The secret behind how Chinese characters work - Gina Marie Elia

Summary

This script narrates the legendary origins of Chinese writing, attributed to Cangjie in the 27th century BCE. It traces the evolution from pictograms on Shang Dynasty oracle bones to modern logograms, composed of radicals for meaning and phonetic components for sound. The script also touches on the standardization of simplified characters in the 1950s and 60s, and the influence of Chinese characters on neighboring languages, particularly Japanese kanji, highlighting the enduring impact of this ancient writing system.

Takeaways

• 📜 The legend of Cangjie, the Yellow Emperor's historian, is credited with the creation of the first Chinese characters, inspired by the imagery around him.
• 🌌 The earliest known Chinese characters, dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1250-1050 BCE), were mainly pictograms, resembling what they represent.
• 🔍 Pictographic characters like rén (person) and mù (wood/tree) are still foundational in modern Chinese writing.
• 📐 Ideograms represent abstract concepts, such as the numbers yī (one), èr (two), and sān (three).
• 🌿 Compound ideograms combine multiple pictograms or ideograms to convey a meaning, like xiū (rest) which combines person and tree.
• 🔠 Most modern Chinese characters are logograms, consisting of a radical for meaning and a sound component for pronunciation.
• 📚 There are 214 radicals, each with its own definition, and they can appear in various positions within a character.
• 🌐 Radicals like rì (sun) can stand alone or be part of other characters, while others like cǎo (grass) only appear within compound characters.
• 🔊 The sound components of characters can indicate pronunciation, and similar sounding words often share the same sound component.
• 🗣 Chinese pronunciation varies by dialect, but the written language remains consistent across regions.
• 📝 Unlike Romance languages, Chinese lacks gendered nouns and verb conjugations, with markers like le (了) indicating tense.
• 📈 The Chinese writing system has evolved significantly from bone etching to paper calligraphy, with simplified characters introduced in the mid-20th century.
• 🌐 The Chinese character system has had a profound influence on neighboring languages and writing systems, such as Japanese kanji.

Q & A

What is the legend about the creation of the first Chinese characters?

According to the legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China tasked his historian, Cangjie, with developing a system of writing. Cangjie, inspired by the imagery around him while sitting by a riverbank, created the first Chinese characters.

What significant event is said to have occurred the night the first Chinese characters were created?

It is said that on the night the first Chinese characters were created, the sky rained millet and ghosts cried, fearing their actions might now be condemned by the written word.

What is the earliest known period of Chinese characters found on artifacts?

The earliest artifacts containing Chinese characters date back to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE.

What were the Shang kings' writings on ox bones and turtle shells mainly about?

The writings on ox bones and turtle shells were mainly about the Shang kings' communications with their ancestors, discussing topics ranging from agriculture to the origins of a toothache.

What are the two types of symbols that ancient Chinese characters were mainly based on?

Ancient Chinese characters were mainly based on pictograms, which resemble what they represent, and ideograms, which represent abstract concepts.

Can you give examples of pictographic Chinese characters?

Examples of pictographic Chinese characters include rén (人), which means 'person', and mù (木), which means 'wood' or 'tree'.

What is a compound ideogram and can you provide an example?

A compound ideogram is a character that combines two or more pictograms or ideograms. An example is xiū (休), which places the character for 'person' next to the character for 'tree' and means 'to rest'.

What are the two main components of modern-day Chinese characters known as logograms?

The two main components of logograms are a radical component, which suggests the meaning of the character, and a sound component, which hints at its pronunciation.

How many basic types of strokes are there in Chinese characters, and what are radicals?

There are eight basic types of strokes in Chinese characters. Radicals are the basic building blocks of characters, with 214 of them each having its own definition, and they can appear in different positions within a character.

What is the role of radicals in Chinese characters, and can you give an example?

Radicals in Chinese characters provide a clue to the meaning of the character. For example, the radical rì (日) means 'sun' and is used in characters with sun-related definitions, such as xiǎo (晓) meaning 'dawn'.

How do sound components in Chinese characters help with understanding the meaning of words?

Sound components in Chinese characters, which are often shared by words with similar pronunciation, provide a clue to the pronunciation and, combined with radicals, help shed light on the meanings of words. For example, fēng (峰) with the radical shān (山) for 'mountain' means 'summit', while fēng (蜂) with the radical chóng (虫) for 'insect' means 'bee'.

How has the Chinese writing system evolved over the years?

The Chinese writing system has evolved from being etched in bone, to cast in bronze, to brushed on paper. The script has also undergone changes, including the introduction of simplified characters in the 1950s and 60s by the Chinese Communist Party.

What is the difference between simplified and traditional Chinese characters?

Simplified Chinese characters, introduced in the 1950s and 60s, are a standard in mainland China, featuring fewer strokes and simpler forms. Traditional characters, still in use in Hong Kong and Taiwan, have more complex forms and are considered the original script form.

How has the Chinese character system influenced other languages and writing systems?

The Chinese character system has greatly influenced the spoken languages and writing systems of neighboring countries. For example, about 60% of Japanese dictionary entries are kanji, which are characters that originated in Chinese or were created from its elements.

How does the Chinese language handle verb conjugations and noun genders?

Unlike Romance languages, Chinese has no gendered nouns or verb conjugations. A character's form remains the same regardless of the subject, and to indicate the past, a marker like le (了) is added to the sentence.

Outlines

00:00

📜 The Origins of Chinese Characters

The script begins with a legendary account of the Yellow Emperor of China instructing his historian, Cangjie, to create a writing system in the 27th century BCE. It is said that Cangjie was inspired by the environment around him to develop the first Chinese characters. The narrative then transitions to the earliest known artifacts with Chinese characters dating back to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE, which were primarily pictograms. The script explains the evolution of Chinese characters from pictograms to ideograms, compound ideograms, and finally to logograms, which consist of a radical component indicating meaning and a sound component hinting at pronunciation. It also touches on the complexity of the character system with 214 radicals and thousands of sound components, and how context and tonality help clarify meaning in the language.

Keywords

💡Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor, also known as Huangdi, is a legendary figure in Chinese history, often revered as a cultural hero and the ancestor of all Han Chinese. In the script, he is credited with the creation of the first Chinese characters by instructing his historian, Cangjie, to develop a writing system, which is a significant event in the narrative of Chinese script development.

💡Cangjie

Cangjie is traditionally considered the creator of Chinese characters according to the legend mentioned in the script. He is said to have been inspired by the imagery around him while sitting by a riverbank, leading to the creation of the first Chinese characters, which is a foundational story in understanding the origins of Chinese script.

💡Pictograms

Pictograms are symbols that resemble what they represent, and they are the earliest form of Chinese characters as mentioned in the script. They are crucial in understanding the evolution of Chinese script from simple representations of objects to a complex writing system, with examples such as rén (person) and mù (wood or tree).

💡Ideograms

Ideograms are symbols that represent abstract concepts rather than physical objects. In the script, they are contrasted with pictograms, and examples include the numbers yī (one), èr (two), and sān (three), which are fundamental to understanding the representation of abstract ideas in Chinese script.

💡Compound Ideograms

Compound ideograms combine two or more pictograms or ideograms to create a new meaning. The script uses the example of xiū (rest), which combines the character for person with the character for tree, illustrating how complex meanings can be conveyed through the combination of simpler symbols in Chinese script.

💡Logograms

Logograms are the most common type of Chinese characters today, consisting of a radical component indicating meaning and a sound component hinting at pronunciation. The script explains that this structure is key to understanding the construction of modern Chinese characters, which is essential for learning and using the language.

💡Radicals

Radicals are the building blocks of Chinese characters, often indicating the general category of meaning. The script mentions there are 214 radicals, each with its own definition, and they can appear in different positions within a character, such as rì (sun) and shuǐ (water), which are vital for understanding the structure and meaning of Chinese characters.

💡Sound Components

Sound components in Chinese characters provide a clue to the pronunciation of the character and are often shared among characters with similar sounds. The script explains that there are thousands of sound components, which, along with radicals, help to clarify the meaning of characters with similar pronunciation, as seen in the comparison between fēng (summit) and fēng (bee).

💡Dialects

Dialects refer to the different spoken forms of Chinese, which vary significantly across regions. The script notes that despite these variations, the written language remains consistent, highlighting the importance of the written script in maintaining a unified written form of communication across China.

💡Simplified Characters

Simplified characters are a modern form of Chinese script introduced by the Chinese Communist Party in the 1950s and 60s to increase literacy. The script explains that these characters are now standard in China, while traditional characters are still used in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan, showing the political and cultural impact on the evolution of Chinese writing.

💡Kanji

Kanji are Japanese characters that originated from or were influenced by Chinese characters. The script mentions that around 60% of Japanese dictionary entries are kanji, illustrating the far-reaching influence of Chinese script on neighboring languages and writing systems.

Highlights

Cangjie, the Yellow Emperor's historian, is credited with creating the first Chinese characters in the 27th century BCE by observing imagery around him.

The earliest Chinese characters date back to the Shang Dynasty (1250-1050 BCE), making it one of the oldest written languages.

Shang Dynasty artifacts show characters etched on ox bones and turtle shells, used by kings to communicate with ancestors about various topics.

Early Chinese characters were mainly pictograms, resembling what they represented, such as rén (person) and mù (wood or tree).

Some characters are ideograms representing abstract concepts, like the numbers yī (one), èr (two), and sān (three).

Compound ideograms combine multiple pictograms or ideograms, such as xiū (rest) which combines 'person' and 'tree'.

Most modern Chinese characters are logograms, consisting of a radical for meaning and a sound component for pronunciation.

There are 214 radicals, each with its own definition, that can appear in various positions within a character.

The radical rì (sun) can stand alone or be part of characters with sun-related meanings, like xiǎo (dawn).

The radical cǎo (grass) never stands alone but is found within characters related to grass and plants, like huā (flower).

The radical shuǐ (water) always stands alone but has a variant (氵) used in more complex characters, such as hé (river).

Sound components are more numerous than radicals, with similar-sounding words often sharing the same sound component.

Context or tonality helps clarify the meaning of similar-sounding Chinese words, just as in other languages.

Chinese pronunciation depends on dialect, which varies across the country, but the written language remains the same.

Chinese lacks gendered nouns or verb conjugations, with characters like chī (eat) remaining unchanged regardless of the subject.

Markers like le (了) can be added to indicate the past tense in Chinese, such as 'I ate bread'.

The Chinese writing system has evolved over the years, from etching on bones to casting in bronze and brushing on paper.

In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese Communist Party introduced simplified versions of traditional characters, now standard in China.

Traditional Chinese characters are still in use in Hong Kong and Taiwan, alongside the simplified versions.

The development of the Chinese character system greatly influenced the spoken languages and writing systems of neighboring countries, such as Japan's use of kanji.

Chinese characters have a 3,000-year history and continue to leave a significant impact on language and writing systems.

Transcripts

According to legend, in the 27th century BCE,

the Yellow Emperor of China charged his historian, Cangjie,

to develop a system of writing.

Sitting alongside a riverbank, Cangjie noticed the imagery that surrounded him.

From this, he created the first Chinese characters.

And that night, the sky rained millet while ghosts cried,

fearing their actions may now be condemned by the written word.

We can’t say for sure whether the story is true.

But the earliest artifacts containing Chinese characters

date to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE,

still making it one of the earliest forms of written language.

Characters etched on ox bones and turtle shells

show Shang kings’ writings to their ancestors,

discussing everything from agriculture to the origins of a toothache.

And as the legend suggests,

these ancient characters were mainly pictograms,

or symbols that resemble what they’re meant to represent.

Even today, some of the most foundational Chinese characters remain pictographic,

like rén (人), which means person, and mù (木), which means wood or tree.

Some characters are ideograms, or symbols that represent abstract concepts,

like the numbers yī (一), èr (二), and sān (三).

Others are compound ideograms,

which combine two or more pictograms or ideograms.

For example, xiū (休) places the character for person

next to the character for tree and means to rest.

However, most modern-day characters are known as logograms,

and are constructed of two components: a radical component,

which gestures at the meaning of the character,

and a sound component, which hints at its pronunciation.

And all characters are built from a variety of strokes,

which are often simplified to eight basic types.

There are 214 radicals, each with its own definition.

Some can stand alone, while others cannot.

For instance, the radical rì (日), written on its own means sun.

It’s also used in characters with sun-related definitions,

such as xiǎo (晓) meaning dawn.

The radical cǎo (艹), on the other hand, never stands alone,

but can be found within characters related to grass and plants,

like huā (花) meaning flower.

And the radical shuǐ (水), meaning water, always stands alone,

but has a variant (氵) that is used when it’s part of more complex characters

like hé (河), meaning river.

Radicals can appear in different positions:

to the left, to the right, above, below,

or even surrounding the rest of the character.

There are many more sound components than radicals,

with estimates ranging in the thousands.

Similar sounding words often share the same sound component,

and their radicals help shed light on their meanings.

Take fēng (峰) and fēng (蜂).

The radical shān (山) means mountain,

which hints at the first character’s definition: summit.

The radical in the second character, chóng (虫), means insect,

and together with the sound component means bee.

While many words in Chinese sound similar, just like in other languages,

context or tonality helps clarify their meaning.

Yet how each character is pronounced depends on dialect,

which varies across the country.

So conversations in Chengdu may sound vastly different than in Nanjing,

but in both places, the written language is the same.

And unlike the romance languages,

Chinese has no gendered nouns or verb conjugations.

So the character chī (吃), meaning to eat, remains unchanged

whether the subject is yourself, a coworker, or a lesion of fearful ghosts.

To indicate the past, a marker like le (了) can be added.

So “I eat bread” becomes “I ate bread.”

Over the years, the Chinese writing system has undergone many changes.

As characters went from being etched in bone, to cast in bronze,

to brushed on paper,

their script has evolved along the way.

In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese Communist Party introduced

new simplified versions of the traditional characters,

which are now standard in China,

though traditional characters remain in use in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

And while the Chinese character system may seem unique,

its development greatly influenced the spoken languages

and writing systems of its neighbors.

For example, around 60% of Japanese dictionary entries are kanji—

characters that originated in Chinese or were created from its elements.

With a 3,000 year history,

Chinese characters have and will continue to leave their mark.