反复无常 (fǎn fù wú cháng) — unpredictable, capricious, fickle (of a person's mood or behavior); changeable, erratic (of weather, conditions, etc.)

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

反 uses 又 (hand) for meaning and 厂 for sound. Its original shape showed a hand turning its palm over, giving the sense of return or reverse.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 復; 复 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 复 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (复习, 恢复) it is 復; in others (复印, 复杂) (答复, 反复) it is 複 or 覆.

The traditional form 復 combines 彳, a walking part, with 复, a sound part, to show walking back and forth.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

常 pairs 巾, a cloth, with 尚 as a sound part; the form originally referred to a lower garment.