This ‘live/stay’ character hides a ritual flame

This 'now' began as a kneeling person — a 3,000-y

This tiny 4-stroke character began as 'ten items'

Born as a Bronze Age image of sunlight flooding a

Originally a towering watchtower etched on oracle

This ‘five’ isn’t counted—it’s cosmologically

Originally a coiling serpent glyph, 九 evolved int

Born as a cosmic cross on oracle bones, 七 shed al

Originally a pictograph of crossed gate bars — no

Born from a wooden sheep carving, this 'appearance

Originally a Bronze Age banner-pole pictograph, 那

Originally four plain tally marks, 四 evolved into

This four-stroke 'day' was originally a pictograph

Though it means 'some', 些 can’t stand alone — i

This four-stroke character began as a pictograph o

Born 3,000 years ago as a mother and child — now

This 'to go' character began as a picture of someo

This 'root' character began as a tree with a line

This ‘dot’ started as a glowing ember — and sti

Originally a loom's shuttle — now powers everythi

This character began as ‘capital city’ (dū) —

This 'king-sees' character began as ritual jade ap

Born as three ancient dots symbolizing grains of s

This 'rise' character began as a person stepping o

Born as two plain tally marks 3,200 years ago, 二

This self-radical character began as a Bronze Age

This four-stroke character began as a flowing orac

This 'inside' character began as a pictograph of g