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.”
As a primitive, this form takes on the meaning of a pair of nunchucks, those two hardwood sticks joined at their ends with a short piece of leather, chain, or rope (invisible in the character) and used by ninja to clobber their opponents.
nine 九[jiu] (the third tone) If you take care to remember the stroke order of this character, you will not have trouble later keeping it distinct from the character for power力. When this character is used as a primitive, we shall take it to refer to the game of baseball, the meaning being derived from the nine players who make up a team.