Study chinese in china

eight   八[ba] (the first tone) Just as the Arabic numeral “8” is composed of a small circle followed by a larger one, so the character for eight is composed of a short line followed by a longer line that leans towards it without touching it. And just as the “lazy 8” ∞ is the mathematical symbol for “infinity,” so the expanse opened up below these two strokes sometimes carries the sense in Chinese of something “all-encompassing.”
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seven   七[qi] (the first tone) Note that the first stroke “cuts” clearly through the second. This distinguishes seven from the character for spoon 匕, in which the horizontal stroke either stops short or, depending on the font, extends just slightly beyond the vertical stroke.
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