RADICAL EXPRESSIONS
52 Thousand-year-old Chinese Characters That Are Surprisingly Relevant Today
Huang Weijia
This book explores 52 Chinese characters from their ancient roots to modern usage. Each chapter contains explanations of the history and legends associated with the character, offering intriguing perspective on Chinese culture; quotes and idioms formed by the character that are insightful and fun to use in daily conversation; and strokes broken down by order, with space to practice handwriting. The book is suited for beginners to advanced Chinese learners, and anyone else interested in Chinese culture.
One morning circa 300 BCE, the sage Mencius lectured his followers, “Those who advocate for justice will enjoy much support, while those who are unjust will have little (得道者多助，失道者寡助).” Among all the Chinese characters, 助 (zh&, help, support) can always be counted on to lend a helping hand. Its form is self-explanatory: On the right side is the radical 力 (l#), meaning strength, and on the left is 且 (qi0), which was historically a synonym of 祖 (z^), meaning family. Together, they suggest members of a family using their combined powers to support one another.
助 also used to have the meaning “to remove,” synonymous with 锄 (ch%), as indicated by a passage in the Daoist text Zhuangzi: “Yan Buyi returned and learned from Dong Wu, got rid of his arrogant manner, abandoned degenerate pleasures, bade goodbye to luxury and his noble status. Three years later, all people in the country praised him (颜不疑归，而师董梧，以助其色，去乐辞显，三年而国人称之Y1n B&y! gu~, 9r sh~ D6ng W%, y@ zh& q! s-, q& l- c! xi2n, s`nni1n 9r gu5r9n ch8ng zh~).” The form of the character has not significantly changed from the Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE) to the present.
In the Eastern Han dynasty (25 – 220), linguist Xu Shen (许慎) wrote in his Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters, “助 is the action of assisting (助, 左也).” A passage from Mencius suggests that neighbors should help one another against disaster or enemies: “Those who work in the fields
together fight against robbers and bandits together, and care for one another in sickness. That is how the common people become peaceful (出入相友，守望相助，疾病相扶持, 则百姓亲睦 Ch$r& xi`ngy6u, sh6uw3ng xi`ngzh&, j!b#ng xi`ng f%ch!, z9 b2ix#ng q~n m&).”
This well-known saying is the basis of the idiom 守望相助 (sh6uw3ng xi`ngzh&, look forward and help one another), which was widely used during the Covid-19 pandemic: “守望相助，共克时艰 (sh6uw3ng xi`ngzh&, g7ngk- sh!ji`n, help each other and prevail over difficulties together),” declared many media slogans at the time.
In ancient times, 助 could be used alone, as in the idioms “助我一臂之力 (zh& w6 y~b#zh~l#, lend me a helping hand),” and “天助我
也 (Ti`n zh& w6 y0, The heavens are helping me),” which describes somebody for whom everything is going right—both sayings are still in use today.
However, 助 can sometimes do more harm than help. Another passage from Mencius relates how a farmer killed his crops by pulling up the seedlings to make them taller: “I am so tired today because I helped seedlings grow tall (今日病矣，予助苗长矣 J~nr# b#ng y@, y^ zh& mi1o zh2ng y@),” he bragged to others. This fable coined the term 揠苗助长(y3mi1o zh&zh2ng, “pulling up seedlings to help growth”), referring to well-meaning assistance that backfires because it doesn’t follow the rules of nature.
When it comes to helping others with evil deeds, the idiom 助纣为虐 (zh&zh7u w9inv-, “helping Zhou do evil”) is often used. Zhou, the last king of the Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 BCE), was a well-known tyrant, and therefore it is not an honor to be named as one of his helpers.
Though 助 can be used as a verb by itself, it is often paired with other characters to refer to specific types of help. 协助 (xi9zh&) is to extend a helping hand to someone, while 求助 (qi%zh&) is to seek help from others. 资助 (z~zh&) refers to financial support, and 助 is often paired with 帮 (b`ng), a synonym, to make 帮助(b`ngzh&), referring to assistance generally.
When a disaster hits, 助 is always coupled with 救 (ji&) to make 救助 (ji&zh&), meaning to offer aid after a disaster such as an earthquake or flood. The government and charitable organizations will provide essential goods and shelter to disaster victims for free, but another form of 助 is not as selfless: 赞助 (z3nzh&), referring to third-party sponsorship for an event.
助 is also frequently used in sporting events. The term 助威 (zh&w8i), “to help morale,” indicates cheering on a team. Often, a sports commentator will begin a match by telling the audience, “Let’s cheer for our team (一起呐喊助威 Y#q@ n3h2n zh&w8i)!” Athletes may perform a run-up (助跑 zh&p2o) before a race, or an assist (助攻 zh&g4ng) to help their teammates score a point.
It is impossible to get through life without help from others, and some people even have helping others as their job: such as 助教
(zh&ji3o, teaching assistants) to help instructors,助研 (zh&y1n, research assistants) to help with experiments, and 助产士 (zh&ch2nsh#, midwives) to help mothers deliver babies. Objects also provide assistance, such as a助听器 (zh&t~ngq#, hearing aid) for those who are hard of hearing, or a助推器 (zh&tu~q#, booster) that helps a rocket launch into space.
Traditionally, it was believed that a good wife contributes to a harmonious household, so they were complimented as 贤内助 (xi1nn-i zh&, virtuous household assistant). Heroes who helped the common people against those who wronged them were also praised. “Wherever I see injustice, I will draw my sword and help out (路见不平，拔刀相助 L&ji3n b&p!ng, b1d`o xi`ngzh&),” goes the motto of the errant monk Lu Zhishen in The Outlaws of the Marsh.
Today, celebrities are indebted to their fans’ help for their popularity. “老铁们，给我助个力 (L2oti0men, g0i w6 zh& g- l#, Friends, have your likes and rewards ready)!” a livestreaming host might implore. Besides literal assistance, 助 can be used as a metaphor, as in the idiom 推波助澜 (tu~b4 zh&l1n, to push the waves and add to the billows), meaning to add fuel to the fire.
When someone is seeking your assistance, it’s best to either 解囊相助 (ji0n1ng xi`ngzh&, do your utmost to help), or sincerely declare that you are 爱莫能助 (3im7 n9ngzh&, willing but unable to help). After all, next time it might be you who needs a helping hand.