month 月[yue] (the fourth tone) This character is actually a picture of the moon, with the two horizontal lines representing the left eye and mouth of the mythical“man in the moon.” (Actually, the Chinese see a hare in the moon, but it is a little farfetched to find one in the character.) And one month, of course, is one cycle of the moon.
As a primitive element, this character can take on the sense of moon, flesh, or part of the body. The reasons for the latter two meanings will be explained in a later chapter.