RSH (Book 1) Lessons 1- (M-E)

Question 1

Lesson 1

一 　

Answer 1

Pinyin:
- yī
- yí (before a word in the 4th tone
- yì (before words in the 1st-3rd tones)

Definition:
- one

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- floor (if it stands below another primitive
- ceiling (if it stands above another primitive

Strokes: 1

Question 2

Lesson 1

二

Answer 2

Pinyin:
- èr

Definition:
- two

Strokes: 2

Question 3

Lesson 1

三

Answer 3

Pinyin:
- sān

Definition:
- three

Story:
- “1” + “2”

Strokes: 3

Question 4

Lesson 1

四

Answer 4

Pinyin:
- sì

Definition:
- four

Primitive elements composition:
- mouth 口 & human legs 儿

Strokes: 5

Question 5

Lesson 1

五

Answer 5

Pinyin:
- wǔ

Definition:
- five

Strokes: 4

Question 6

Lesson 1

六

Answer 6

Pinyin:
- liù

Definition:
- six

Primitive elements composition:
- top hat 亠 & animal legs 八

Strokes: 4

Question 7

Lesson 1

七

Answer 7

Pinyin:
-qī

Definition:
- seven

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- diced

Strokes: 2

Question 8

Lesson 1

八

Answer 8

Pinyin:
- bā

Definition:
- eight

Strokes: 2

Question 9

Lesson 1

九

Answer 9

Pinyin:
- jiǔ

Definition:
- nine

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- baseball

Story:
- Baseball has “nine” players per team

Strokes: 2

Question 10

Lesson 1

十

Answer 10

Pinyin:
- shí

Definition:
- ten

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- ten
- needle

Story:
- Turn this character to 45 degrees to see the Roman numeral for “ten”

Strokes: 2

Question 11

Lesson 1

口

Answer 11

Pinyin:
- kǒu

Definition:
- mouth

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- mouth

Story:
- pictograph for a “mouth”

Strokes: 3

Question 12

Lesson 1

日

Answer 12

Pinyin:
-rì

Definition:
- day

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- sun
- day
- tongue wagging in the mouth

Story:
- pictograph for “sun”.
- Imagine the “sun” smiling, saying ‘Have a nice “day”’

Strokes: 4

Question 13

Lesson 1

月

Answer 13

Pinyin:
- yuè

Definition:
- month

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- moon
- flesh
- part of the body

Story:
- pictograph of the “moon”
- one “month” is one cycle of the “moon”

Strokes: 4

Question 14

Lesson 1

田

Answer 14

Pinyin:
- tián

Definition:
- rice field

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- rice field
- brains

Story:
- pictograph of a “rice field”, divided into four plots

Strokes: 5

Question 15

Lesson 1

目

Answer 15

Pinyin:
- mù

Definition:
- eye

Primitive element

Primitive element meaning:
- eye
- eyeball
- net (if the element is turned on its side)

Story:
- pictograph of an “eye”

Strokes: 5

Question 16

Lesson 2

古

Answer 16

Pinyin:
- gǔ

Definition:
- ancient

Primitive element, using two primitive elements:
- “十 (ten)” on top of “口 (mouth)”

Primitive element meaning:
- ancient

Story:
- pictograph of a tombstone with a cross on top. Just think back to one of those graveyards you have visited, or better still, used to play in as a child, with “ancient” inscriptions on the tombstones

Strokes: 5

Question 17

Lesson 2

胡

Answer 17

Pinyin:
- hú

Definition:
- recklessly

Character, using 2 primitive elements
- “胡 (ancient)” on the left, “月 (moon)” on the right

Story:
- an “ancient moon”, lit up at 100% wattage. And we all know what that means: people tend to get a little ‘loony’ and start acting “recklessly”.

Strokes: 9

Question 18

Lesson 2

叶

Answer 18

Pinyin:
- yè

Definition:
- leaf

Character, using 2 primitive elements
- “口 (mouth)” on the left, “十 (ten)” on the right

Story:
- the herbal doctor is shoveling “ten” different types of “leaves” into your small “mouth” as a medicinal concoction

Strokes: 5

Question 19

Lesson 2

吾

Answer 19

Pinyin:
- wú

Definition:
- I (literary usage)

Character, using 2 primitive elements
- “五 (five)” on top of “口 (mouth)”

Story:
- The one place in our bodies that all “five” senses are concentrated in is the head, which has no less than “five mouths”: 2 nostrils, 2 ears, and 1 mouth

Strokes: 7

Question 20

Lesson 2

朋

Answer 20

Pinyin:
- péng

Definition:
- companion

Character, using 2 primitive elements
- “月 (flesh)” on the left, “月 (flesh)” on the right

Story:
- The first “companion” that God made was Eve. Upon seeing her, Adam exclaimed, “Flesh of my flesh!”

Strokes: 8

Question 21

Lesson 2

明

Answer 21

Pinyin:
- míng

Definition:
- bright

Character, using 2 primitive elements
- “日 (sun)” on the left, “月 (moon)” on the right

Story:
- among nature’s “bright” lights, there are 2 that God set in the sky: the “sun” to rule over the day and the “moon” to rule the night.
- the “sun”, the “bright” insight of the clear thinker, and the “moon”, the “bright” intuition of the poet and the seer

Strokes: 8