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Author / Xiaofeng
"行" is not subsumed; it is a radical-level character with its own complete and self-sufficient meaning. It subsumes others.
Ying: "行" is a beautiful character. I want to give it to you, and in doing so, I also want to playfully call you a "行者" (walker). A "行者" inevitably brings to mind Sun Wukong, but the "行者" I speak of simply refers to a "person who walks the road."
As far back as the Han Dynasty, the lexicographer Xu Shen, when classifying characters, divided Chinese characters into 540 radicals, one of which was prominently "行." In other words, "行" is a major category in our lives, significant enough to be a radical, much like water, fire, earth, birds, fields... all of which are major categories. That era was fascinating; it seemed that under Xu Shen's classification, the common people lived entirely within these 540 radicals, experiencing their lives, aging, sickness, and death under these 540 categories. Even today, when we need to "grab a character" from the dictionary, the standard method is still to look it up by its radical. Though the universe is vast and phenomena are complex, everything obediently resides within its respective radical. Even when scientists uncover new elements, they can still be classified as "uranium," "radium," "hydrogen," or "oxygen"...
But "行" is not subsumed; it is a radical-level character with its own complete and self-sufficient meaning. It subsumes others.
What does "行" mean?
Interestingly, although Xu Shen lived two thousand years before us, he only understood small seal script and, to some extent, large seal script. He had no knowledge of the oracle bone script, which predates the Han Dynasty by about fifteen hundred years. Instead, it is we, the younger generations born after the twentieth century, who have the privilege of seeing those 3,500-year-old bone fragments through museum glass and appreciating their bold strokes on beautifully printed pages.
In the oracle bone script era, the character "行" looked like this:
What does this mean?
Ah! Simply put, it represents a crossroads. More interestingly, the four thoroughfares are all open-ended, clearly indicating a "path leading to the horizon." This is different from the quadrants in mathematics. Quadrants are four regions, but they are still just four territories. "行," however, represents four directions—it can go south, north, east, or west. It is the infinite possibilities of the earth in a linear form. It also resembles a cross, but a cross is closed. A cross is a vertical line representing past and present, combined with a horizontal line extending left and right, upon which the body of a sacrifice is nailed. "行," on the other hand, is a liberated cross, offering redemption to ordinary people like you and me, allowing us to stride boldly across states and regions, to travel under the stars and moon, and to roam freely on the endless land of mountains and rivers.
The above is the first definition of "行."
"行" also has a second definition, provided by Xu Shen in his "Shuowen Jiezi," where the character "行" is seen as a combination of "彳" and "亍." "彳" and "亍" can be interpreted as the alternating steps of the left and right feet, or as the traveler's path of "行" (walking) and "止" (stopping)—I prefer the latter definition.
In contrast, the "行" of the oracle bone script era is a noun, representing boundless landscapes. In small seal script, "行" is a verb, representing the journey of a thousand miles. Both are related to you, because you are that healthy, confident, beautiful, and tall woman, traversing fields and alleys, walking and stopping. A good traveler, like you, both walks and stops, because only by "walking" can one reach distant places, and only by "stopping" can one listen intently, understand deeply, be moved profoundly, and then have the detailed memories and the ability to recount them vividly.
I am glad you are embarking on another journey, and I admire your constant willingness to set out.For me, having just endured a great calamity, I am still in the process of recuperation and recovery. However, this does not hinder my ability to traverse the Tang and Song dynasties, wander through the Jin and Wei periods, and meander through history. Therefore, my friend, allow me to be a bit stingy and take back the character "行" (xing) that I had clearly just gifted to you, and instead, regift it to myself.
Source: China Times, August 29, 2006, Human World Supplement
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A Word for You: to A Woman Always on the Road
"行" is not subsumed; it is a radical-level character with its own complete and self-sufficient meaning. It subsumes others.
Ying: "行" is a beautiful character. I want to give it to you, and in doing so, I also want to playfully call you a "行者" (walker). A "行者" inevitably brings to mind Sun Wukong, but the "行者" I speak of simply refers to a "person who walks the road."
As far back as the Han Dynasty, the lexicographer Xu Shen, when classifying characters, divided Chinese characters into 540 radicals, one of which was prominently "行." In other words, "行" is a major category in our lives, significant enough to be a radical, much like water, fire, earth, birds, fields... all of which are major categories. That era was fascinating; it seemed that under Xu Shen's classification, the common people lived entirely within these 540 radicals, experiencing their lives, aging, sickness, and death under these 540 categories. Even today, when we need to "grab a character" from the dictionary, the standard method is still to look it up by its radical. Though the universe is vast and phenomena are complex, everything obediently resides within its respective radical. Even when scientists uncover new elements, they can still be classified as "uranium," "radium," "hydrogen," or "oxygen"...
But "行" is not subsumed; it is a radical-level character with its own complete and self-sufficient meaning. It subsumes others.
What does "行" mean?
Interestingly, although Xu Shen lived two thousand years before us, he only understood small seal script and, to some extent, large seal script. He had no knowledge of the oracle bone script, which predates the Han Dynasty by about fifteen hundred years. Instead, it is we, the younger generations born after the twentieth century, who have the privilege of seeing those 3,500-year-old bone fragments through museum glass and appreciating their bold strokes on beautifully printed pages.
In the oracle bone script era, the character "行" looked like this:
What does this mean?
Ah! Simply put, it represents a crossroads. More interestingly, the four thoroughfares are all open-ended, clearly indicating a "path leading to the horizon." This is different from the quadrants in mathematics. Quadrants are four regions, but they are still just four territories. "行," however, represents four directions—it can go south, north, east, or west. It is the infinite possibilities of the earth in a linear form. It also resembles a cross, but a cross is closed. A cross is a vertical line representing past and present, combined with a horizontal line extending left and right, upon which the body of a sacrifice is nailed. "行," on the other hand, is a liberated cross, offering redemption to ordinary people like you and me, allowing us to stride boldly across states and regions, to travel under the stars and moon, and to roam freely on the endless land of mountains and rivers.
The above is the first definition of "行."
"行" also has a second definition, provided by Xu Shen in his "Shuowen Jiezi," where the character "行" is seen as a combination of "彳" and "亍." "彳" and "亍" can be interpreted as the alternating steps of the left and right feet, or as the traveler's path of "行" (walking) and "止" (stopping)—I prefer the latter definition.
In contrast, the "行" of the oracle bone script era is a noun, representing boundless landscapes. In small seal script, "行" is a verb, representing the journey of a thousand miles. Both are related to you, because you are that healthy, confident, beautiful, and tall woman, traversing fields and alleys, walking and stopping. A good traveler, like you, both walks and stops, because only by "walking" can one reach distant places, and only by "stopping" can one listen intently, understand deeply, be moved profoundly, and then have the detailed memories and the ability to recount them vividly.
I am glad you are embarking on another journey, and I admire your constant willingness to set out.For me, having just endured a great calamity, I am still in the process of recuperation and recovery. However, this does not hinder my ability to traverse the Tang and Song dynasties, wander through the Jin and Wei periods, and meander through history. Therefore, my friend, allow me to be a bit stingy and take back the character "行" (xing) that I had clearly just gifted to you, and instead, regift it to myself.
Source: China Times, August 29, 2006, Human World Supplement