406 THOUGHTS ON THE FORMATION OF 



sonality*, lie would only imitate the example of errors long 

 gravely maintained by European scholars. No more effectual 

 mode of getting rid of these errors presents itself than making 

 a complete analysis of all compound characters, in order after- 

 wards to recognize and classify the different principles which 

 have guided their formation. Eemusat's remark is perfectly 

 just, that the Chinese characters are formed in a variety of ways, 

 and that nothing but confusion can result from any attempt to 

 analyse all on the same principle. Chinese etymology consists, 

 as Humboldt has observed, of two parts, that of the characters, 

 and that of the spoken language. Both parts involve great 

 difficulties, and as yet neither has been treated scientifically. 

 The former part is particularly attractive: there is no more 

 amusing book than a Chinese dictionary. Perhaps my saying 

 so may remind you of the painter's reflection, ' che dolce cosa 

 e la perspettiva.' One instance may be enough to show you 

 the sort of interest I mean. The character for heart, which 

 expresses generally all mental operations, combined with that 

 which represents an enclosed and divided field, means to think 

 or consider : we have here a graphic representation of the Latin 

 1 contemplor,' formed, as there seems little reason to doubt, from 

 'templum,' in the sense in which the augurs used the wordf. 



A very interesting part of the study of the Chinese character 

 would be the comparison of it with Egyptian hieroglyphics, not 

 in order to revive the old notion of an historical connexion 

 between them between the flowery region and the lands of the 

 lotus and the papyrus but in order to see how similar problems 

 have in the two cases been dealt with. It has been said that 

 * Thoth was wiser than Fo' (Fo-Hi), which may be true, but 

 still the comparison is worth making. 



It is curious, that while in Egypt the feet or legs seem to be 

 the symbol of activity, so as to give a verbal signification to the 

 symbol with which they are associated, or, in some instances, 

 rather grotesquely joined, the hand should often serve the same 

 purpose in China. Other points of analogy might doubtless be 



* Guesses at Truth. 



+ Grimm's derivation of templum, from the same root as tepeo, making it refer 

 to the sacrificial fire, seems open to more than one objection : in the first place, 

 the augurial sense of the word appears to be the primary one, aiii this connects it 

 with T^nvfiv ; and in the second, it would then be particularly strange that the 

 house of Vesta should not have been a templum. 



