From “ ’’ to “ 日 ’’

Introduction to

Chinese Characters Presented by

Chunfang Zhao Arabic and Asian Language Office Texas A&M University

Chinese Words

Different dialects--- Mandarin, Cantonese

Same written words---- Chinese characters.

Chinese Characters

The Chinese script is the only logographic writing system still in the daily use in the world.

Chinese script is made up of characters, the majority of which are “pictophonetic”.

Total number 50,000 Frequently used 5,000-8,000 Everyday situation 3,000

Traditional Vs Simplified

妈 mother

门 door

媽 mother

門 door

Traditional Characters retain earlier forms, mainly used for aesthetic purpose

Simplified Characters have altered by reducing complex strokes

History

The earliest extant Chinese writing dates back at least some 6,000 years

Turtle shell stele paper

Evolution

Chinese characters have gradually developed from their beginning as pictorial symbols into straight-line,

square-shaped forms:

DevelopmentHieroglyphics or the drawing of

pictographs The earliest method by which Chinese characters were designed

and from which the other methods were subsequently developed.

=

=

=

sun

moon

water

Associative compounds Express abstract ideas. It’s formed by

combining two or more elements, each with a meaning of its own, to express new ideas.

=

=

bright

sunrise

Pictophonetics Formed by combining one element indicating meaning and the other sound.

爸 (bà)父 (fù )

巴(bā )

In this way, more and more characters were made until such pictophonetics constitute today about 90 percent of all Chinese characters.

(dà) 大 =

( rì) 日 =

(mù) 木 =

基本笔画 Basic Strokes

笔

顺

规

则

Rules of stroke order

nǐ hǎo

Hello!