汉字里的画
Chinese characters that look like pictures
Name: ________________ Date: ________
琪琪七岁，今天第一次写汉字。她看着“人”字，大叫：“爸爸，这个字在走路！”
爸爸笑了：“对！最早的汉字，很多是画。”
他写了一个“日”：“这是太阳。最早的‘日’是一个圆，里面有一个小点。”他还写了“月”和“山”：“这是月亮，这是山。你看，山有三个山头。”
琪琪说：“我也写一个！”她写了一个“口”，张大嘴：“口！”
爸爸写了一个“木”：“这是树。”
“两个‘木’呢？”
“是‘林’，很多树。”
琪琪马上写了三个“木”：“这个我知道！‘森’，很多很多树！”
爸爸写了一个“大”。琪琪站起来，张开手和脚：“我也是‘大’！”
写了一下午，琪琪累了。她坐在门口的树下。
爸爸看看她，写了一个字：休息的“休”。“你看，一个人在树下休息。”
琪琪笑了：“爸爸，我现在也是一个字！”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 走路 | zǒulù | to walk |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh; to smile |
| 画 | huà | to draw; to paint; painting; picture |
| 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside; interior |
| 站 | zhàn | station; stop |
| 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 累 | lèi | tired; weary; to tire; to wear out |
| 门口 | ménkǒu | doorway; entrance; gate |
| 山 | shān | mountain; hill |
| 月亮 | yuèliang | the moon |
| 树 | shù | tree |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot |
English (for the teacher)
Qiqi is seven, and today she writes Chinese characters for the first time. She looks at the character 人 and shouts, “Dad, this character is walking!”
Dad laughs. “Yes! Lots of the earliest Chinese characters were pictures.”
He writes 日. “This is the sun. The earliest 日 was a circle with a little dot inside.” He also writes 月 and 山. “This is the moon, and this is a mountain. Look, the mountain has three peaks.”
Qiqi says, “Let me write one too!” She writes 口, then opens her mouth wide: “Kǒu!”
Dad writes 木. “This is a tree.”
“And two 木?”
“That’s 林, lots of trees.”
Qiqi quickly writes three 木. “I know this one! 森, lots and lots of trees!”
Dad writes 大. Qiqi stands up and spreads her arms and legs. “I’m 大 too!”
After a whole afternoon of writing, Qiqi is tired. She sits down under the tree by the door.
Dad looks at her and writes one character: 休, as in “rest”. “Look: a person resting under a tree.”
Qiqi laughs. “Dad, now I’m a character too!”