土 （tǔ；soil; earth）

土 is pictograph. The ancient from of 土 indicates a small lump of clay. As a radical, it often appears either on the left or at the bottom of a compound. The meanings of characters containing土 are often related to land, topography, the earth, or architecture. Here are some examples: 地 （dì; land）, 坡 (pō; slope), 疆 (jiāng; border), 域 (yù; area). 土 appears in the bottom of the character 堂. 堂’s original meaning is big building where formal religious activities were held. The word 祠堂 (cí tang) means ancestral hall where important family event often took place.