Author : William Stewart, via lookinguntojesus.net
Adam And Eve…
Our last article focused on the creation of man, which can be seen in the Chinese character zào (造), which pictures a WALKING (chuò, 辶) and TALKING (gào, 告) man. In the latter image, we see Genesis 2:7 pictured, for Adam was a LIVING (p’ieh ) DUST (tŭ, 土) MAN (kŏu, 口). It was NECESSARY (yào, 要) for God to provide a wife for him, Eve, whom both Adam and the Chinese language identify as the INSIDE (nèi, 羧) man (Genesis 2:21-23). Now, we consider more about these two first humans in God’s creation.
There are three important words for BEGINNING that we will note through the course of our study. The first pictures the BEGINNING of mankind as found in the Genesis creation account. The word yuán (元) contains two other characters, TWO (èr, 二) and MAN (ér, 儿). That certainly seems appropriate, as in the BEGINNING, when God has finished creating the universe and all that is in it, there were but TWO PEOPLE.
Take the word yuán (元), and place over it a ROOF (miám, 宀) as the result is FINISH or COMPLETE (wán, 完). Once God has created these TWO PEOPLE, He was FINISHED with the creation. Notice that the Genesis account concurs:
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were finished. (Genesis 2:1, NKJV)
Not only does wán (完) reveal that creation was FINISHED when Adam and Eve had been made, but also pictures their relationship, as these TWO PEOPLE were under the same ROOF as a married couple.
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, NKJV)
The last statement made in the Genesis creation account reads:
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:25, NKJV)
In a later article, we shall see three Chinese characters for NAKED all demonstrating man’s awareness of his nakedness after sin entered the world. However, the word guāng guāng (光光) pictures the shameless nakedness of Adam and Eve as spoken of in Genesis 2:25. Though in duplicate this character means NAKED, as a single character, guāng (光) denotes BRIGHT or LIGHT. It is noteworthy that the base of guāng (光) is ér (儿), a MAN. It is entirely likely that this BRIGHT MAN is a representation of the first man and woman in their state of perfection, and then when placed side by side, is used as a reminder of these radiant people NAKED, without sin or shame.
Thus far, we have seen two people pictured in the words NECESSARY (yào, 要), FLESH ròu (肉), BEGINNING (yuán, 元), COMPLETE (wán, 完), and NAKED (guāng guāng, 光光).
These two people (Adam and Eve) are found in several other Chinese characters. We’ll conclude our article noticing some of them.
Zuò (坐) is a Chinese word which is used for SIT. Sitting is an individual action, but look in this word, and you will see two PEOPLE (rén, 人人) who are upon the EARTH (tŭ, 土). What logical reason is there for zuò (坐) to picture two people rather than one upon the earth? Is it perhaps a reference to the first two people of God’s creation, Adam and Eve?
One of several words which can be used to speak of ALL or the WHOLE is qiān (僉). It is interesting to note that the WHOLE population of the earth in the BEGINNING (yuán, 元) comprised two people, Adam and Eve. In this character, we see two people, each represented with the image for a MOUTH (kŏu, 口) and legs of a PERSON (rén, 人). These two people TOGETHER (jí, 亼) made up ALL (qiān, 僉) humans upon the earth at the time.
Another Chinese character which pictures two people is the word PERFECT (rén, 仁). In this image, we see the word èr (二) which means TWO and a PERSON (rén, 亻), giving us literally TWO PEOPLE. What do two people have to do with perfection, except that the first two people, Adam and Eve, were created perfect?
Previously we’ve seen the word tián (田), which refers to a GARDEN. Another character for GARDEN is yuán (園). This image has amazing detail in it. Recall, Genesis 2:7 revealed that God made man of the DUST (tŭ, 土) of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the BREATH (kŏu, 口) of life. Genesis 2:8 tells us that God put the man who He had created into the garden ENCLOSURE (wéi, 囗). We are then told that He took a rib from the man, and with it, He made woman (Genesis 2:21-22). Notice, in the lower portion of yuán (園), we see two PERSONS ((rén, 亻, 人), one coming out of the side of the other. Thus, all the details about where Adam and Eve lived and how each was created and came to be there is recorded in this single image for GARDEN!
There are other images which contain two people, which have a definite connection to Adam and Eve, but these will suffice for now. We shall see more in subsequent articles, as we consider more about their dwelling in the garden of Eden, their sin in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the eventual punishment for so doing.
Other Resources:
Nelson, Ethel R. & C.H. Kang. The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis Were Found Hidden in the Chinese Language, St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 1979.
Nelson, Ethel R., Richard E. Broadberry, & Ginger Tong Chock. God’s Promise to the Chinese, Dunlap, TN : Read Books Publishers, 1997.
MDBG Chinese-English Dictionary, mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php
