Understanding Chinese Characters: 雪

By Zou Xinsheng & Huang Lu

When speaking of winter, people have the inclination to envision a fantasy that a thin column of smoke curls up through the snowy villages, complete with feathery snowflakes fluttering here and there.There is much truth in the assertion that snow, the genie of winter, distinguishes the season from others with unique charisma.As a mixture of fairyland and reality, snow invests winter with solid eloquence.

Snow is so expressive that it prevails in the global community.The secret of its popularity is unveiled in the holistic picture of the Chinese character 雪 (xuě, snow).

From the perspective of structure, the character雪is upper-lower; the upper part means雨 (yǔ, rain) and the lower part彐 (jì or xuě, snow), which vividly denotes where the snow comes from.

The evolution of the character雪has maintained Chinese wisdom since ancient times.In retrospect, as recorded in oracle-bone inscription (甲骨文jiágǔwén), 雪① is composed of天空 (tiānkōng, the heavens) and芦花 (lúhuā, reed catkins), which illustrates how snow flutters in the sky as gracefully as reed catkins roam in the air.By the time it had evolved to small seal script (小 篆xiǎozhuàn) in the Qin Dynasty, 雪② was endowed with a profounder sense and was constructed with the upper part of 雨 (yǔ, rain) and the lower part of 手 (shǒu, hand).It is through practice and knowledge that Chinese ancestors perceived the snow was accessible to them.Unlike water, snow can be shaped in circumstances where it slightly falls, which echoes the virtues of the Chinese golden mean.

①甲骨文

②小篆

③隶书

④楷书

As time has passed, 雪③④ has evolved into official script (隶书lìshū) and regular script (楷 书kǎishū) respectively.As sublimated, 雪 depicts the image of “holding snow in hand” for official script; further, the figure of “hand” fades away for regular script.Someone once said that each civilization is born, culminates, and decays.Nevertheless, only if the wisdom sparkles vigorously, will the nation stride steadfastly and get recognized.

The soul of Chinese characters always transcends national borders.The character 雪 is the Rosetta Stone of crossculture interaction.In the Occident, the Christmas season is decorated to become snowy wonderland, which is similar to that of the Chinese Lunar New Year in the Orient.It is a universal notion that snowfall epitomizes home, love, and family reunion.Furthermore, snow is regarded as a utilitarian means to eradicate pests from crops.Just as the Chinese proverb goes, a timely snow promises an auspicious year.

Where there ispoetic prospect, there is snow.River Snow(江 雪jiāngxuě), by Liu Zongyuan (773–819), a legendary poet in the Tang Dynasty, is a popular poem on snow, in which Liu aptly portrayed a tranquil snowy world with a little boat, bamboo cloak, and old man fishing in a cold river snow so that the equilibrium of man’s inner heart is amplified.

Snow is one of the most precious treasures from Mother Nature.We should not take it for granted that snow graces life with benevolence.A heart glittering with gratitude can help man to go as far as his talent will take him.