灰 huī ashes
ash; ashes; dust; gray; discouraged
How it came to be
A hand reaching under fire. Ash is the part of a fire you can put your hand into. It shows the test, not the stuff: how you know the fire is out.
How it is used
- Concrete noun for ash or dust, and the adjective for the color gray: 灰色 huīsè (gray), 灰尘 huīchén (dust on furniture/surfaces).
- 灰心 huīxīn - literally "ashes of the heart" - means to lose heart or become discouraged: 别灰心 (Bié huīxīn) - "Don't get discouraged," a common comforting phrase.
- 灰色 is also used figuratively for morally ambiguous "gray areas," e.g. 灰色地带 huīsè dìdài.