The bottom part of “走” is “止”. The top part of the character is a person running while swinging hia arms. Its original meaning was to run. Today, “走” is used to refer to walking in general. It can even be used to mean visiting or calling on someone. When Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival, it is common for them to go and visit their relatives. This is called “走亲戚” (to visit one’s relatives).

The character of the oracle bone script for “州” depicts a small circle in the middle of a river, meaning “land surrounded by water”. The ancient Chinese people recognized the fact that China lies on the land, surrounded by oceans and seas. As a result, China also came to be known as “神州” (literally “Divine Land”).

The curved line in the center of the character of the oracle bone script for “雷” represents lighting, while the circles on either side represent the huge booming of thunder. Thousands of years ago, the Chinese people observed the fact that thunder always accompanies lighting. The “雨” component was added to the top of bronze script variant of “雷”.