古

Composed of 十 (십, “ten”) + 口 (구, “mouth”), and is traditionally regarded as an ideogrammic compound.

The 口 is often interpreted as “speech” or “words,” while the 十 has two main interpretations:

- “Very large number” theory – 十 is taken to mean “a great number,” symbolizing stories and traditions passed down orally over countless generations, leading to the meaning “ancient times.”

- “Shield/armor” theory – 十 is seen as a variant of 干 (shield) or 甲 (armor), suggesting that stories about old battles gave rise to the meaning of “old” or “ancient.”

In oracle bone script (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén), the form of 十 varied:

- sometimes drawn as a stick piercing through 口,

- other times drawn without piercing it.

This has led to different interpretations of its original image — some think it even looks like a church symbol on a map or a tombstone with a stele in front of it.

고대 (古代) — antiquity

고전 (古典) — classical work

고사 (古事) — ancient event

유물 (遺物) — relic (from ancient times)

태고 (太古) — primeval age

故 a similar in meaning:

古 = “old, ancient” - comparable to past tense in English: describing something from long ago.

故 = “reason, tradition, something continuing from the past” - comparable to present perfect tense: something from the past that still has effect now.

Despite these nuances, 古 and 故 are sometimes interchangeably used in historical and literary contexts.

Classical citations:

《論語》 (The Analects)

「溫故而知新。」

“Review the old to understand the new.”

Related characters:

今 — now (temporal opposite)

昔 — long ago (deeper antiquity)

旧 — former; old (recent past)

老 — aged (age / person)