Bamboos in China 中国的竹
Click「SNMandarin南北中文」to get more resources!
Maybe for foreigners, “bamboo” is a familiar word because the lovely pandas feed on them. Actually Chinese people have loved bamboo for thousands of years long before the pandas became super star of the world.
In the Book of Songs (诗经, the first collection of Chinese poems, written in BC770-BC476) , we can see ancient Chinese people describing and praising bamboos in quite a few poems. The most famous sentence from one of them is “瞻彼淇奥，绿竹猗猗” (by looking at the water beach, the green bamboos are tall and beautiful).
This verse can stand for the image of bamboos in Chinese culture: they are tall, slim, beautiful and straight. Bamboo’s being straight (直，zhí) is compared to people having integrity (正直，zhèng zhí). Bamboos grow upward naturally; surely human beings ought to maintain integrity and principles. This is moral integrity, one of the most important values in Chinese culture.
Through China’s long history, many names have been passed down from generation to generation. Wen Tianxiang (an official of Song dynasty, 1236-1283) is well known even nowadays as a national hero. Wen got captured after his army was defeated. His enemy did everything they could to force him to serve the new court. Wen refused and went to his death unflinchingly. Wen was also a great poet. He did a poem on his way taken to the north. It’s one of the most famous and favorite poems in history with the ending sentence “人生自古谁无死，留取丹心照汗青” (A death befalls all men alike, I'll keep a loyal heart to make a name in history).
The verse “留取丹心照汗青” actually tells one way of using bamboo in the past. Chinese people have always taken care to record history. Before the invention of paper, people used to write on bamboo slip. In order to have proper material for writing, people needed to roast bamboo slip over fire to remove water. “汗青”, literally “sweating green”, is a vivid description of the dry process which functions as a synonym for “history”, “annals”.
There is a radical “𥫗”. It comes from the character “竹”. We can find this radical in many characters like “篮” (basket), “笔” (pen), “筷” (chopsticks) and “简” (original meaning: bamboo slip). Thanks to the structure of Chinese character, we can have a brief idea of how Chinese people use bamboos in daily life by learning the character.
What's your opinion?"Comment Now"!
What is your opinion? Let us know! Comment below(click "写评论" at the bottom of the page)! And don't forget to share this article with friends by pressing "..." in the top right corner.
You might also be interested in:
Click the title or reply the number to get related articles
01 The beauty of Chinese
02 How to say "help me" in Chinese, how to use " 帮"
03 The most magic drinks in China - Hot water
04 7 Things you have to know before signing for HSK
05 Chinese Character Hacker-No. 1: 我- I
06 8 Ways China Has Made You Better At Life
07 鸡年说鸡 Four Phrases of Common Chinese Sayings with “Chicken”
08 How to Work Happily with your Chinese Colleagues
09 Lesson 1 of 12 Free Chinese Course for Beginners - Greetings
10 How to say "No Spicy" in Chinese when you eat Chinese food
ChinesePal, our Chinese teacher and friend always by your side to help and it's Free! Press the QR Code below to scan and follow.
ChinesePal is supported by SN Mandarin
SN Mandarin, which is able to issue 2-12 Month Student visas, has been providing the best and most effective Chinese language education services and learning experiences since 2007!
Tel: 021-6507-8056
Web: www.snmandarin.com
Email: info@snmandarin.com
Address: Room 1006, No. 309, Yuyuan Road, Jing'an Distict Shanghai
上海市静安区愚园路309号1006室