{"id":12171,"date":"2016-05-19T13:00:38","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T17:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=12171"},"modified":"2016-05-11T09:35:09","modified_gmt":"2016-05-11T13:35:09","slug":"chinese-astronomy-lesson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/chinese-astronomy-lesson\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Astronomy Lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While it may not be the most useful thing to study when learning a new language, <strong>astronomy<\/strong> (<span class=\"s1\">\u5929\u6587\u5b66<\/span> &#8211; ti\u0101n w\u00e9n xu\u00e9)\u00a0is certainly an interesting topic. When it comes to Chinese, learning the names of the planets and other astronomy-related vocabulary can help you become familiar with common characters that are used in a variety of ways. Let&#8217;s start out by learning the Chinese vocabulary for the solar system.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\">The Solar System (<span class=\"s1\">\u592a\u9633\u7cfb<\/span> &#8211; t\u00e0i y\u00e1ng x\u00ec)<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_12173\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/11304375@N07\/2818891443\/in\/photolist-5i6ydB-q2fTri-8skees-5soXuC-4VTEyW-fvJDjp-4X5A8Z-doUW26-psz4Ri-rouz-dSTaQy-pab3yz-dSzo2A-6zxYvb-pa3e7R-qEAQKJ-5aRaD5-qGTuRP-aztykj-9ZGZ9a-rouy-q21yDV-rouv-azqTFH-azqTGK-5cNqrE-wvDeFo-aztyjA-aztyru-5ZYJA3-rouA-phFbEk-4VPp5D-2LqZb-bzN9nG-dyybBU-nEEgyK-binsBK-nbqQAp-azqTDV-er1F9q-8fe6yF-aztyo5-QNEBB-az3D6W-4s14hK-a9ucd3-oxuXZL-qB37KU-5ZaXAe\" aria-label=\"2818891443 D4c8e2b37c Z\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12173\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12173\"  alt=\"Image by Image Editor from flickr.com.\" width=\"640\" height=\"232\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/2818891443_d4c8e2b37c_z.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/2818891443_d4c8e2b37c_z.jpg 640w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/2818891443_d4c8e2b37c_z-350x127.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12173\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image by Image Editor from flickr.com.<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Mercury (<span class=\"s1\">\u6c34\u661f<\/span> &#8211; shu\u01d0 x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Venus (<span class=\"s1\">\u91d1\u661f<\/span> &#8211; j\u012bn x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Earth (<span class=\"s1\">\u5730\u7403<\/span> &#8211; d\u00ec qi\u00fa)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Mars (<span class=\"s1\">\u706b\u661f<\/span> &#8211; hu\u01d2 x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Jupiter (<span class=\"s1\">\u6728\u661f<\/span> &#8211; m\u00f9 x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Saturn (<span class=\"s1\">\u571f\u661f<\/span> &#8211; t\u01d4 x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Uranus (<span class=\"s1\">\u5929\u738b\u661f<\/span> &#8211; ti\u0101n w\u00e1ng x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Neptune (<span class=\"s1\">\u6d77\u738b\u661f<\/span> &#8211; h\u01cei w\u00e1ng x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>Pluto (<span class=\"s1\">\u51a5\u738b\u661f<\/span> &#8211; m\u00edng w\u00e1ng x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While it is true that Pluto has been demoted, we&#8217;re keeping the name there to make a point about language. Looking at the first five planets (excluding Earth), you&#8217;ll notice that\u00a0the five Chinese elements are all used &#8211; <strong>water<\/strong> (\u6c34), <strong>metal<\/strong> (\u91d1), <strong>fire<\/strong> (\u706b), <strong>wood<\/strong> (\u6728), and <strong>earth<\/strong> (\u5730). Each of these planets gets its name from an element plus the Chinese word for <strong>star<\/strong> (\u661f).\u00a0The last two planets (plus Pluto) got their names in the same way that they&#8217;ve been named in English &#8211; Uranus is the Creator God (<span class=\"s1\">\u5929\u738b)<\/span>, Neptune the\u00a0God of the Sea (<span class=\"s1\">\u6d77\u738b)<\/span>, and Pluto the God of the Underworld (<span class=\"s1\">\u51a5\u738b).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">The Chinese Concept of <em>Wu Xing<\/em><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_12172\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12172\" class=\"wp-image-12172\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/Wu_Xing-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"By Parnassus (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/Wu_Xing-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/Wu_Xing-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/Wu_Xing-350x350.png 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/Wu_Xing-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/Wu_Xing.png 1070w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12172\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By Parnassus (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Chinese concept of <em><strong>Wu Xing<\/strong><\/em> (\u4e94\u884c &#8211; w\u01d4 x\u00edng), or the Five Elements is used in many traditional fields to explain a wide variety of phenomena. The order in which they are presented is known as &#8220;<strong>mutual generation<\/strong>&#8221; (\u76f8\u751f &#8211; xi\u0101ng sh\u0113ng) and is as follows: wood &#8211; fire &#8211; earth &#8211; metal &#8211; water.\u00a0Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth (ash), Earth bears Metal, Metal (trace elements) collects, enriches Water, and Water nourishes Wood. If that&#8217;s the case, then why are the planets named in this order &#8211; Water, Metal, Fire, Wood, and Earth? Well, to ancient Chinese astronomers, the planets that were brighter and larger appeared to be closer to Earth. Hence, Jupiter was first (Wood), followed by Mars (Fire), Saturn (Earth), Venus (Metal), and Mercury (Water).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">More Vocabulary<\/h2>\n<p>While that&#8217;s a good start, why not learn some more astronomy vocabulary?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>star (<span class=\"s1\">\u661f<\/span> &#8211; x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>planet (<span class=\"s1\">\u884c\u661f<\/span> &#8211; x\u00edng x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>moon (\u6708 &#8211; <span class=\"s2\">yu\u00e8)<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>asteroid (<span class=\"s1\">\u5c0f\u884c\u661f<\/span> &#8211; xi\u01ceo x\u00edng x\u012bng &#8211; lit. &#8220;small planet&#8221;)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>asteroid belt (<span class=\"s1\">\u5c0f\u884c\u661f\u5e26<\/span> &#8211; xi\u01ceo x\u00edng x\u012bng d\u00e0i)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>comet (<span class=\"s1\">\u5f57\u661f<\/span> &#8211; hu\u00ec x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>meteor (<span class=\"s1\">\u6d41\u661f<\/span> &#8211; li\u00fa x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>shooting star (<span class=\"s1\">\u8d3c\u661f<\/span> &#8211; z\u00e9i x\u012bng)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>galaxy (<span class=\"s1\">\u661f\u7cfb<\/span> &#8211; x\u012bng x\u00ec)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>universe (<span class=\"s1\">\u5b87\u5b99<\/span> &#8211; y\u01d4 zh\u00f2u)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>astronaut (<span class=\"s1\">\u5b87\u822a\u5458<\/span> &#8211; y\u01d4 h\u00e1ng yu\u00e1n)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">\n<h3>spaceship (<span class=\"s1\">\u98de\u8239<\/span> &#8211; f\u0113i chu\u00e1n)<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As I mentioned, there are lots of Chinese characters here that you&#8217;ll use in other ways. For example, the word for <strong>moon<\/strong> (\u6708) is also the word for month. The character meaning <strong>star<\/strong> (\u661f) is used in the Chinese word for <strong>week<\/strong> (\u661f\u671f). Of course, learning the characters for the five elements is also really handy, as you&#8217;ll see them quite often. Even though you may not find yourself chatting about astronomy in Chinese anytime soon, hopefully you had some fun with this lesson, learned a bit of Chinese culture\/history, and realized how useful it is learning common Chinese characters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/2818891443_d4c8e2b37c_z-350x127.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image tmp-hide-img\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/2818891443_d4c8e2b37c_z-350x127.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/04\/2818891443_d4c8e2b37c_z.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>While it may not be the most useful thing to study when learning a new language, astronomy (\u5929\u6587\u5b66 &#8211; ti\u0101n w\u00e9n xu\u00e9)\u00a0is certainly an interesting topic. When it comes to Chinese, learning the names of the planets and other astronomy-related vocabulary can help you become familiar with common characters that are used in a variety&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/chinese-astronomy-lesson\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":12173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[451835,451836,451840,11132,451838,115792,451837,451839],"class_list":["post-12171","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vocabulary","tag-chinese-astronomy-lesson","tag-chinese-astronomy-vocabulary","tag-chinese-five-elements","tag-chinese-vocabulary","tag-chinese-vocabulary-for-the-solar-system","tag-five-elements","tag-solar-system-in-chinese","tag-wu-xing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12171"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12175,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12171\/revisions\/12175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}