the Chinese script already had 2,500-3,000 characters, most of which still can be understood today. In fact, it is believed that by 1400 B.C. It is important to note that the writing system found on these oracle bones indicate that a written language was already quite well developed at the time of inscription, suggesting that the origins of Chinese characters themselves preceded the artifacts discovered. Used by diviners to help the king make contact with the dead, these artifacts are now known as oracle bones. The inscriptions of these early Chinese characters were etched into the shoulder bones of oxen, and into the plastrons (or shells) of turtles. They appeared on artifacts uncovered outside Anyang, the location of the last capital of the Shang Dynasty. Some of the earliest Chinese characters date back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1050 B.C.). While it is still unknown exactly when Chinese characters were invented, a number of archaeological discoveries are helping scholars to pinpoint a date. However, more than a century’s worth of work has been committed to learning more about this written language’s roots. In fact, their date of origin is still unknown. The history of Chinese characters dates back thousands of years. The History and Evolution of Chinese Characters So in fact, Chinese characters do not represent ideas. However, as more resources were uncovered and more analyses were done, it became clear that Chinese characters are actually logographic This means that each character corresponds to one unit of language, rather than a unit of thought. This meant that, for some time, it was believed that Chinese characters represented ideas and were not components for language and grammar. Ideographs represent ideas rather than linguistic structures. Chinese characters were once believed to be ideographic. No, Chinese characters do not represent ideas. That said, it is also important to also remember that what we may consider a word in English will often require more than one character in written Chinese. It is indeed useful to know what individual Chinese characters mean and to be able to identify those that can stand alone. While diàn 电 means electricity, things that need electricity may require a second character, like diànnǎo 电脑 (computer). These characters work together to form words that are perhaps more complex or abstract. However, many words are made up of at least two Chinese characters. In fact, quite a few common words are represented by just one Chinese character. Some examples would be kǒu 口 (mouth), nián 年 (year), and shū 书 (book). Yes, there are individual Chinese characters that are words on their own. Many folks who are learning Chinese may think each character represents a word. Is a Chinese character the same as a word in Chinese? If you are thinking about learning Chinese, do not be intimidated by the 20,000 to 50, 000 characters! According to HSK requirements, 600 words (HSK3) would be enough to “communicate in Chinese at a basic level, 2500 words (HSK5) are sufficient for reading Chinese newspapers and watching Chinese movies, and knowing 5000 words (HSK 6) would mean that you're fluent in Chinese. Moreover, the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters only lists a little over 8000 characters, of which only 6,500 are designated as common. There are over 50,000 Chinese characters existing, but most Chinese dictionaries will often list less than 20,000 characters. Developed thousands of years ago, these characters have evolved into the Chinese writing system that the Chinese language uses today. hànzì 汉字 is the written form of the Chinese language. Let’s dive in! What are Chinese characters called?Ĭhinese characters or Chinese script are called hànzì 汉字. How were traditional Chinese characters simplified?Īre Traditional Chinese characters and classical Chinese the same thing? When were Traditional Chinese characters simplified? Traditional vs Simplified Chinese: What are the differences?Īre Cantonese and Mandarin written the same way? What were the stages and forms of Chinese character writing? Table of Contents What are Chinese characters called? This article will tackle some common questions about Chinese characters as well as their evolution.
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