Four Characters

What is the first thing that comes to mind when pondering the word—ideogram or hieroglyphic?

Perhaps a happy family sitting around after dinner reminiscing about the most recent mammoth hunt—pondering the meaning of life—reflecting on the hand-drawn pictures—etched onto the cave wall—dancing to the rhythm of the flickering light of the primordial cooking fire by the beaming lights of the full moon. 

In early encounters with the written Japanese language, the perception of such complex pictograms was considered hieroglyphical in nature, and these curious characters carried with them the perception of abstruse symbology and characteristics embodying an intricate communication system.

Perhaps when first seeing some of the more, well, shall we say stroke intensive characters, these curious attributes may very well be referred to by the uninitiated as hieroglyphics.

For those cultivated under the 26-letter alphabet soup used as the communication mechanism of English, the initial shock upon discovering Japanese students must go through 2,136 mandatory characters at the behest of the Ministry of Edification can not be denied.

With each passing school year the characters become increasingly complex, articulating each Japanese citizen with the characteristics of Rising Son citizenry, indelibly etching the spirit of the Mother tongue onto Japanese as they progress under the weight of this magnificent communication protocol.

By far the oldest continuously used writing system, kanji are now officially referred to simply as characters—as in each having distinct characteristics, in particular, when used in the combination of 4-characters compounds, have the deep reach of non-verbal communication embedded within their complexity.

If contemplated properly, these delightful communication characters provide deep insight into the cryptic mind and way of the Japanese.

Remember, language is a concept and gaining fluency is the key to a more broad, deep and rich Earthling experience—in particular when internalizing a reading/writing system from an esoteric galaxy, remarkably far away from the spectrum of ΩNE’s Mother tongue—the lingua franca of the constructed Earth-world—English. 

The Japanese system possesses a critical advantage in the rapidly evolving world—when reading Japanese at an advanced level, the true nature of the Japanese and their innate notion of Form Order Process will be revealed over time as ΩNE’s Japanese ability advances.

These characters encompass a concise way to relay complex ideas and elaborate concepts, leading them to be profoundly useful in one of the most extraordinary communication tools of any language—4-character-compounds.

Like a treasure trove of undiscovered valuable objects, some were already familiar as a matter of linguistic practicality—all literate Japanese know what ‘in ga ō hō’ means.

「因果[destiny]」「応報[punishment]」
in ga ō hō= divine retribution

Combining destiny with punishment is certain to result in divine retribution.

These master-linguistic-pieces are unvarnished nuggets of wisdom, possessing real power, entrusted with significant meaning, and ability to act as a guide to a practical and commonsensical way of life.

Here is a 4-character-compound admonishing the disciple to learn from the past while creating a desired future:

「温故[warm past]」「知新[new knowledge]」
on ko chi shin = the old new again

As one view the past warmly, new knowledge is born.

Remember the importance of loved ones through thick and thin—edifying each other—building close-knit communities—realising each day is a miracle unto itself—containing ΩNE’s own true and pure destiny—from moment to moment—in the abstruse notion of space and time.

「合縁[loving relation]」「奇縁[miracle of fate]」
ai en ki en = relationship by a strange quirk of fate

What’s not to love about  a relationship that happened by a strange quirk of fate?

One can also find the cold and unforgiving truth of two headstrong adversaries going head to head in the octagon of dogma and ideology, and this is where the solemn grave declaration of a final death match, and winner take all is declared—very primitive and savage indeed.

「不倶[cannot bear]」「戴天[under heaven]」
fu gu tai ten = this town ain’t big enough for both of us

When those who can not bear the notion of each other under the same heaven, we have here ourselves a common scenario—this town ain’t big enough for both of us.

The flexibility of these charming 4-character-compounds is vast—ΩNE can even make up a unique story on the spur of the moment—just like the other day.

Thinking about the wonderful synergy between an old buddy, Zachariah, and the ancient Andean Columbia God of the Quimbaya culture (900-1200 CE).

「強大 [mighty]」kyōdai「兄弟[brethren]」
kyō dai kyō dai = timeless power mates

There is nothing like a formidable team of mighty brethren from distant places and time spaces embodying true power mates.

These old mates are reunited once again upon Earth’s sacred soil —their brotherly power now amped up to meet the challenges of modern day stupidity, and the ever fatal partners in villainy—ignorance and poverty.

In fact, these prodigious 4-character-compounds are brimming with rich messages embedded into each one—mini fables worthy of note—untold-stories for the edification of all—with unconditional love.

Perhaps one day someone will create an animation with the main theme being prodigious 4-character compounds—to be sure, this can no longer be deferred and the notions of an animation has now been set into full-blown motion—reflecting upon Hardcore History, inform the present, and guide our future with the steady hands of reason, encountering a whole host of unique, bizarre, and eccentric characters: 

Welcome to The Big Girl—worlds created according to wife