2017-07-04

Christian Truth In The Chinese Characters

Many years ago before the rise of blogging and social media, I have written about how the Genesis story was captured in Chinese Characters. You can find such articles easily now by googling. But this is my arrangement for your consideration:
Introduction: Chinese characters are forms from three sources:

1. By sound: 爸 BA: 妈 MA;
2. Most commonly by Picture: 口 : mouth; 大 : big
3. By grouping of existing words to form a new word:
木 : wood, tree; 林 : forest; 森 林 : jungle.
天 : sky: = 一 + 大 the largest one.  Representing God or Heaven.

The Four Beginnings:
  1. First Man: 先 (first):= / (alive) + 土(earth) + 儿 (son)
    Gen 2:7 God created man from the earth. 
  2. First Family: 元 (beginning, first) = 二 (two) + 儿 (child)
    Gen 2:22 God created Eve from Adam to have the first family.
    肉 (flesh) = 人 (person) + 门 (shape of a body) + 人 (person) 
  3. Beginning of Sin:
    Gen 3:6 始 (beginning) = 女 (girl) + 口 (mouth) + (shape of fruit)
    Note: use of girl, not man (男 ).
    禁 (forbidden) = 林 (garden) + 示 (notice)
    婪 (covet) = 林 (garden) + 女 (girl)
    豸 = an animal without legs(snake) = head with two eyes + feather + standing body
    (本指长脊兽,如猫、虎之类。引申为无脚的虫,体多长,如蚯蚓之类;有足谓之虫,无足谓之豸。——《尔雅》 ;大虫,即老虎。《水浒传》武松打虎中曾经提到。)
    裸 (naked) = 衣 (clothes) + 果 (fruit) 
  4. Beginning of Salvation:
    初 (first) = 衣 (clothes) + 刀 knife;
    God kill an animal and make clothes of skin for them. 
The most meaningful word that captures the essence of Christianity is the word Righteousness.

義 = 羊 over 我
when there is a sacrificial lamb covering me, I am righteous.
John 1:29 "behold, the lamb that takes away the sins of man ..."

Miraculously, the simplified stroke of the same character is written as:
义 which is clearly is Cross and a dot (head &#xNAN;).

The death of Christ on the cross gives us justification and righteousness.
活 (alive) = 水 water + 舌 tongue. As we confess our sins, and Jesus as our Saviour,
Jesus cleanses us and gives us eternal life.

Story of Noah
船 ship = 舟 boat + 八 eight + 口 month
The Big Ship is about having 8 people in a boat. Noah + Wife + 3 sons and 3 daughters-in-laws

Lim Liat(c) 4 Jul 2017

1 comment:

inquiring mind said...

when you claim that pictographic characters are more common, do you mean there is a larger quantity of them relative to other types of characters?