的 Of, Owned by, or Belong to

How the Chinese character “的" (de in neutral tone), was getting its "of, owned by, or belong to" as its meaning.

A long time ago in ancient China, there lived a wise scholar who are know by people as Master Ling, an expert in elements who posses deep knowledge and understanding of everything. He spent his days studying the world around him, by observing nature, everyday object, as well as each part of its elements.

One day, the emperor called him to come to the imperial palace to assign him with an important task of creating written characters to represent the spoken language. Excited by the challenge, Master Ling hurried back to his study, and began researching the origins of everything to create some characters, and getting set to work.

Days of meticulous research went by, but he still couldn't find the vision to concept the written characters. Realizing how deep he was in distress, Master Ling decided to take a break to refresh his mind.

As he was walking through a lush bamboo forest, he saw two brothers who shared a small cottage by the lake. The two brothers were preparing meal when a dispute arose over a simple wooden ladle.

Both of the two brothers insisted that it was his turn to use the ladle on that day. The harmless argument soon escalated into a full-blown fight, with harsh words being exchanged and tempers flaring, as each brother determined to have the ladle in his possession.

The time went by so fast, the two brothers finally realized the folly of their actions. They both stopped, panting and out of breath, looking at each other and saw the hurt and anger in each other's eyes, then a wave of remorse washed over them.

With pure intentions in their heart, the two brothers embraced each other. They understand that their bond as brothers was far more valuable than any material possession, so they made amends and decided to share the ladle, by taking turns to use it without any more arguments.

Seeing how the two brothers worked together in perfect harmony, cherishing each other's company and the simple joys of life, united not by possessions, but by the unbreakable bond of brotherhood, Master Ling realized that he can create the written characters by combining the single drawing of every objects and ideas, to create written characters for each spoken words.

With ideas sparked in his mind, Master Ling began to sketch out the Chinese character on a piece of parchment, infusing his whole energy and intent to craft each stroke of the " (bái) which means white" to represent the "clarity and purity of intention" and " (sháo) which means ladle, or spoon" to symbolize "the possessed material". The two radicals later on combined into " (de) which means of, owned by, or belong to", to convey the essence of harmony and balance in ownership, or possession.

After finishing the hard work, Master Ling presented his finally completed the Chinese character to the imperial palace. The emperor was so impressed by its beauty and elegance that Master Ling's works was regarded as a symbol of wisdom and enlightenment, as the essence of balance and order in the universe.

From that day on, the Chinese character " (de) which means of, owned by, or belong to" become the particle to convey the idea of ownership, or possession in written language. Master Ling's creation had left a lasting mark, as an integral part of the Chinese character, and passed down from generations to generations, carrying the spirit of Master Ling's vision and creativity for centuries to come, as an inspiration for generations of scholars and artists, as well as a reminder of how the power of imagination and innovation is shaping the world around us.