The character 學 (xué), which means to study or learn, originated from the early Oracle bone script that was largely pictographic. The early composition of the character 學 indicated its original meaning—a study hall or place where children learn.
The parts on the very top that resemble an “X” symbolize mathematics; the enclosure on the top was originally semblances of claws and hands with 爪 (zhǎo), to grasp, on one side, and 手 (shǒu), hand, on the other, emphasizing teaching being passed from one to another. The middle symbolizes the roof of a structure. Finally, the bottom part, 子 (zǐ), child, indicates to whom the knowledge is passed.
As a noun, the character 學 means knowledge or study of a discipline, such as 學識 (xué shí), knowledge or scholarship, or 社會學 (shè huì xué), sociology.
As a verb, 學 means the action of obtaining knowledge or skills. For example, 學藝 (xué yì) means to gain knowledge or learn a skill; 學習 (xué xí ) means to study; and 學以致用 (xué yǐ zhì yòng), means to study for the purpose of application.
Study, or learning, is very important in Chinese culture and there are often references to it by the great philosophers in Chinese history, like Kong Zi (Confucius), Zeng Zi, and others.
There is a famous quote from Kong Zi: “He who learns but does not think is lost; he who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”
