In 1937, MGM studios released a film adaptation of Pearl S. Buck’s award winning novel “The Good Earth”, which depicts the struggles of Chinese farm workers. This film, against the wishes of Buck and producer Irving Thalberg, used Caucasian actors to portray the various Chinese leads. The actors were layered in thick makeup to imitate a Chinese appearance. Buck and Thalberg were told that Americans were not ready to see a film with a mostly Asian cast. Apparently, America is still not ready. In the summer of 2010, “The Last Airbender”, a live action film based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series, was released to a world of controversy; controversy that began building months before the movie even began filming.

Avatar, the story of a twelve-year-old boy who is destined to bring peace to a magic-filled world, does not seem to fit the normal controversial movie role. It is an exciting tale about a boy and his close friends discovering their true strengths while navigating their way across a fantastical Asian-inspired world. But it was not the fact that the movie was being made that was causing uproar, it was the casting.

When it was released that four Caucasian actors were chosen to play the four leads in the movie, there was public outcry. The world of Aang and his friends is obviously inspired by Asian and Native American cultures, and the characters are drawn to represent those races. Fans of the show were excited to see unknown minority actors get a chance at stardom. However, their hopes were dashed when it was an-nounced that unknown Noah Ringer was picked to play the mischievous Aang, Nicola Peltz was cast as Katara, and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone was asked to be Sokka. Originally, Jesse McCartney was cast as Aang”s rival Zuko, but declined due to scheduling conflicts.

The public’s reaction to this sup-posed “whitewashed” casting was swift and strong. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans launched a boycott of the movie, the very first one in the organization’s 18-year existence. Michael Le, a young engineer from Los Angeles, was one of the movie’s fiercest opponents. He founded the website www.racebending.com in reaction to the unjust casting. Along with chronicling the saga of The Last Airbender, Le’s website showcases other issues involving race and the entertainment industry. Racebending.com started a letter writing campaign to Paramount studios.

Paramount remained silent about the ordeal until late in the game. The only concession they offered to the offended groups was a pri-vate early screening of the movie and a brief statement in the L.A. Times justifying the movie’s cast-ing. “The film has twenty-three credited speaking roles- more than half which feature Asian and Pan Asian actors of Korean, Japanese, and Indian descent,” stated Para-mount.

But to most, the explanation is not enough. It is not the number of minorities featured in the movie that is the problem. It is the fact that Paramount assumed people would not pay to see a movie with minorities as the lead characters. Decisions like this offend every-one. Not only do they strip mi-nority groups of the chance to see their traditions represented on the silver screen, they also presume – unfortunately – that Caucasian audiences are only attracted to casts sharing their skin pigmenta-tion. It is surprising that film, a progressive medium that has often pushed American culture forward, refuses to let go of a stale tradition and embrace a change that will only improve the genre.

Author: Leah Marquardt

“Fans of the show were excited to see unknown minority actors get a chance at stardom. However, their hopes were dashed...”

Executive DirectorJames Cheng

Co-Editor-in-Chief Helen Zhang /Yue Ma

Chinese EditorRachel Zhang/Jenny Chen/Suzanne Li

English EditorDiana Ma

Staff WriterJenn Dong Shiny Xu Staff Production DirectorYing Zhou

Production AdvisorLinda Shan

Graphics DesignerAlice Zhang/Peter Zhou Yan Zhao/Yuki Wu Communications & Sponsorship CoordinatorSarah Yu/Rachel Wei

Websitewww.queenschinesepress.com

E-mailqcp.eic@gmail.com

First, we wish you a happy belated Mid-Autumn Festival! Once past Mid-Autumn, the weather just becomes colder and colder. Hopefully, the rainy days have not much affected your mood. Every season has its own flavour; we’ve got to savour it.

Ever since school has started, time has been flying by without the slightest notice. So value every moment we spend at Queen’s and cherish the people around us. Then one day when we think back, smiles will light up our faces.

YueEditorial Room

World Events P4 2010 Summer News Flash

Editorials/Opinions P6 Thinking in My Shoes

Arts & Entertainment P8 When Asked Where I Am From P9 Avatar: The Last Racebender

Life P10 Thank You, Sir

Campus News P12 Campus News

Culture P14 Unveiling the Meanings Behind Chinese Characters

3

A drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, rented by British Petroleum, exploded into flames, killing 11 and injuring 17. Until the oil spill was controlled on July 15, 2010, a total of 4.9 million barrels of crude oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, severely damaging the marine ecosystem in the Gulf.

Expo 2010 opened in Shanghai. This is the first World Expo ever held in China, and the hosting city spent over 45 billion USD on direct and indirect investments. It boasts to have attracted the participation of over 240 countries and international organizations, and is expected to receive over 70 million visitors over its 6-month duration.

A thief broke into the Paris Museum of Modern Art and stole five paintings from the museum collection, valued at 100 million Euro in total. It is believed that the thief smashed the protective glass over the paintings, and then carefully removed them from their frames. However, the security guards claimed that they witnessed no suspicious activities. To date, the theft is still under investigation.

The 19th FIFA World Cup kicked off in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the first time an African nation has hosted the event. On July 11, the Spanish were crowned the winner following a 1-0 win over the Dutch in the final. This is Spain’s first-time winning the

World Cup, making them the eighth world champion in the history of the games.

A QCP Compilation

A chemical plant in Nanjing, China, exploded. Investigations revealed that construction workers damaged underground pipelines containing propylene, a result of failing safety measures. The leaking chemical exploded on contact with oxygen. More than 300 were wounded in the accident,

although official sources announced 13 deaths and 120 hospitalized. Due to the explosion, several major blood banks in Nanjing exhausted their supply of type A and O blood.

Following an unprecedentedly heavy monsoon season, several regions in Pakistan began to see flooding in late July of this year. Despite humanitarian aid from all over the world, relief efforts still has not progressed beyond rescue and evacuation. To September, the disaster has claimed 1600 lives, dislocated 6 million, and affected 17 million Pakistani in total.

President Obama announced his plan to withdraw 90,000 American troops from Iraq before the end of the month. As of August 31, there are fewer than 50,000 American soldiers remaining in Iraq, all of whom are expected to be home by the end of 2011. Nonetheless, there are few optimistic signs in Iraqi politics, and observers fear the American withdrawal may result in further chaos and possible civil war.

A North Korean military aircraft crashed in Liaoning, China, instantly killing the pilot. Yonhap News Agency speculated that the dead pilot belonged to the Sinuiju Air Force and lost his way in Chinese territories during an attempt to flee to Russia.

A former policeman, Rolando Mendoza took 24 tourists and the tour guide hostage aboard a Hong Kong tour bus in downtown Manila. Mendoza opened fire on the hostages after ten hours of failed negotiations with the police, killing 8 and injuring 7. Although the police shot Mendoza at the end, the incident brought its efficiency and professionalism under severe questioning.

Chen Guangbiao, the chairman of Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources Co. Ltd., published a letter dedicated to Gates and Buffett, stating that Chen will donate all his assets (with total worth of 5 billion yuan) to charitable causes after his death. Chen is often known as “China’s no.1 Philanthropist” – this January, he held a fundraiser that raised 43 million yuan for the impoverished families in Western China.

54

Being aware of the potential effects of this article, I would like to make clear that I have not the slightest intention to provoke prejudice or hostility towards any religion. I am just trying to describe my feelings in an as-a-matter-of-fact way.

The story began when two girls approached me with a very interesting question:

“If you are to die tomorrow, do you think you’d be in heaven or hell?”

I was rather taken aback, puzzled that they should ask me such a strange question. “Uh, I… don’t know,” after the initial shock, I replied with hesitation, “I never really thought about that.” Then the two girls started to tell me about Jesus and God, what Heaven looks like, how nice it is, and what kind of people will go to heaven after their death. I tried to appear at least a little bit interested, but found my brain rather resistant. They kept talking about how they used to be suicidal and were thinking about wasting themselves away with drugs until they came to know Jesus, who brought into their lives the love they never had before, thus changing the whole depressing thing into a happy ending.

Obviously, knowing Jesus made a huge

difference in their lives. Thus, they wished to share the “Gospel” with me. Indeed, I can see and appreciate their religious enthusiasm, even as I myself am not particularly familiar with Christian beliefs. But that appreciation aside, what of the other side of the story? In loading their stories and beliefs on me, do they understand, or even care to respect my feelings and beliefs?

To begin with, in Chinese culture, it is not only impolite but offensive to discuss one’s death in the face of that person. This taboo is rarely even broken among family or close friends, so you can only imagine the rudeness and violation one feels when a stranger starts talking about it. Although I do not shun the topic (although it does make me slightly uncomfortable), I would still expect some respect – or at least knowledge – on the matter. In any case, this type of indifference and ignorance affects not just me, but other people raised in the Chinese culture or another with a similar tradition.

It is not only their ignorance of my culture that bothers me, but also their manners of speech, which made me feel ignorant myself! Their passion was in part (and likely no small part) derived from their conviction of the greatness of their religion and their eagerness for me to become part of it. The fact that I have my own

Author: Suzanne Li

mature, developed beliefs probably never even occurred to them. Or they must have thought whatever my beliefs would be, theirs would be superior. Otherwise, I cannot imagine how they managed to express themselves in a manner bordering on imposing. It probably never even came into their minds that I am not a person without moral values, despite the fact that I am not religiously affiliated. I have my own values, which are not necessarily worse or better than the Christian beliefs.

I find the roots of my morals in the integration of ancient Chinese sages, the Taoist “Way”, Confucianism, and the Buddhist ethics by way of Karma. This is not to say that I did not like their story. In fact, I feel happy for those two girls, and I am glad that Christianity had an impressive and uplifting impact on these girls. Nonetheless, I could only dream that they might understand my perspective – and other different perspectives as well. Admittedly, it is hard to think in someone else’s shoes, because we all have our own values and our own way of thinking. But maybe an analogy would help. Imagine telling your typical white, Caucasian, Christian friend about Nirvana – and insisting on its being the sole salvation for any human being (not that I believe in it myself by all means). I doubt he or she would be receptive to the idea at all, because the idea is one which this person is rarely (if ever) exposed to and finds difficult to interpret or even imagine. That is probably how the Christian Heaven looks like to me.

As my argument comes to an end, I must point out that I am not completely ignorant of Christian beliefs. I remember my middle-school English teacher from the U.S., who used to tell us biblical stories. Thinking back now, I find it difficult to believe in the virgin conception and the resurrection of Jesus, just as it is difficult to believe any other theory with no scientific evidence. And in saying this, I nonetheless still

appreciate the positive impact Christianity has on many people’s lives.

Our values and beliefs are shaped by the culture we grew up from.

The ultimate goal of most religions seems to be the nurturing and development of moral, responsible, and humane individuals, in order to achieve greater peace and harmony in the world. It may be much more worthwhile to reach this common goal, than to assert the superiority of one value system over another. Author: Suzanne Li

76

When Asked Where I Am From...

Q: Where are you from?A: ChinaQ: Where in China? Hong Kong?A: No.Q: Beijing?A: NoQ: Oh, I know, Shanghai!A: NO!Q: Then I don’t know… A: (Sigh…) -----An experienced traveller

Q: Where are you from?A: China.Q: Where in China?A: Dalian.Q: Where?A: It’s a coastal city in the North-eastern China. Q: Where is Northeast?A: Um, it’s between north and east of China. You know, China is quite big.

Q: Okay…… Is it close to Beijing?A: Well, sort of…… (I surrender and save a long speech about Chi-nese geography)

------ An enthusiastic friend but over-estimated his knowledge of Chinese geography

Q: Where are you from?A: Close to Beijing (to save me from the above conversation).Q: Oh, you are from Shanghai then!A: (Oh God please just kill me…) ------ An Asian student

Q: Where are you from?A: It’s a city surrounded by ocean.Q: Taiwan?A: No, in the northeast.Q: Where is that?A: (Help, how should I put this in an easy way?) ……Um……, close to Korea… ------ Non Asian for sure

Q: Where are you from?A: Close to Korea! (I give up on explaining).Q: Oh, that’s why you look like Korean!A: (Um, I don’t think so!)

------ On many occurrences

Q: Where are you from?A: Mainland China.Q: Where is that?A: (Faint…)

------ A North American kid who thinks Canada and US are the only nations in the world

Author: Jenn Dong

In 1937, MGM studios released a fi lm adaptation of Pearl S. Buck’s award winning novel “The Good Earth”, which depicts the struggles of Chinese farm workers. This fi lm, against the wishes of Buck and producer Irving Thalberg, used Caucasian actors to portray the various Chinese leads. The actors were layered in thick makeup to imitate a Chinese appearance. Buck and Thalberg were told that Americans were not ready to see a fi lm with a mostly Asian cast. Apparently, America is still not ready. In the summer of 2010, “The Last Airbender”, a live action fi lm based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series, was released to a world of controversy; controversy that began building months before the movie even began fi lming.

Avatar, the story of a twelve-year-old boy who is destined to bring peace to a magic-fi lled world, does not seem to fi t the normal controversial movie role. It is an exciting tale about a boy and his close friends discovering their true strengths while navigating their way across a fantastical Asian-inspired world. But it was not the fact that the movie was being made that was causing uproar, it was the casting.

When it was released that four Caucasian actors were chosen to play the four leads in the movie, there was public outcry. The world of Aang and his friends is obviously inspired by Asian and Native American cultures, and the characters are drawn to represent those races. Fans of the show were excited to see unknown minority actors get a chance at stardom. However, their hopes were dashed when it was an-nounced that unknown Noah Ringer was picked to play the mischievous Aang, Nicola Peltz was cast as Katara, and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone was asked to be Sokka. Originally, Jesse McCartney was cast as Aang”s rival Zuko, but declined due to scheduling confl icts.

The public’s reaction to this sup-posed “whitewashed” casting was swift and strong. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans launched a boycott of the movie, the very fi rst one in the organization’s 18-year existence. Michael Le, a young engineer from Los Angeles, was one of the movie’s fi ercest opponents. He founded the website www.racebending.com in reaction to the unjust casting. Along with chronicling the saga of The Last Airbender, Le’s website showcases other issues involving race and the entertainment industry. Racebending.com started a letter writing campaign to Paramount studios.

Paramount remained silent about the ordeal until late in the game. The only concession they offered to the offended groups was a pri-vate early screening of the movie and a brief statement in the L.A. Times justifying the movie’s cast-ing. “The fi lm has twenty-three credited speaking roles- more than half which feature Asian and Pan Asian actors of Korean, Japanese, and Indian descent,” stated Para-mount.

But to most, the explanation is not enough. It is not the number of minorities featured in the movie that is the problem. It is the fact that Paramount assumed people would not pay to see a movie with minorities as the lead characters. Decisions like this offend every-one. Not only do they strip mi-nority groups of the chance to see their traditions represented on the silver screen, they also presume – unfortunately – that Caucasian audiences are only attracted to casts sharing their skin pigmenta-tion. It is surprising that fi lm, a progressive medium that has often pushed American culture forward, refuses to let go of a stale tradition and embrace a change that will only improve the genre.

Author: Leah Marquardt

“Fans of the show were excited to see unknown minority actors get a chance at stardom. However, their hopes were dashed...”

“I have experienced the deepest sense of helplessness since I came to Kingston.”

I had never thought of Kingston as my home away from home. To me, Kingston was an indifferent city, where people are too concerned with themselves to care about others. However, such a prejudice was dis-sipated when a stranger offered me help a few days ago.

On that day I was trying to carry a massive three-person sofa with two fi rst-year girls. I decided to help as I saw them struggling with it on my way home from the grocery store. It seemed as though carrying this gigantic monster from William Street to their apartment on Colborne Street would take forever. At that moment, I fi nally understood why my mom had always been pushing me to get a boyfriend.

“Do you girls need help?” Offered an old couple who passed by.

“Umm, we are ok.” I said, surprised and hesitant.

“I have a truck and I can use it to transport the sofa,” the old gentleman insisted. Despite having gray-white hair, he was tall and stalwart looking with not a hint of feebleness in him.

“Uh… no it’s ok…um, it will be a good work-out!” I muttered. My answer was completely against my will. Yet I was taught not to accept huge favors from strangers.

“It’s up to you,” said the old man, shrugging, “I just don’t want to see you girls carrying that huge sofa.” He said with a warm smile.

“Are you sure? It’s…it’s really a big favor…” I stut-tered reluctantly, feeling very uneasy.

“No problem! I will go get my truck!” He then turned to his wife and told her to wait for him in downtown.

He drove up his truck a few seconds later, and we loaded the sofa into the truck together. We were thrilled by how lucky we were.

“I will meet you guys later in Colborne Street!” he got in the truck. “Don’t worry,” he said with a smile when he saw our concerned faces, “I won’t drive this thing away with me.”

Ten minutes later we arrived on Colborne Street and saw him waiting by the truck.

“Where is your apartment?” after we showered him with millions of thank you’s, he asked.

“Just up the stairs.”

As I tried to politely refuse him, he already started to pull the sofa. What else could I say? The four of us carried it slowly, through the entrance, through the corridor, and then up the stairs.

“Just turn the sofa and slide it through the door, and we would be done.” I said to myself. But things were far more complicated. The sofa was so big that we were unable to turn it in the hallway, despite count-less imaginable ways we tried.

“Now I really wish I were in engineering.” I said with despair. It had been over an hour since we fi rst met the old couple, and I felt guilty for keeping the gentleman away from his wife.

Author: Suzanne Li

Thank You, Sir.“Sir,” I said timidly, “thank you so much for helping us. But you really don’t have to stay with us if you have to go somewhere.”

“But I don’t want to leave this damn thing to you girls.” Looking at me with a smile, he said assertively.

“……Thank you so much!” I replied with much grati-fi cation.

“No problem. Just remember me when you are rich and famous.” He joked.

We tried again and again. My hair was tangled with dirt and sweat, and my face and nostrils, full of dust from the old sofa. My muscles became sore and numb, and my body ached all over. Standing beside me, the old gentleman used all his effort without showing even a slight sign of impatience. I could hear him breathing heavily; every breath fi lled my heart with distress. I would not have felt this culpable if he were younger. For a split second, he reminded me of my father, someone whom I can trust and rely on.

“Is there any other entrance in this apartment?” The gentleman asked at the moment when we were about to give up after two hours of failed attempts. It seemed that the girls might just need a smaller sofa.

“There is a fi re exit on the back.” One girl opened the exit as she said so.

“Alright, we will go try that one!” Within a second, the sofa slid in. Voilà, done at last. I was on the edge of bursting out crying.

I ran towards the old gentleman as he got back to his truck. “Thank you so much for your help, sir! We re-ally, really appreciate it.”

I sincerely wished that I knew a better way of ex-pressing my gratitude than just saying “thank you”, which was too bland and miles away from how I truly felt.

“Thank you, sir. You remind me of my father.” I had the urge to hug him and kiss him on his cheek, just as I do with my father.

I have experienced the deepest sense of helplessness since I came to Kingston. It is the kind of vulner-ability that arises only when one is in a foreign land all by oneself. Due to certain limitations, immediate access to my parents to get emotional support is hard. I have learned to depend on myself, because I thought everyone would be too concerned with his or her own business to care for others. However, this generous stranger touched my heart; he convinced me that there are people in the world who do care, breaking down the wall I had built to protect myself. His kind-ness shone with benevolence, warmth, and love that I used to fi nd at home.

Thank you, sir, from the bottom of my heart. It is people like you who make Canada feel like home.

10

Orientation Week During the week from September 7-11, did you happen to see any purple people? Or how about students in blue, yellow, or red? Or people with upside-down visors and funky coattails? If you did, then you were a first hand witness to Queen’s University Orientation Week! Each faculty had their own leaders and agendas. The Engineering faculty had their purple Frecs who sizzled their frosh into participating in traditional activities such as the Grease Pole or Highland games. The cheerful Gaels of Arts and Science celebrated the week by teaching their Frosh pelvic thrusts and a plethora of cheers. The Commerce had their Bosses who forced their frosh to run laps around Queen’s campus. Let’s not forget the Capes of the Nursing Department, Techs of Computing, the Phekins of Physical Education, or the Con-Eds shaking their booty. Regardless of faculty, Orientation Week was jam packed and filled with exciting and fun activities.

This year’s orientation week placed a huge focus on interfaculty relationships with the newly created interfaculty day where groups from different faculties would pair up together and compete for the Queen’s Cup. Furthermore, all faculties were present at the K-Os concert as well as Sidewalk Sale. Once again, orientation week was a great success due to the hard work of the orientation committees of each faculty that all worked together to give the new graduating class an unforgettable experience.

Tricolour Outlet Do you happen to need a blue Queen’s cardigan, a bus ticket to Toronto and a textbook

on Art History all at once? Okay, let me give you directions on which places to go. The Used Bookstore specialized in selling and buying textbooks from students. Tricolour Outfitters was a great place to get a variety of queen’s gear. Destinations sold bus tickets to nearby popular locations such as Toronto and Ottawa. Confusing? Maybe just a little bit.

This year, you are in luck! Instead of running around to different locations in the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC), you can find everything in one convenient place! The Used Bookstore, Tricolour Outfitters, and Destinations all merged into one super-power Tricolour Outlet. The merger of the big three not only saves people money but also time and effort! You can do all your shopping in the second floor of the JDUC!

CoGro Express The Common Ground Express is located on the second floor of the newly constructed Athletics and Recreations Centre (ARC). CoGro is a very popular hangout place amongst Queen’s students. They sell a diverse group of products, ranging from chocolate cake to coffee to sandwiches. In addition to delicious food, they have friendly service, which is comprised of Queen’s students. Also, Monday night is Open Mic night. Come by to support your friends or show off your own singing and playing talents. Even if you are not in the mood to eat, CoGro is an awesome place to relax, study, or chill with friends. It is definitely worth a drop in!

QCOM on CFRC The CFRC 101.9 FM is Kingston’s

and Queen’s University’s own radio station! Established in the Early 1920s, CFRC is one of the oldest stations in all of Canada. The Queen’s Chinese Online Media (QCOM) broadcasts a radio show called 19/20 on CFRC in both Mandarin and Cantonese. The production airs in Mandarin from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and in Cantonese from 5-6 p.m. on Fridays. 19/20 and QCOM help Chinese students integrate comfortably into the Kingston community while simultaneously introducing the Kingston community to Chinese culture and traditions. Tune in!

QUASR & New GPA System QUASR, which stands for Queen’s University Administrative System Replacement implemented a new grading scheme that will take effect in May 2011. Queen’s University will adopt a 3/6 credit-weighing scheme including a grading scheme with GPA. A typical 0.5 credit will be worth 3.0 credits while a 1.0 credit will translate into 6.0. This decision was in review ever since April 2009 and much thought; feedback and effort went into implementing this new format. However, “in-progress” and graduated students need not fear! Board members will also be reviewing the options for these students.

QCSSA Queen’s Chinese Student and Scholars Association (QCSSA), is historically the largest and the oldest Chinese organization in Queen’s University. The majority of the members are Mandarin and are composed of undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and international students. Through many years of student services experience, QCSSA has established itself as the leader in the Asian student community. It is not only a link between the international students and their homeland, but also a way for the students abroad to make new friends and create social circles.

QCSSA organizes a variety of activities throughout the year ranging from the Mid Autumn Festival to Games Night to the Chinese New Year Celebration. For the month of October, QCSSA will host a KTV session and the Games Night. Watch out.

1312

Looking at the character 德 (“virtue”), it is easy to see two components. On the left, the symbol彳 carries the meaning of “walking” or “journeying”. On the right is the character 悳. This can further be broken down into its top component 直, meaning “straight” or “unwavering”, and the bottom component 心, meaning “heart”.Combining these symbols together, the implications of the “virtue” are clear: In order to develop one’s virtues, one must be faithful to the heart throughout life’s journey. This is all very reminiscent of the character’s original meaning: “to climb”.

思 (thought) is another character with the symbol “heart” in it. In creating this character, the ancient Chinese combined two symbols that are, in Western culture, often thought to be polar opposites. The top, a corruption of 囟 (literally, the apex of one’s head, that is, the brain), is combined with the bottom 心 (the heart). It is the combination itself that makes “thought” possible.Another explanation offered by late scholars is that “thought” is the process that is all-governing in human life. All aspects of a human being, from the top of one’s head to the depth of one’s heart, are all linked together in thought, and respond to the “thought” that is the soul.The meaning of the character 知 (knowledge)

should be quite guessable to anyone with an adequate knowledge of modern Chinese. The left, 矢, means “arrow”. The right, 口, means “mouth”. In almost Homeric terms, what “comes out of the mouth like an arrow” is indicative of the possession of knowledge.Ancient Chinese scholars emphasized on the “speed” of knowledge as they explained the origin of this character. One wrote, “The process of ‘knowing’ happens more quickly than an arrow is shot.” He refers to the process of obtaining knowledge, which is presented almost intuitively as a spark of enlightenment.

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