Ideograph&PictographRichinSenses

－ChineseLanguage&CharactersinaUniqueStyleIdeograph&PictographRichinQuestions1.HowimportantisChineselanguageintheinternationalcommunity?OfficiallanguagesintheU.N.:English,French,Spanish,Russian,Arabic,ChinesePercentageofworldpopulationspeakingthatlanguage:Chinese20.7%,English6.2%,Spanish5.6%,Arabic3.8%,Brazilian(Portuguese)3.0%,Russian3.0%,Japanese2.3%,German1.8%,French1.4%Questions1.HowimportantisCWidelyusedinothercountriesorregions:English115,French35,Arabic24,Spanish20,Russian16,German9,Brazilian(Portuguese)5,Chinese5IsitdifficulttolearnChineselanguage?WidelyusedinothercountriesI.SquareChineseCharacterTheChinesecharacters,neatandpeculiarinappearance,occupythesamespacinginprintedpaper,whetherdrawnin“一”(one),“二”(two),“了”(already)and“又”(again)withoneortwostrokes,orcopiedin“驟”(assembly)and“罐”(jar)withovertenstrokes.I.SquareChineseCharacterThThecharactersdiversifyinposture.Forexample,“田”(fields)“非”(not)inuprightandsquaretype,and“戈”(dagger-axe)“夕”(night)and“瓦”(tile)incrookedandaskewstyle,allareprintedoutinidenticalsize.Withrespecttothistrait,therefore,Chinesescriptisfigurativelyreferredtoas“SquareCharacters”.Chinese-Character-and-La教學講解課件legendsaidthatCangJiInventedtheScript.CangJiwasallegedlybelievedtobeadeitywithfoureyesontheface,intelligentandtouchedindivinities,andtobesoprofoundlyenlightenedbythebeautyinnatureastohaveinventedChinesecharacters.ThelegendarystoryadvertisednoneotherthanthegreatinventionofChinesescript.Asamatteroffactitwasnotcreatedbyanydeityandhadundergonearemoteprocessinembryo.legendsaidthatCangJiInvenComparedwiththeothersystemsofscripts,Chinesecharactersemergedearlywithanover4,000-yearhistory.arrowheadedcharacters(cuneiform):anancientwedge-shapedscriptusedinMesopotamiaandPersiaHieroglyphComparedwiththeothersystemSixwaysofwordformationAfteritsbirthChinesescriptcoursedthroughsuchroutesasthepictographs,theindicativecharacters,theassociativecharacters,thepictographic-phoneticcharacters,thereferentialcharactersandthephoneticloancharacters.SixwaysofwordformationAfteWhatismeantbythepictographs?HavingevolvedfromhieroglyphtheyclaimedtobetheearliestscriptsystemasacornerstoneofChinesecharacters,conveyingcertainconnotationsbymeansofconcreteimagesofthings.Thefollowingfivecharacters“水”(water)“月”(theMoon)“目”(eyes)“車”(chariot)“馬”(horse)arethepictographsdelineatedfromvisibleobjects.WhatismeantbythepictograpTheindicativecharactersresemblethepictographs;howeverthefirstlaysemphasisonexplanationsandthelatteronshapesofobjects.Thecharactersbearingresemblancetoobjectsaredefinedaspictographs;andthosebearingnoresemblancetoobjectsbutexplainingthesensesareindicativecharacters.Taketwoinstancesof“上”(up)“下”(down),theywereportrayedas“┴”“┬”inthesmall-sealscript,aChineseancientstyleofcalligraphy.旦TheindicativecharactersreseTheassociativecompoundsaremadeupofovertwoindependentsigns.Forinstance,“武”(weapon)comprising“止”(stop)and“戈”(dagger-axe)waseverannotatedbysomephilologiststomean“tostopwarwithdagger-axes”.卡，東Chinese-Character-and-La教學講解課件Thepictographic-phoneticcharactersarealsocoinedoutoftwosegments,oneforgraphs,theotherforphonetics.Take“湖”(pool)forexample,thethreedotsrepresenttheimageofapool,“胡”usedinbeinghomophonicofthesoundofapool.銅Thepictographic-phoneticcharThemutuallysynonymouscharactersrefertoapairofcharactersthatmayhavecrossreferencetoeachotherinconnotation,suchas“考”(examination,old)and“老”(old).Thephoneticloancharactersaretheborrowedhomophones,suchas“西”resemblingaswarmofbirdsperchingintrees,whichwaspreviouslymeant“棲”(thebehaviorofbirdsperchingintrees),laterwasloanedtoexpress“west”indirections.ThemutuallysynonymouscharacAsregardsthehistoricevolution,thecoinagegoverningChinesecharactershasvariedtremendouslyoverthepastmillenniafromtheearlypictographsinvoguetothepictographic-phonetic-connotativescriptsystem.AsregardsthehistoricevolutFeaturesofChineselanguage1).Chinesescriptfallswithinideographinnoimmediatecontactwithpronunciation.Thesquareformscanofferadirectreflectionupontheinternallanguagecode.

FeaturesofChineselanguage1)theWesternscripthasevolvedfromthehieroglyphtothealphabeticlinearsystem,whichonlyservesasthesymbolofthelanguagesignssothattheexchangebetweenvariedthoughtsmustbefulfilledinthemediumofphonetics.Languageandscriptbelongtothetwodifferentsignsystems;thesolereasonwhythelatterexistsliesintheexpressionoftheformer.theWesternscripthasevolvedForinstance,“忍”(endure)iscomposedof“心”(heart,mind)and“刀”(knife),themeaningbeingdistinctandthorough;“人”(man)symbolizesaheroofgiganticstaturewithtwolegsonlandandaheadagainstthesky;and“夢”(dream)dramatizesamansleepinginwoods(林)atnight(夕),allvividandperceivableimages.Forinstance,“忍”(endure)is2).

TheWesternscriptsarecataloguedtobethealphabeticandtheChinesematchtobethesyllabic.Chinesecharactersappearinasimplesyllabicpattern,onecharacterembodiedinonesyllable.ThankstoplainsyllablesChineselanguageaboundsinhomonyms.Andthenthetunesareemployedtodistinguishbetweenthecharacters.2).TheWesternscriptsareca3).RespectingtheconnotationtheWesternscriptsseemabstractandrationalwhiletheChineseconcreteandperceptible.Chineselanguagerevealsanextremesimplicityofthinking,concretenessofimageryandeconomyofsyntacticalrelationships.3).RespectingtheconnotationTheWesternscriptsdosointhatthereisnoinherentcoordinationavailablebetweenthesignsandtheinformation.ItisnotastonishingthattheWesternscriptsaregenerallycharacteristicofincomprehensibility.OnthecontraryChinesecharactersareequippedwithgraphsandconnotations,takingonconcreteimageswithaconspicuousapprehensibility.TheWesternscriptsdosointForexample,Chinesewomenintheancienttimeslivedinawretchedstatusandsowerecursedasamishap;accordinglycameupinprocessionagroupofderogatorytermsrelatedto“女”(women)suchas“奸”(cunning),“婪”(avaricious),“娼”(bitch),“妓”(prostitute)and“妖”(evilandfraudulent).Forexample,ChinesewomeninEvensomecharacterswithneutralintensionspouroutsexdiscrimination,suchas“安”(safe)implyingawomanlockedupathomeandforbiddentogoaway,“妥”(compromise)depictingawomanseizedbymen’shands.AsingleWesternletterbearsnosenses,butChinesecharacterscontainaffluenceofconnotation.

EvensomecharacterswithneuabstractionvsimageryGreatmindsthinkalike.Twoheadsarebetterthanone.Rackone’sbrainsRackone’sintestinesAbellyfulofideas(scholarship,poetryandliterature)Abellyfulofsorrow(anger,remorse)TheirsorrowfulintestinesaretiedintoahundredknotsTheirintestinesarebrokenBellymanuscriptabstractionvsimageryGreatmiThereisnodifferencebutdifferenceofdegreebetweendifferentdegreesofdifferenceandnodifference.HowcouldIperceivehisinnermentalprocesses?HowcouldIknowwhatisgoingoninhismind?AmIatapeworminhisbelly?ThereisnodifferencebutdifInbriefthenon-alphabeticsquarecharactershaveservedtobeamarkedfeatureofChineseculture,afeaturethatexertedamoderateimpactontheformulationofthetraditionalthinkingstereotypefocusedonintuitionandtheintegral.Inbriefthenon-alphabeticsq4)ConcisioncombinedwithsimplicityasanotherfeatureisconferreduponChinesescript.Accordingtothestatisticsconcerned,itistheChineseversionthattakesonthethinnestcopyofalltheUnitedNationsdocumentsprintedinsixofficiallanguages.Consideredexclusivelythefrugalityintimeandpaper,ChinesecharactersstillassumesuperiorityovertheWesternmatches.4)ConcisioncombinedwithsimThemessagespermeatedinthesentences,includingmorphology,syntaxandsemanticconnotationscanbynomeansofthevariationsingraphs.“themeaning-mergedapproach”vs“syntacticelements”conceivedintheWesternlanguages.TakeaprosebyMaZhiyuan,awriterintheYuanDynasty:ThemessagespermeatedintheSolitudeinAutumnTothetune:SandinClearSkyDriedvines,oldtreesandravensatdusk;Asmallbridge,adrippingbrook,andathatchedcottage;Theagedroad,thewestwindandabonycharger.Thesunsetfarandlowglides,Aheart-brokemanplodsattheedgeofthesky.SolitudeinAutumn29可編輯29可編輯元代散曲家馬致遠的《天凈沙·秋思》枯藤老樹昏鴉，小橋流水人家，古道西風瘦馬。夕陽西下，斷腸人在天涯。元代散曲家馬致遠的《天凈沙·秋思》ThebeginningthreeversesareequallyasimplearrayofnounswithnoWestern-stylegrammaticalelementsinsertedbetweenthembutanin-bornstructuredependentuponthereaders’comprehension.Neverthelesstheimagesasdescribedbythesenounsareexhibitedaperfectprospectofaquietmountainvillageinautumn.Thesorrowfulsentimentisembeddedintheinnermostoftheauthor,theartisticconceptionbeingprofoundwithalastingappeal.ThebeginningthreeversesareAsyntacticrulethatnounscanneverbeprecededbyanadverbasamodifierisinvariablyrenderedreasonableintheWesternlanguages,butitdoesnotworkintheChinesecounterpart.Lookatthefollowingsentences:AsyntacticrulethatnounscaA.他在畫些什么？山不山,水不水的。(Whatishedrawing?Somethingneitherlikemountainsnorrivers.).B.那個人不男不女的，真難看。(Thatmanlooksneitherlikeamalenorafemale.Helooksdisgusting.)“不山”(unlikemountains),“不水”(unlikerivers),“不男不女”(neitheramalenorafemale)canbewell-foundeddespite“不”(not,adverb)precedingthefournouns.A.他在畫些什么？山不山,水不水的。AnotherWesternsyntacticrulethatnounscannotbeoverlappedcannotproveeffectiveinChineselanguage.Don’tyouoftenreadandhearsuchphrasesas“山山水水”(mountainsandrivers,aresplendentscenery),“風風雨雨”(windandrainindicatingtrialsandhardships),“花花草草”(flowersandgrass),“壇壇罐罐”(jarsandpotsimplyinghouseholdutensils).“坑坑洼洼”(fullofbumpsandhollows),“車車馬馬”(chariotsandhorsesimplyingbusytraffic).AnotherWesternsyntacticruleInChineselanguage,manysentencesbearnosubject,nopredicateandnoobject.InChineselanguage,manysentA).Whenexplainingnaturalphenomenaorwarningofcertainupcomingthings,itappearsinasocalledverb-objectphraseattachedattheendwithanauxiliary“了”(alreadychanged),suchas“下雨了”(Ithasrained),“出太陽了”(Thesunhasbeenshining),“上課了”(Classhasbegun)and“開車了”(Thebushasstartedup).A).WhenexplainingnaturalpheB).Whenexpressingdemandorban:“愛護花草”(Takecareofflowersandlawn),“隨手關門”(Closedoorbeforeleaving),and“振興中華”(RejuvenateChina).C).Itcomesupinmottosorproverbs,suchas“不經一事，不長一智”(Wisdomcomesfromexperience),“種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆”(Reapwhatyousowed),“不入虎穴，焉得虎子”(Nothingventure,nothinggain)D).Whenshowingwishandexpectation,itrecursin“愿我們的友誼萬古長青”(MayourfriendshiplastforeverB).WhenexpressingdemandorApoemwrittenbyWenTingjunservesasanexemplar:雞聲茅店月，人跡板橋霜。CocksCrow,ThatchedInn,Moonlight;Footprints,WoodBridge,Frostwhite.(Thispoemonlycontainssixnounsinasimpleprocessinsteadofpredicateorothergrammaticalelements,unfoldsavividimagethatatravelerlodgingatacountryinngetsupatmidnightandhurriesonhisway.ItsoundsunconceivableintheWesterngrammaticalrules.)ApoemwrittenbyWenTingjunTakeacoupletengravedintheFlowerGodTempleattheWestLake:翠翠紅紅，處處鶯鶯燕燕；風風雨雨，年年暮暮朝朝。Green,green,red,red,Everywhere,everywhere,orioles,orioles,swallows,swallows;Breeze,breeze,rain,rain,Everyyear,everyyear,nights,nights,days,days.(aharmoniousintegralcomplexinChineseotherthanan“excessive”caseintheWesterngrammar.)TakeacoupletengravedintheAsamatteroffactthesentencesexclusiveofpredicatesarefrequentlyemployedinlargequantitiesindailycommunicationbetweenChinesepeople.Thistypetakesonformsasfollows:A).Thesentencewithadjectivesasthepredicate,suchas“中國人民勤勞勇敢”(Chinesepeoplearediligentandcourageous),“這張畫漂亮”(Thispaintinglooksmagnificent)and“小伙子忠厚老實”(Thekidappearshonestandsincere);AsamatteroffactthesentenB).Thesentencewithnounsasthepredicate,suchas“今天星期五”(TodayisFriday),“他十八”

(Heiseighteen),“一塊錢三斤蘋果”(Threejinofapplescostsoneyuan),“他天津人”(HecomesfromTianjin),“這小伙子，大眼睛，黑眉毛”(Theyoungguyhasapairoflargeeyesandblackeyebrows)C).Thesentencewith“的”(of)asthepredicate,suchas“張家賣煤的”(TheZhangfamilysellscoal)and“小李開車的”(XiaoLiisadriver)(Suchbeingthecase,whycanChineselanguageaccuratelyexpoundideasandconveysentimentswithoutresorttosuchhighly-specifiedgrammaticalrulesastheWesterngrammar?Itisdependentupontheideographicperformanceandpragmaticfeatures.)B).ThesentencewithnounsasSincetheideographicconnectionoccursoutoftherelations,consequentlytheprocessofpuretacitthinkingwillreplacesomeportionofgrammar.ThosewhoareaccustomedtotheWesterngrammaroftenfeelbewildered,butitissuchthathasmoldedthebroadnessandprofundityofChineselanguage,resultingfromwhichareservoirofcontentsandcomplexitiesemitsalingeringcharm.Sincetheideographicconnecti5).ahighstabilityofvocabularyandsentencepatterns.WesternlanguagestendtobereconstructiveandChineselanguagetobeaccumulative.InWesternlanguagesthereisapopularphenomenonofnorepeatedemploymentofanexpressionorasetofphrasesforthealready-changedthings;secondly,oftheconstantchangeinwordorderandsentencepattern.ConfrontedwiththeWesternmatch,Chineselanguageappreciatesagreatdegreeinstabilityandinvariablenessthatisintimatelyrelatedtoitspropertyofideographorpictograph.5).ahighstabilityofvocabuTherehasarisenthegeneralityandflexibilityinahigherdegreeofChineselanguage.Achild,forexample,onlyifheorsheisawareofaconcept“車”(car,cartorchariot),canspeakoutapileofphrasesconcerned:火車(train),汽車(carortruck),馬車(horse-drawncart),牛車(ox-drawncart),驢車(donkey-drawncart),人力車(rickshaw),兩輪車(two-wheeledcart),獨輪車(one-wheeledcart)and三輪車(tricycle).TherehasarisenthegeneralitNowonderthatChinesestudentscanlearntowritelettersandcompositionsaslongastheyhavegotamasteryof2,000-3,000characters.Acommon-editionXinhuaDictionarycomprisesatotalofnomorethan8,000charactersinclusiveofthevariables,aconspicuousfeatureincontrastwiththeWesternpeers.(ApopulardictionaryforstudentsintheWestiswellstockedwith160,000-170,000wordsandallthemoretheOxfordDictionarymaintainsanoceanofover600,000words,whichisstillontherise).NowonderthatChinesestudentItisreasonablethataChinesestudent,incaseofabasiccommandofthecharactersandpropergrammar,willbefullycompetentinreadingthebookswrittenorcompiledindifferenttimes.“子在齊聞韶，三月不知肉味”(Inthegrammartherehasbeennoobviousvariation,thewordorderandsentencepatternsremainingunimpairedinitsmodernmatch.ThestabilityinChineselanguagemirrorsaprofileofthecharacteristicsoccurringintheaccumulativeness.)ItisreasonablethataChines6).outstandingmusicality---melodiousinsound,gentleintune,clear-cutintempoandharmoniousinrhyme.TheIndo-Europeanlanguagefamilyhasinvariablyappliedthestressedandunstressedsound,thelongandshortenedsound,whileitisthetunesthatmaybecountedasthepatentofChineselanguage.6).outstandingmusicality---mThesamesyllablewithdistincttuneswillgeneratevariedphoneticformsofwordsorsentenceelements,thenarousingdifferentialsenses.Wecanspotthesamevowelandconsonant,andthesameassociationorder/ma/among“媽”(mother),“麻”(linen),“馬”(horse)and“罵”(curse)andhoweveritisthevariedtunesthathavemadethemsounddifferent.ThesamesyllablewithdistincThephonetictraitissetupuponunitsofsyllablesinwhichtheconsonantstakepredominance,andtheborderbetweenwhichseemsfairlyclear-cut,afavorableconditionforrecordingtheenjoyabletempo.ItwasnoneotherthanthisthatChineseclassicalpoemsexploitedtoarraybothregularandvariedunitsintempo,suchasapoembyLiShangyininthelateTangDynasty:Thephonetictraitissetupu晚晴

深居——俯——夾城，春去——夏——猶清天意——憐——幽草。人間——重——晚晴。并添——高閣——迥微注——小窗——明。越鳥——巢乾——后，歸飛——體——更輕。晚晴TwilightIliveinseclusionintown,Seeingspringpass,summerslowsdown.Heavenpitiesleavesquiet.Humansfavortwilight.Line-upmansionsvaried,Twilight’sshiningonwindowsill.Birdsaredryingtheirwingsonhigh,Flyingbackwithdelight.(ItshouldbeaffirmedthattheEnglishversioncanbynomeansbeequivalentinpatternsandrhythmtotheChineseoriginalonaccountofthecharacteristicsinquestion.)TwilightThepoemaforesaidismatchedwithdouble-syllablephrasesandone-syllablewords,incarnatedintwoelementarypatterns:2—1—2（suchas天意——憐——幽草，人間——重——晚晴）and2—2—1（并添——高閣——迥，微注——小窗——明）。Thelivelyrhythm,fusedwithrisingandfallingtones,mayengenderthemiracleofpauseandtransitioninmelody.Thepoemaforesaidismatched主稱--會面--難，一舉--累--十觴。十觴--亦--不醉，感君--故意--長。明日--隔--山岳，世事--兩--茫茫。Whenshallwemeet?Itishardtoknow.Andsoletthewinefreelyflow.Thiswine,Iknow,willdonoharm.Myoldfriend’swelcomeissowarm.TomorrowIgo,--tobewhirled,Againintothewide,wideworld.主稱--會面--難，一舉--累--十觴。TheChinesetextispoetrysimpletothevergeofcolloquialism,yetwithagrace,dignity,pathosandnoblenesswhichperhapsitisimpossibletoreproduceinEnglish.TheEnglishversionisalmostdoggerel,onlygivingthemeaningoftheChinesetext.TheChinesetextispoetrysimTosumupChineselanguageisclaimedtobeauniqueideographandtobemulti-dimensionalwithfocusedconcerninsemanticassociationandconcreteimages,bywhichtheworldcanbewellimitatedordepicted,andwhichshallbeattributedtothenoteworthynational—culturalpsychologyandthinkingstyle.TosumupChineselanguageisManyEuropeanlanguagesaredifficultbecausetheyarecomplexandhavemanyrules.Chineseisdifficultnotbecauseitiscomplex,butbecauseitisdeep.Itisdifficultbecauseitisalanguagefor

expressingdeepfeelinginsimplelanguage,alanguageoftheheart:apoeticallanguage.ManyEuropeanlanguagesarediTrueorFaultThemutuallysynonymouscharactersandThephoneticloancharacters

are

totallynewChinesescripts.PutonghuaisusuallyreferredtointhewestasMandarin.Mandarinhasfourtunes—high,rising,falling-risingandfalling,plusafifth“neutral”tunewhichyoucanallbutignore.TrueorFaultThemutuallysyno58可編輯58可編輯Ideograph&PictographRichinSenses

－ChineseLanguage&CharactersinaUniqueStyleIdeograph&PictographRichinQuestions1.HowimportantisChineselanguageintheinternationalcommunity?OfficiallanguagesintheU.N.:English,French,Spanish,Russian,Arabic,ChinesePercentageofworldpopulationspeakingthatlanguage:Chinese20.7%,English6.2%,Spanish5.6%,Arabic3.8%,Brazilian(Portuguese)3.0%,Russian3.0%,Japanese2.3%,German1.8%,French1.4%Questions1.HowimportantisCWidelyusedinothercountriesorregions:English115,French35,Arabic24,Spanish20,Russian16,German9,Brazilian(Portuguese)5,Chinese5IsitdifficulttolearnChineselanguage?WidelyusedinothercountriesI.SquareChineseCharacterTheChinesecharacters,neatandpeculiarinappearance,occupythesamespacinginprintedpaper,whetherdrawnin“一”(one),“二”(two),“了”(already)and“又”(again)withoneortwostrokes,orcopiedin“驟”(assembly)and“罐”(jar)withovertenstrokes.I.SquareChineseCharacterThThecharactersdiversifyinposture.Forexample,“田”(fields)“非”(not)inuprightandsquaretype,and“戈”(dagger-axe)“夕”(night)and“瓦”(tile)incrookedandaskewstyle,allareprintedoutinidenticalsize.Withrespecttothistrait,therefore,Chinesescriptisfigurativelyreferredtoas“SquareCharacters”.Chinese-Character-and-La教學講解課件legendsaidthatCangJiInventedtheScript.CangJiwasallegedlybelievedtobeadeitywithfoureyesontheface,intelligentandtouchedindivinities,andtobesoprofoundlyenlightenedbythebeautyinnatureastohaveinventedChinesecharacters.ThelegendarystoryadvertisednoneotherthanthegreatinventionofChinesescript.Asamatteroffactitwasnotcreatedbyanydeityandhadundergonearemoteprocessinembryo.legendsaidthatCangJiInvenComparedwiththeothersystemsofscripts,Chinesecharactersemergedearlywithanover4,000-yearhistory.arrowheadedcharacters(cuneiform):anancientwedge-shapedscriptusedinMesopotamiaandPersiaHieroglyphComparedwiththeothersystemSixwaysofwordformationAfteritsbirthChinesescriptcoursedthroughsuchroutesasthepictographs,theindicativecharacters,theassociativecharacters,thepictographic-phoneticcharacters,thereferentialcharactersandthephoneticloancharacters.SixwaysofwordformationAfteWhatismeantbythepictographs?HavingevolvedfromhieroglyphtheyclaimedtobetheearliestscriptsystemasacornerstoneofChinesecharacters,conveyingcertainconnotationsbymeansofconcreteimagesofthings.Thefollowingfivecharacters“水”(water)“月”(theMoon)“目”(eyes)“車”(chariot)“馬”(horse)arethepictographsdelineatedfromvisibleobjects.WhatismeantbythepictograpTheindicativecharactersresemblethepictographs;howeverthefirstlaysemphasisonexplanationsandthelatteronshapesofobjects.Thecharactersbearingresemblancetoobjectsaredefinedaspictographs;andthosebearingnoresemblancetoobjectsbutexplainingthesensesareindicativecharacters.Taketwoinstancesof“上”(up)“下”(down),theywereportrayedas“┴”“┬”inthesmall-sealscript,aChineseancientstyleofcalligraphy.旦TheindicativecharactersreseTheassociativecompoundsaremadeupofovertwoindependentsigns.Forinstance,“武”(weapon)comprising“止”(stop)and“戈”(dagger-axe)waseverannotatedbysomephilologiststomean“tostopwarwithdagger-axes”.卡，東Chinese-Character-and-La教學講解課件Thepictographic-phoneticcharactersarealsocoinedoutoftwosegments,oneforgraphs,theotherforphonetics.Take“湖”(pool)forexample,thethreedotsrepresenttheimageofapool,“胡”usedinbeinghomophonicofthesoundofapool.銅Thepictographic-phoneticcharThemutuallysynonymouscharactersrefertoapairofcharactersthatmayhavecrossreferencetoeachotherinconnotation,suchas“考”(examination,old)and“老”(old).Thephoneticloancharactersaretheborrowedhomophones,suchas“西”resemblingaswarmofbirdsperchingintrees,whichwaspreviouslymeant“棲”(thebehaviorofbirdsperchingintrees),laterwasloanedtoexpress“west”indirections.ThemutuallysynonymouscharacAsregardsthehistoricevolution,thecoinagegoverningChinesecharactershasvariedtremendouslyoverthepastmillenniafromtheearlypictographsinvoguetothepictographic-phonetic-connotativescriptsystem.AsregardsthehistoricevolutFeaturesofChineselanguage1).Chinesescriptfallswithinideographinnoimmediatecontactwithpronunciation.Thesquareformscanofferadirectreflectionupontheinternallanguagecode.

FeaturesofChineselanguage1)theWesternscripthasevolvedfromthehieroglyphtothealphabeticlinearsystem,whichonlyservesasthesymbolofthelanguagesignssothattheexchangebetweenvariedthoughtsmustbefulfilledinthemediumofphonetics.Languageandscriptbelongtothetwodifferentsignsystems;thesolereasonwhythelatterexistsliesintheexpressionoftheformer.theWesternscripthasevolvedForinstance,“忍”(endure)iscomposedof“心”(heart,mind)and“刀”(knife),themeaningbeingdistinctandthorough;“人”(man)symbolizesaheroofgiganticstaturewithtwolegsonlandandaheadagainstthesky;and“夢”(dream)dramatizesamansleepinginwoods(林)atnight(夕),allvividandperceivableimages.Forinstance,“忍”(endure)is2).

TheWesternscriptsarecataloguedtobethealphabeticandtheChinesematchtobethesyllabic.Chinesecharactersappearinasimplesyllabicpattern,onecharacterembodiedinonesyllable.ThankstoplainsyllablesChineselanguageaboundsinhomonyms.Andthenthetunesareemployedtodistinguishbetweenthecharacters.2).TheWesternscriptsareca3).RespectingtheconnotationtheWesternscriptsseemabstractandrationalwhiletheChineseconcreteandperceptible.Chineselanguagerevealsanextremesimplicityofthinking,concretenessofimageryandeconomyofsyntacticalrelationships.3).RespectingtheconnotationTheWesternscriptsdosointhatthereisnoinherentcoordinationavailablebetweenthesignsandtheinformation.ItisnotastonishingthattheWesternscriptsaregenerallycharacteristicofincomprehensibility.OnthecontraryChinesecharactersareequippedwithgraphsandconnotations,takingonconcreteimageswithaconspicuousapprehensibility.TheWesternscriptsdosointForexample,Chinesewomenintheancienttimeslivedinawretchedstatusandsowerecursedasamishap;accordinglycameupinprocessionagroupofderogatorytermsrelatedto“女”(women)suchas“奸”(cunning),“婪”(avaricious),“娼”(bitch),“妓