I've been learning kanji, Chinese characters. I've learned the meaning of a little over 100 characters. I may not always remember their names, but I've learned their meaning.
I see them all over the place. Actually, I see them as parts of other characters.
The martial art I study is called Yi Quan (in Chinese), and is commonly translated as "intention boxing."
The second character is quan (拳), or ken in Japanese. The lower part is the character for "hand." The upper part indicates the hand is closed, making a fist. The fist can also indicate boxing, pugilism, etc.
The first character is Yi (意) or shin in Japanese, meaning intention. The lower part is mind/heart. That's a combination of rational thought, emotion, and instinct. The upper part is sound, so intention is "Sound of the Heart."
These characters are fascinating.
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