The Role of the “Youth/Essence” 青/靑 Character in Chinese Writing

by
Jennifer Ball and Xu Chao
Using a Hanzi substructure-search engine designed by Xu Chao and Jennifer Ball
Nov. 11, 2018

Thanks to Chinese Text Project, Wiktionary, and Github for definitions and characters

Qing-青-pie-chart-with-percentages-of-meaning-1100x659

Semantic Breakdown of Raw Data

Sex/Invitation (14) Color/Essence/Youth (10) Beast/Plant/Tool (9) Death/Heaven (6) Chemical/Essence (4) No definition (55)

 43 + 55  undefined = 55 characters analyzed

 

(click any category to go to that section)

 

 

Unicode
Character
Definition
Commentary

Sex/Invitation (33%)

1

\U7CBE

精

essence; semen; spirit

On the left is rice 米, which is a seed. On the right is flesh (moon/month) 月 on the bottom and a kind of explosion at top, similar to birth 生. Ejaculation is an explosion of seed/semen from flesh which often results in birth.

2

\U570A

圊

rest room, pigsty

Historically men purify themselves by ejaculation, which is what this seems to represent. A pigsty is also where pigs breed. The commonality is semen.

3

\U60C5

情

feeling, sentiment, emotion

Heart was most likely originally a penis (see precursors to 心 and 姦 on Hanziyuan.net); a man’s emotion is often felt in his loins, where his “essence” is.

4

\U731C

猜

guess, conjecture, suppose; feel [to suspect; to have a suspicion; suspicion; jealousy—Wiktionary]

The biggest question is “Who’s the father.” If you don’t know, then the child is ‘son of a bitch.” This is a visual representation of that concept, which is why “suspicion” is a key meaning of this “dog jism” character.

5

\U9753

靓

make up face; ornament; quiet

Men are attracted to women wearing makeup.

6

\U975A

靚

make up face; ornament; quiet; (Cant.) pretty

Men are attracted to women wearing makeup.

7

\U4A1D

䨝

a pure woman; name of a goddess of frost and snow

“Pure” and “impure” are euphenisms for “virgin” and “slut.” “Frost” shares an association with “frigid,” which implies “virgin.”

8

\U5A67

婧

modest; supple

“Supple” means able to move in all directions, “modest” would seem to negate that: both are desired by men of women, especially as related to sex.

9

\U5029

倩

beautiful, lovely; son-in-law

A son-in-law is the essence of “beautiful, lovely” if you’re trying to sell your daughter.

10

\U6385

掅

(Cant.) to lift up; to seize, grab

Could this represent masturbation?

11

\U478D

䞍

(simplified form of U+477C 䝼) to bestow, to confer upon; to grant to

Bestowing the seed?

12

\U477C

䝼

to bestow, to confer upon; to grant to

Bestowing the seed? A little homonculus?

13

\U8BF7

请

ask, request; invite; please

The biggest request is “Will you accept my ‘essence?’”

14

\U8ACB

請

ask, request; invite; please

Motherhood is often the result of a request never voiced.

 

Unicode
Character
Definition
Commentary

Color/Sight/Youth/Essence (23%)

15

\U9751

靑

blue

Essence of anything, which in human psyche is often represented by color. Could the bottom represent eyes 巴 (which see color) and also the gate 門 (which is a euphemistic name for the hymen/vagina and which allows semen in and babies out)? This could explain why the same character men2 means “gate,” as well as why—with the addition of “man”亻— it becomes the pluralizing marker, because that exactly describes a hymen. It also resembles 卵, especially when comparing Seal Script.

16

\U9752

青

blue, green, black; young; blue-green; luxuriant; lush; exuberant; young; adolescent; east; spring; ripening crops

The essence of male youth is the ability ejaculate easily. This ability is a constant focus of men. It is all about being young. This character is about essence, which is often represented by color or semen. The addition of this character to another seems to enhance or describe the second character’s “true feature,” such as 青蛙 “frog, ugly guy”; 晴天 “blue sky, honorable”; 青楼 “brothel”: essence of frog, essence of heaven, essence of buildings.

17

\U975B

靛

indigo; any blue dye

定 adds the fixative to blue.

18

\U7DAA

綪

dark red

The eventual color of fine silk 糸 when used for menstruation?

19

\U4A3C

䨼

dyestuff ( of dark green)

Redying stained material? 蒦 “to measure; to calculate.”

20

\U6DF8

淸

clear

Essence of seeing blue skies?

21

\UFA12

clear weather

Essence or experience of seeing blue skies 立 immediately?

22

\U6674

晴

clear weather, fine weather

Essence of seeing blue skies?

23

\U6E05

清

clear, pure, clean; peaceful

Essence of seeing blue water?

24

\U775B

睛

eyeball; pupil of eye

Essence of eye color.

 

Unicode
Character
Definition
Commentary

Beast/Plant/Tool (21%)

25

\U9D84

鶄

a kind of water bird

Could the long beak of water birds have seemed phallic to early Chinese writers?

26

\U4D16

䴖

a kind of water bird

Water and semen have strong association. Also water and birds.

27

\U873B

蜻

dragonfly

Essence of insect (due to its shiny color and phallic representation?).

28

\U83C1

菁

flower of leek family; turnip

Aphrodisac? due to strong smell? Also apple- and breast-like.

29

\U84A8

蒨

lush vegetation, luxuriant growth

Lush growth is an outcome of lots of procreation.

30

\U9CAD

鲭

mackerel

Aphrodisac? due to strong smell?

31

\U9BD6

鯖

mackerel

Aphrodisac? due to strong smell?

32

\U4476

䑶

sprightly boat; light boat

“Sprightly” suggests “youth.”

33

\U7B90

箐

to draw a bamboo bow or crossbow

Ready to “ejaculate” or shoot.

 

Unicode
Character
Definition
Commentary

Death/Heaven (14%)

34

\U975D

靝

(in taoism) the heaven

Where men get all those virgins...the “essence” of spirit.

35

\U8F24

輤

a pall to cover the hearse

On the way to heaven.

36

\U975C

靜

quiet, still, motionless; gentle

Refractory period. Or heaven.

37

\U9759

静

quiet, still, motionless; gentle

Refractory period. Or heaven.

38

\U9756

靖

pacify; appease; calm

Refractory period.

39

\UFA1C

pacify; appease; calm, peaceful

Refractory period.

 

Unicode
Character
Definition
Commentary

Chemical/Essence (9%)

40

\U8148

腈

an organic compound

Essence of earth?

41

\U6C30

氰

cyanogen; ethane dinitrile

Blue essence of mineral?

42

\U9306

錆

the color of a mineral

Essence of mineral

43

\U9516

锖

the color of the a mineral

Essence of mineral

 

Unicode
Character
Definition
Commentary

No Defenition

44

\U51CA

凊

surname

 

45

\U7883

碃

No definition given

 

46

\U9757

靗

No definition given

 

47

\U9755

靕

No definition given

 

48

\U5D1D

崝

No definition given

 

49

\U8059

聙

No definition given

 

50

\U57E5

埥

No definition given

 

51

\U9754

靔

No definition given

 

52

\U68C8

棈

No definition given

 

53

\U7698

皘

No definition given

 

54

\U5BC8

寈

No definition given

 

55

\U9758

靘

No definition given

 

56

\U90EC

郬

No definition given

 

57

\U9F31

鼱

No definition given

 

58

\U2ED8

⻘

No definition given

 

59

\U8533

蔳

No definition given

 

60

\U7BDF

篟

No definition given

 

61

\U9756

靖

No definition given

 

62

\U2C62C

𬘬

No definition given

 

63

\U5568

啨

No definition given

 

64

\U2075C

𠝜

No definition given

 

65

\U220E2

𢃢

No definition given

 

66

\U22251

𢉑

No definition given

 

67

\U284FD

𨓽

No definition given

 

68

\U291D5

𩇕

No definition given

 

69

\U2B578

𫕸

No definition given

 

70

\U2CBAC

𬮬

No definition given

 

71

\U23B9B

𣮛

No definition given

 

72

\U249AD

𤦭

No definition given

 

73

\U291D6

𩇖

No definition given

 

74

\U291D7

𩇗

No definition given

 

75

\U24C9F

𤲟

No definition given

 

76

\U276AB

𧚫

No definition given

 

77

\U291D8

𩇘

No definition given

 

78

\U291DB

𩇛

No definition given

 

79

\U2B579

𫕹

No definition given

 

80

\U2B57A

𫕺

No definition given

 

81

\U2CC17

𬰗

No definition given

 

82

\U2CC18

𬰘

No definition given

 

83

\U2644A

𦑊

No definition given

 

84

\U26456

𦑖

No definition given

 

85

\U291DC

𩇜

No definition given

 

86

\U2B3CF

𫏏

No definition given

 

87

\U28FEC

𨿬

No definition given

 

88

\U2970E

𩜎

No definition given

 

89

\U294E8

𩓨

No definition given

 

90

\U295FC

𩗼

No definition given

 

91

\U291E0

𩇠

No definition given

 

92

\U2B60B

𫘋

No definition given

 

93

\U2CE9A

𬺚

No definition given

 

94

\U2A0B4

𪂴

No definition given

 

95

\U2B57C

𫕼

No definition given

 

96

\U291E2

𩇢

No definition given

 

97

\U291E3

𩇣

No definition given

 

98

\U2BE0E

𫸎

No definition given