Page:Elementary Chinese - San Tzu Ching (1900).djvu/32

24.	老	何	為	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	what will he be when old?
	Lao3	ho2	wei2
	Old	what	be

Lao was originally composed of 人 jen man, 毛 mao hair, and an obsolete character meaning to change; q.d. the hair turning white, seventy years of age. See lines 41, 174.

Ho is composed of 人 jen man as radical, with 可 k'o possibility, can, as phonetic. It is a common interrogative particle.

Wei is composed of 爪 chao claws as radical, over the alleged picture of a female monkey, which is said to be fond of scratching. It came to mean to be, to do. Read wei⁴, it means on behalf, in place of; hence to pawn.

25.	玉	不	琢	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	If jade is not polished,
	Yü4	pu1	cho2
	Jade	not	polish

Yü was originally composed of three equidistant horizontal lines joined by a vertical stroke. It is now written with a dot, which is omitted in composition, to distinguish it from 王 wang (line 190). It is the gem par excellence of China, a species of nephrite or jade, and is held to possess five virtues. It is used for all kinds of ornaments, and is also put into the mouths of corpses to preserve them from decay.

Pu see line 5.

Cho is composed of 玉 yü jade as radical, and a phonetic which is 豕 shih pig (line 78) with its feet tied together. It means to prepare jade.

26.	不	成	器	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	it cannot become a thing of use.
	Pu1	ch'êng2	ch'i4
	Not	become	utensil

Pu see line 5.

Ch'êng is composed of 戊 mou or wu flourishing, and what under