Some food for thought...
In my room I have a large Chinese calligraphy piece hanging in my room with the character 武 written. Many of my peers are aware that the Chinese writing system is different than the Phoenician alphabet and will ask me the meaning of the character.
The closest translation of the word “武” (wǔ / ㄨˇ) into english is “martial.” Many are familiar with the phrase 武術 (wǔshù / ㄨˇㄕㄨˋ) which simply means “martial arts.” This phrase commonly refers to different boxing methods that originate from East Asia.
However, this translation to “martial” is inadequate and here is why: In the etymology of the word “martial” we find the Latin root “mārtiālis of or belonging to Mars” (Oxford English Dictionary). Mars is the Roman god of war, the more recognized Greek name is Ares. Ares embodied violence, warring, and deceit. These connotations have impacted the Western concept of war, thus leaving a negative impression on the word “martial.” This is especially true with modern Christian culture condemning violence and war. Martial arts are also put in a negative light in the West because of this.
To make it more confusing for Westerners, these martial arts were developed at 少林 (Shǎolín / ㄕㄠˇㄌㄧㄣˊ) a Buddhist temple. Buddhism is a religion known for its compassion and non-violent views, so how can this be recognized?
To do this, one needs to know the history of Chinese culture. During the 東周 (dōngzhōu / ㄉㄨㄥㄓㄡ) Eastern Zhou period, the later half of the third Chinese pre-history dynasties, the leadership was decaying and the many clans formed many smaller governments. These states fought amongst each other in the properly called the Warring States period. This period was also know as the 100 Schools period, because many unique philosophical traditions developed with ultimately one goal: unification and ending war.
Confucius’ school is one of the many that grew out of this time period and his later student, 孟子 (Méngzǐ / ㄇㄥㄗˇ), is known for his advising of Kings during the Warring States period. 孟子 (Méngzǐ / ㄇㄥㄗˇ)’s philosophy emphasized moral leadership. A king should only advance to conquer if he himself is more virtuous and his can offer and end to suffering for the people of that land. These ideas will have a profound influence on the development of the Chinese characters.
The Chinese writing system can be described as legos. When you put two together into one character they can influence the meaning of the character. These are two other commonly accepted ways characters were made, however, this is the most relevant to this discussion.
The word 武 (wǔ / ㄨˇ) is made up of two pieces. First is 戈 (gē / ㄍㄜ) which is spear. In Chinese war history, the weapon of choice was the spear. This spear is almost synonymous with war.
The second word 止 (zhǐ / ㄓˇ) means stop. So in short the word 武 (wǔ / ㄨˇ) means to “end warring.”
I love sharing this with my peers because it challenges how one thinks about language. We think in languages we have learned and those thoughts are limited to the cultural and connoted messages where that language developed. To learn a new language is to learn a new way to look at the world.
武 (wǔ / ㄨˇ) continues to be an important aspect of my life and daily cultivation.