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These Chinese characters represent the word "learning."
The first character means to study. It is composed of two parts:
a symbol that means "to accumulate knowledge," above a symbol for a child in a doorway.
The second character means to practice constantly, and it shows a bird developing
the ability to leave the nest. The upper symbol represents flying; the lower symbol, youth.
For the oriental mind, learning is ongoing. "Study" and "practice constantly," together,
suggest that learning should mean: "mastery of the way of self-improvement." (Peter Senge)
The roots of the English word for learning suggest that it once held a similar meaning.
It originated with the Indo-European leis, a noun meaning "track" or "furrow." To
"learn" came to mean gaining experience by following a track-- presumably for a lifetime.
(Art Kleiner)
Excerpted from The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook.
Copyright 1994 by Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts,
Richard B. Ross, and Bryan J. Smith. Reprinted with permission.
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Learning