze script.

The small seal script of character Extra Work is

Similar to big seal script. 

The clerical script of character Extra Work is

The top changed a lot, the two U's become a straight line, the bottom, two top down U, eliminated the inside half, and outside become straight 45 degree outward strokes.

The Pinyin of the character is Jian.

Amazing Chinese Characters (746）Hold - 秉

The shell bone script of character Hold is

The left is character Rice Crop (Post 34), the right is a hand holding the crop. The character means Hold, or Grasp, or Control, or Maintain, etc.

The bronze script of character Hold is

The middle from top to bottom is the rice crop, a right hand holds the crop.

The big seal script of character Hold is

Similar to bronze script.

The small script of character Hold is

Similar to big seal script.

The clerical script of character Hold is

The top two strokes become straight, the bottom inward curve becomes stretched out because people who had paper wanted to stretch the horizontal strokes to release the uncomfortable restrictions on bamboo strips for thousands of years.

The Pinyin of the character is Bing3.

Amazing Chinese Characters (745）Qiang - 羌

The sell bone script of character Qiang is

The top is the horns of goat, the bottom is a person. The character means shepherd. Qiang was a big ethnic lived in Western China in Shang Dynasty, they are shepherds.

The bronze script of character Qiang is

The top is the goat, actually it is the top of character Goat (Post 6)

Let's see the bronze script of character Goat

The bottom is character People (Post 37)

Let's see the bronze script of character People

However, there is a dot on the character People in character Qiang. What does it mean? It is an indicative point which emphasizes the main meaning of the character is the People where the dot is located. That is the character indicating the person who is shepherd, not the goat. If the dot is on the top, it means the goat raised by people, not wide goat. 

The big seal script of character Qiang is 

The top is the top of character Goat, the bottom is character People.

The clerical script of character Qiang is

The top is the top of character Goat, the bottom is character People. 

The Pinyin of character Qiang is Qiang1.

Ethnic Qiang was defeated by Shang, many Qiang were killed by Shang in sacrificing. There is a Qiang ethnic in Sichuan, South East China, with population about 300,000. People believe that they are the dependents of Qiang in West China, they escaped to Sichuan and survived. 

The character is very old, but right now, it is only used for the ethnic people, ether lived in Western China tin Shang Dynasty, or live in Sichuan right now.

Amazing Chinese Characters (744) Wedge - 楔

The big seal script of character Wedge is

The left is character Wood (Post 10), the right is character Deed (Post 742). Deed is something binding two parts together, same as mortise and tenon structure which binding two or more parts together.

However, people used the character to present Wedge as well.

which is not original meaning, just the shape is similar, but the purpose is to split the fire wood, not to make close connection of two parts.

The small seal script of character Wedge is

Similar to big seal script.

Clerical script of character Wedge is

Similar to older scripts.

The Pinyin of the character is Xie4.