Chinese Characters

Chinese script is a primitive language that has by supreme conservatism survived into modern times. It has no spelling, no grammar, and is not even part of speech, but about 50,000 characters representing 50,000 different ideas. Each time when a new Chinese character was created, it was formed according to one of four principles below.

1. Pictures
   
   
   Character “tree” is a simple drawing.
   
   
2. Symbols
   
   
   With one more horizontal stroke, this new character symbolizes “root”.
   
   
3. Meaning-meaning compounds
   
   
   With a picture of hand over the picture of tree, the combination means the action of “pluck”.
   
   
4. Sound-meaning compounds
   
   
   Sometimes one part of a character gives a hint about the meaning, and another part gives the pronunciation. In this example, the left part, a picture of stream, gives the meaning of “bath”, and the right part, the picture of tree, gives the pronunciation.

Each Chinese character is made up from one to a seventeen strokes, and these strokes must be executed in the fixed order. For example, the seal character “tree” above is written with five strokes. The long vertical stroke comes first, then the two strokes at the top, and finally the two strokes at the bottom. This fixed placement gives only tiny possibility for variation, but so acute is the Chinese perception that even subtle changes can distinguish one style from another. Composing such stylized characters on absorbent silk or rice paper is rather risky, for all can be ruined by one faulty brushstroke. From this effect developed the techniques of Chinese calligraphy, which are entirely unique comparing to the other ways of writing humanity has ever developed.