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Pictographic Characters

        Here are two other typical pictographic Chinese characters:
In the picture we can see the evolution of the word "" which means "old". In "Jia Gu Wen" and "Jin Wen", the two most ancient kinds of characters, "" is like an old hunchbacked man with a cane in hand. The original meaning of it referred to the aged; later on it extended to refer to the adjective "old" which is in contrast to "young"; and also picked up a meaning in contrast to "new" or "tender".
 
In this picture we can see the origin of another character "" which means piety. In the ancient federal society, "" is one of the moral standard. In ancient society the children who were good in treating their parents were regarded as devoted children. In the ancient character of "", the top of it is the image of an old man and the bottom is that of a little child. This means that the child support the old man. To respect the elder and to help the elder is exactly one of what "Xiao" represents. Another meaning of it is mourning, that is to say after an elder died, the offspring should obey certain conventions for a period of time.

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