Guan
Imagine a bird, the kind that can soar high, and the incredible view at its command.
觀(Guan)[Guan1], or guān, the character chosen for A New Understanding, like many Chinese characters, is formed by two or more parts, often other characters or building blocks of characters, each contributing to the meaning. The left half of the character, 雚(Huan)[Huan1], is, in itself a character in its own right, meaning heron. This character is also used to form characters for other birds, such as 鸛(Guan)[Guan4], the Crane, so prevalent in Far Eastern art. The right half, 見(Jian)[Jian4], corresponds with the English "see".
觀(Guan) qualifies seeing to mean to look carefully or see in detail, perhaps closer to the English "watch" or "observe." The idea of a bird high in the sky, surveying in close detail everything below perhaps inspired the ancient Chinese to write this character the way they did.
Is this a true story? Well, it is at least a possible story, one many may believe true. There may be other opinions, and the truth may well be lost in time.