Download or read book The Origin of Chinese Characters YUAN written by Sophie Ma and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-24 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Travel back in time to understand the origin of some Chinese characters and how they evolve with this book.Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used writing system in the world. Over the time, the set of characters has evolved through various forms. Some representatives include: - oracle bone script (甲骨文), ancient Chinese characters used on animal bones or turtle shells from over 3000 years ago; - large seal script (大篆), a traditional reference to Chinese writing from before the Qin dynasty; - small seal script (小篆), the first set of characters that was standardized across China from over 2000 years ago. They finally become the regular script (楷书), the square-shaped Characters that are used nowadays.Some of the most common chinese characters were created from simplified pictures of objects, called pictograms (象形字). Most of the characters in this book are under this category, so it's easy to understand their meanings by just looking at the shapes. Three ancient scripts (oracle bone script, large seal script, small seal script) are included at the bottom left corner of each page to illustrate the evolutions. The regular script forms with their pinyin (Chinese pronunciation) are included at the bottom right corner as this is the form we are using everyday now.It is fascinating to see how these characters carry their core meaning while transformed into shapes that also align with the styles of different scripts. Sometimes, it needs a little bit of effort to recognize the connections between different scripts. Imagination is the key. I hope the book is fun for all readers, parents and children, teachers and students, chinese speakers and non-chinese speakers. Reading Chinese is easier and more interesting than you think
Download or read book A History of the Chinese Language written by Hongyuan Dong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-04-16 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A History of the Chinese Language provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical development of the Chinese language from its proto Sino-Tibetan roots in prehistoric times to Modern Standard Chinese. Taking a highly accessible and balanced approach, it presents a chronological survey of the various stages of Chinese language development, covering crucial aspects such as phonology, syntax and semantics. Features include: Coverage of the key historical stages in Chinese language development, such as Old Chinese, Middle Chinese, Early Modern Chinese, Classical Chinese and Modern Standard Chinese Treatment of core linguistic aspects of the Chinese language including phonological changes, grammatical development, lexical evolution, vernacular writing, Chinese characters and Modern Chinese dialects Inclusion of many authentic Chinese legends and texts throughout the book, presented through a rigorous framework of linguistic analysis to help students to build up strong critical and evaluative skills and acquire valuable cultural knowledge Integration of materials from different disciplines, such as archaeology, anthropology, history and sociolinguistics, to highlight the cultural and social background of each period of the language Helpful appendices to aid students with no prior knowledge of linguistics or the Chinese language Companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/dong offering a wealth of supplementary resources such as additional exercises, answer keys and audio recordings of the sounds of Middle and Old Chinese. Written by a highly experienced instructor, A History of the Chinese Language will be an essential resource for beginning students of Chinese Language and Linguistics and for anyone interested in the history and culture of China.
Download or read book The Origins of Chinese Writing written by Paola Demattè and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-10-18 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study explores the evidence for Chinese writing in the late Neolithic (3500-2000 BCE) and early Bronze Age (2000-1250 BCE) periods. Chinese writing is often said to have begun with little incubation during the late Shang period (c. 1300-1045 BCE) in the middle-lower Yellow River Valley area as a sudden independent invention. This explanation runs counter to evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Mesoamerica that shows that independent developments of writing generally undergo a protracted evolution. It also ignores archaeological data from the Chinese Neolithic and early Bronze Age that reveals the existence of signs comparable to Shang characters. Paola Demattè takes this data into account to address the issue of what writing is, and when, why, and how it develops, by employing a theory of writing that does not privilege language as a prime mover. It focuses instead on visual systems of communication as well as ideological and socio-economic developments as key elements that promote the eventual development of writing. To understand the processes that led to primary developments of writing, The Origins of Chinese Writing draws from the latest research on the early writing systems of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Mesoamerica, and other forms of protowriting. The result is a novel and inclusive theoretical approach to the archaeological evidence, grammatological data, and textual sources, an approach that demonstrates that Chinese writing emerged out of a long process that began in the Late Neolithic and continued during the Early Bronze Age.
Download or read book The Song Yuan Ming Transition in Chinese History written by Paul Jakov Smith and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-03-23 with total page 549 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume seeks to study the connections between two well-studied epochs in Chinese history: the mid-imperial era of the Tang and Song (ca. 800-1270) and the late imperial era of the late Ming and Qing (1550-1900). Both eras are seen as periods of explosive change, particularly in economic activity, characterized by the emergence of new forms of social organization and a dramatic expansion in knowledge and culture. The task of establishing links between these two periods has been impeded by a lack of knowledge of the intervening Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). This historiographical "black hole" has artificially interrupted the narrative of Chinese history and bifurcated it into two distinct epochs. This book aims to restore continuity to that historical narrative by filling the gap between mid-imperial and late imperial China. The contributors argue that the Song-Yuan-Ming transition (early twelfth through the late fifteenth century) constitutes a distinct historical period of transition and not one of interruption and devolution. They trace this transition by investigating such subjects as contemporary impressions of the period, the role of the Mongols in intellectual life, the economy of Jiangnan, urban growth, neo-Confucianism and local society, commercial publishing, comic drama, and medical learning.
Download or read book Chinese History Part 10 Yuan Dynasty Learn Mandarin Chinese language and Culture Easy Lessons for Beginners to Learn Reading Chinese Characters Words Sentences Paragraphs Simplified Character Edition HSK All Levels written by Yuxuan Li and published by . This book was released on 2024-04-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn the journey of 5,000 years of Chinese history. Easy book in the Chinese History series provides you general details (学习中国历史的基础知识) of a dedicated topic, such as a ruling dynasty, from Chinese history. These books are designed for the beginner students of Mandarin Chinese. There are about 20 chapters in each of the books. All the chapter provides details of the selected topic in different but apparently in similar terms. Hence, these books are perfect for not just learning Chinese history, but also for improving Chinese reading skills. Don't rush while reading the lessons. Take your time and read slowly-slowly. The lessons are fairly easy and you'll understand them. Have patience.: )
Download or read book Chinese Characters Their Origin Etymology History Classification and Signification written by Léon Wieger and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 1160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Cultural History of the Chinese Language written by Sharron Gu and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-12-22 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chinese, one of the oldest active languages, evolved over 5,000 years. As such, it makes for a fascinating case study in the development of language. This cultural history of Chinese demonstrates that the language grew and responded to its music and visual expression in a manner very similar to contemporary English and other Western languages. Within Chinese cultural history lie the answers to numerous questions that have haunted scholars for decades: How does language relate to worldview? What would happen to law after its language loses absolute binding power? How do music, visual, and theatrical images influence literature? By presenting Chinese not as a system of signs but as the history of a community, this study shows how language has expanded the scope of Chinese imagination and offers a glimpse into the future of younger languages throughout the world.
Download or read book Chinese characters their origin etymology history classification and signification written by and published by . This book was released on 1927 with total page 834 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Phonological History of Chinese written by Zhongwei Shen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-04 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive account of the phonological history of Chinese, exploring the development of its standard phonological systems over the past 2500 years. It will be a key reference work for historical linguists and phonologists in general, as well as being of particular interest to students and scholars of Chinese/Asian languages and their history.
Download or read book A Study of Chinese Characters written by Wang Guiyuan and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-12-22 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the first volume of a two-volume set on Chinese ancient characters and newly unearthed literature, this book brings together the author’s research articles that discuss the development of Chinese characters and the tradition of Chinese palaeography. The 23 chapters in this book focus on two aspects of Chinese characters. The first 13 chapters centre on the evolution of Chinese characters, analysing the composition system and its transformation, the motivation, and mechanisms behind its evolution, as well as the methodology of the study of ancient characters. The subsequent 10 chapters mainly revolve around Shuowen Jiezi, one of the oldest character dictionaries in China. The author offers a novel understanding of the core issues related to this most important philological work, such as the version of the dictionary, misunderstandings in previous scholarship, and its relations with other palaeographical materials. The title will appeal to students and scholars of Sinology, Chinese philology, and palaeography, as well as Chinese characters.
Download or read book The Origin of Chinese Characters written by Kihoon Lee and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relating details of Chinese history, anthropology and culture, the author shows how their writing system evolved from early pictograms into the more calligraphic symbols we see today. Copious illustrations of archaeological artifacts and scenes from ancient life give the cultural context. Used in East Asia for over 2000 years, the Hanzi (set of Chinese characters) is beautiful in typography and from an artistic perspective. Today's Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese character sets all originated here. However, due to historical and cultural changes, few people remember and recognize the original meanings of the characters. Therefore, it essentially required the skills of a talented code-breaker to discern the etymology and history behind them. An enthusiastic educator and a highly esteemed scholar in Chinese calligraphy, Kihoon Lee presents groups of words together with glimpses of early life, using the characters as a way to explore Asian traditions and concepts as well as the words to describe them. For more ambitious readers, vocabulary (with a pronunciation guide) is introduced in a friendly format and the author also provides step-by-step diagrams showing how to produce 600 words in proper Chinese calligraphy.
Download or read book Yuan Shikai written by Patrick Fuliang Shan and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2018-11-14 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yuan Shikai (1859–1916) has been both hailed as China’s George Washington for his role in the country’s transition from empire to republic and condemned as a counter-revolutionary. Yuan Shikai: A Reappraisal sheds new light on the controversial history of this talented administrator and modernizer who endeavoured to establish a new dynasty while serving as the first president of the republic, eventually declaring himself emperor. Drawing on untapped primary sources and recent scholarship, Patrick Fuliang Shan offers a lucid, comprehensive, and critical new interpretation of Yuan’s part in shaping modern China.
Download or read book A History of the Chinese Language written by Hongyuan Dong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-12-31 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A History of the Chinese Language provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical development of the Chinese language from its Proto-Sino-Tibetan roots in prehistoric times to Modern Standard Chinese. Taking a highly accessible and balanced approach, it presents a chronological survey of the various stages of the Chinese language, covering key aspects such as phonology, syntax, and semantics. The second edition presents a revised and updated version that reflects recent scholarship in Chinese historical linguistics and new developments in related disciplines. Features include: Coverage of the major historical stages in Chinese language development, such as Old Chinese, Middle Chinese, Early Modern Chinese, and Modern Standard Chinese. Treatment of core linguistic aspects of the Chinese language, including phonological changes, grammatical development, lexical evolution, vernacular writing, the Chinese writing system, and Chinese dialects. Inclusion of authentic Chinese texts throughout the book, presented within a rigorous framework of linguistic analysis to help students to build up critical and evaluative skills and acquire valuable cultural knowledge. Integration of materials from different disciplines, such as archaeology, genetics, history, and sociolinguistics, to highlight the cultural and social background of each period of the language. Written by a highly experienced instructor, A History of the Chinese Language will be an essential resource for students of Chinese language and linguistics and for anyone interested in the history and culture of China.
Download or read book Traditional Chinese Characters written by Alan Hoenig and published by Dr. Alan Hoenig. This book was released on 2013-01-31 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The pioneering memory technique taught in this book removes the major obstacle to learning modern Mandarin Chinese: how to remember the meanings of more than 2,000 of the most common of traditional Chinese characters--enough to read more than 96 percent of the characters in almost any Chinese text. The lessons included here will help to learn new definitions at a breakneck pace, build up new characters using characters already learned, develop memory tricks to associate meanings with these characters, and fix meanings and characters forever in the mind. This unique manual provides a sure-fire way to master the most challenging and intimidating aspect of learning Chinese, vital for any student of the Chinese language.
Download or read book Famous Chinese Personalities Part 21 Biography of Li Yuan Learn to Read Simplified Mandarin Chinese Characters by Reading Historical Biographies HSK All Levels written by Xuran Du and published by . This book was released on 2024-05-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a history stretching over 5000 years, China has produced numerous famous personalities who left indelible remarks on the lives of Chinese people. Some of the famous names include Confucius (孔子), Laozi (老子), Sunzi (孙子), etc. The contributions of these people are very important in Chinese language and culture. For the students of Mandarin Chinese, it's absolutely necessary to gain at least a basic knowledge about the lives of these legends. The "Famous Chinese Personalities" book series includes biographies of these famous people. The books are divided in about 20-25 chapters. The whole series is aimed at the beginner students of Chinese language. All the chapters for a given book contain similar topics written in different wordings. Hence, the books will help the beginners master reading Chinese texts.
Download or read book Famous Chinese Personalities Part 13 Biography of Qu Yuan Learn to Read Simplified Mandarin Chinese Characters by Reading Historical Biographies HSK All Levels written by Xuran Du and published by . This book was released on 2024-04-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a history stretching over 5000 years, China has produced numerous famous personalities who left indelible remarks on the lives of Chinese people. Some of the famous names include Confucius (孔子), Laozi (老子), Sunzi (孙子), etc. The contributions of these people are very important in Chinese language and culture. For the students of Mandarin Chinese, it's absolutely necessary to gain at least a basic knowledge about the lives of these legends. The "Famous Chinese Personalities" book series includes biographies of these famous people. The books are divided in about 20-25 chapters. The whole series is aimed at the beginner students of Chinese language. All the chapters for a given book contain similar topics written in different wordings. Hence, the books will help the beginners master reading Chinese texts.
Download or read book The Religious History of the Yuan Dynasty written by Li Shi and published by DeepLogic. This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is the volume of “The Religious History of the Yuan Dynasty ” among a series of books of “Deep into China Histories”. The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC) and the Bamboo Annals (296 BC) describe a Xia dynasty (c. 2070–1600 BC) before the Shang, but no writing is known from the period The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations, and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) supplanted the Shang and introduced the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. The central Zhou government began to weaken due to external and internal pressures in the 8th century BC, and the country eventually splintered into smaller states during the Spring and Autumn period. These states became independent and warred with one another in the following Warring States period. Much of traditional Chinese culture, literature and philosophy first developed during those troubled times.In 221 BC Qin Shi Huang conquered the various warring states and created for himself the title of Huangdi or "emperor" of the Qin, marking the beginning of imperial China. However, the oppressive government fell soon after his death, and was supplanted by the longer-lived Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). Successive dynasties developed bureaucratic systems that enabled the emperor to control vast territories directly. In the 21 centuries from 206 BC until AD 1912, routine administrative tasks were handled by a special elite of scholar-officials. Young men, well-versed in calligraphy, history, literature, and philosophy, were carefully selected through difficult government examinations. China's last dynasty was the Qing (1644–1912), which was replaced by the Republic of China in 1912, and in the mainland by the People's Republic of China in 1949.Chinese history has alternated between periods of political unity and peace, and periods of war and failed statehood – the most recent being the Chinese Civil War (1927–1949). China was occasionally dominated by steppe peoples, most of whom were eventually assimilated into the Han Chinese culture and population. Between eras of multiple kingdoms and warlordism, Chinese dynasties have ruled parts or all of China; in some eras control stretched as far as Xinjiang and Tibet, as at present. Traditional culture, and influences from other parts of Asia and the Western world (carried by waves of immigration, cultural assimilation, expansion, and foreign contact), form the basis of the modern culture of China.
