Balance, Meaning, and Belonging: Part 5
Friday, December 14th, 2007
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In the holiday shuffle, it’s easy to lose a sense of balance and perspective. Kanji to the rescue!
Evening Balance
Photo credit: Hickoree
With all that I’ve said about 意 in past blogs, I’ve neglected to mention that it’s nearly symmetrical. If this kanji resembles an animal with a long tail, just snip off that tail (ouch!), and you have yourself a symmetrical (but aching!) animal!
When 意 combines with other symmetrical kanji, they result in compounds that are particularly calming to see. Click the link to find some of those.
The Meaning of Life
The commercialism of December can fill us with a sense of meaninglessness, prompting us to wonder what we value and how we should allocate our time and energy. The questions can even make us consider the purpose of our existence. In a muddle, we might not know how to articulate these psychic and existential matters. But once again, kanji can help; in particular, several compounds will surely prove useful:
目的意識 (mokuteki-ishiki: sense of purpose)
purpose (1st 2 chars.) + consciousness (last 2 chars.)使命意識 (shimei-ishiki: sense of mission; awareness of duty or calling) mission (1st 2 chars.) + awareness (last 2 chars.)
In this four-kanji compound, 使命 means “mission.” That mission may be anything from photographing documents to destroying a bridge.
Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity | 3 Comments »
