Radical 32-1 米mǐ,grain of rice

Radical 32-1米mǐ,grain of rice

“Seeing a bowl of perfectly white shining rice, fills us with joy, tranquility and satisfaction. The best thing is that the rice has such a lovely smell and is delicious !!!”

“Three grains of rice at the top and three at the bottom”. The character on the left shows the way in which rice was depicted in ancient characters carved on tortoise shell. The line in the middle symbolises a wooden stick used to divide the various qualities of rice. On the right, the modern character shows a stylised rice plant, with its roots, leaves and fruit.

米 mǐ does not mean the plant but the single grains of the cereal. When rice is ready to eat we say米飯Mǐfàn , steamed rise. In fact, if we want to create a two-syllable word we need to add a second character. In daily life, we can come across lots of words made up of these characters: 米粉Mǐfěn rice noodles, 米酒 Mǐjiǔ rice liqueur, 米糕 Mǐgāo rice cake. 

 Rice is the Chinese people’s main food. It is the symbol of fertility, of plenty, of good health and wholesomeness. It is strictly linked to Chinese culture and traditions and holds a central role in festivals, songs, proverbs and legends. It is not just a simple food source but an important element of Chinese culture. One famous proverb says 一粒米養百樣人 Yī lì mǐ yǎng bǎi yàng rén, which literally means:

“A single grain of rice can feed a hundred people” This can be interpreted as meaning: “Everything can be interpreted in many different ways” or “Everyone has their own way of seeing things”. Source  https://kidshoubo.jimdo.com

©兒童手搏文創Kids Shou Bo Arte Cultura & Saggezza Cinese Elaborated by M°Dante Basili /M°Stefano Danesi  Translated by Neil Berry