Understanding Chinese Characters

By Hu Honglei

As it is put in a Chinese idiom, no day-off punches and no day-off lines (拳不離手，曲不離口). Only by practicing diligently can one become proficient in Chinese. However, there are pains in the learning process. Singing songs is a good way to improve one’s oral Chinese, which alleviates the pains to some extent in the learning process. It can encourage us to open our mouth, release our anxiety and immerse ourselves in Chinese culture.

As a Chinese scholar once exclaimed, “I would not live in this world if there were no spring flowers, autumnal moon and graceful ladies.” When I think of the items I need in my life, it must be the songbirds in a bamboo wood warbling their songs to the accompaniment of my zither. We do love songs, and some of us are keen on listening to songs on a daily basis, because songs are so melodious, tuneful, dulcet, harmonious and enticing.

The Chinese character 歌 (gē； sing or song) is the best word to denote the singing activities. Take a look at the structure of 歌, it is found that the left part 可 is a root, which is made up of 口 (mouth) and 丁 (musical pipes). Therefore可 means that one is blowing pipes. And the right part欠 refers to the activity of chanting.

There are different types of songs in the world. Love songs (情歌； qínggē) help the loved ones express their love, set up families and bear children. A man courting a lady will tell her that he is a lover, not a fighter. And the song the admirer sings shall be pleasing to the ear and full of messages, such as “My name is xxx” and “My room is vacant, so is my heart.”

Besides, people often meditate on the meaning of their lives and sing about it in songs:

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

When true hearts lie wither'd and fond ones are flown

Oh who would inhabit this bleak world alone.

Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead

The above lines are called 歌詞 (gēcí； the words of a song).

People also express their wishes for life and peace through 歌詞:

And how many deaths will it take till he knows?

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

This type of song is called a lyric (抒情歌； shūqíng gē).

The song we sing in tribute to our motherland is called國(guó)歌(guó gē, national anthem), e.g. “The Star-Spangled Banner” of America.

Songs hummed by children are called 兒歌 (ér gē； children's songs). Songs sung in the rural areas are called 民歌 (mín gē； folk songs). If we put songs and dances together, it's called 歌舞 (gēwǔ). And the art of singing is labeled as 歌唱藝術(shù) (gēchàng yìshù).

Songs add flavor to people's lives. When listening to songs, we feel happy and delightful, with pains and woes alleviated. Music helps us recover from ordeals and heals the trauma-stricken souls. Living in a room with no modern conveniences, living a life with no sweet relief, we still have music echoing in our minds, soothing us long after it is gone. So, why not sing a song today, to drive away the banality of life and immerse yourself in the world of music?