The ancient Chinese people believed that the head was the most important part of the body and that it controlled all other organs. There are many Chinese characters related to the human body.
The original meaning of the character “元” was “head”. Since the head is the “root” of the human body, “元” also means “root” or “beginning”. China first began recording the years in 841 BC. The year 841 BC is known as “共和元年?òn?hé yuán nián” (First Year of the Republic). “元年” means “first year”. The Chinese people believe that Heaven and Earth constitute the root and the beginning of all else; in order words, Heaven and Earth are the “元” of everything. Since Heaven and Earth are both extremely large in scale, “元” also means “big” or “large”.
The character “元” also contains a human body. The character “首” consists solely human head with hair growing out of it. Even today, the character “首” can still mean “head”. Similarly to “元”, “首” has the meaning of “first” or “highest”. Therefore, the word “首先(shǒu xiān)” can be used to mean “first”. The highest leader of a nation can also be called the “元首” (yuán shǒu, “the head of state”).