张三李四 (Zhāng sān Lǐ sì) — any Tom, Dick, or Harry; any ordinary person, just anyone

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 張; 张 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 張 combines 弓, a bow, with 長, which points to the sound; the simplified 张 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

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

The earliest form of 李 paired 來 (wheat) with 子; the 來 part later changed into 木, giving today's shape.

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

The form 四 was drawn as a nose breathing out. It later came to be used for the word four.