Chapter 7. Chinese writing system

Abstract

Unlike alphabetic languages such as English, the Chinese writing system does not use letters to construct words. Instead, it is composed of interwoven strokes, which are used to construct the Chinese characters. Consequently, Chinese characters display an entirely different internal structure from English words that are always linear. In another difference from letters, the strokes do not correspond to pronunciation, and the graphics of characters do not reflect their pronunciation in the way that alphabetic words do. All these characteristics have made the Chinese writing system challenging for learners to acquire. This chapter introduces Chinese writing: its history, formation, structure, and reform, as well as its learning and teaching. As we will see, even though there are some basic Chinese characters that originated as pictures, the myth that all Chinese characters are pictures is a misconception. The majority of Chinese characters are not pictographic, and even the characters with a pictographic origin have evolved to bear little resemblance to pictures. Chinese writing, like any other writing system, represents speech sounds and conveys meaning. In addition, phonetic cues were utilized in forming new characters. Thus, the myth that Chinese characters are ideographs and represent meaning only is also inaccurate. The structure of the characters is not arbitrary. All the characters are comprised of strokes, which can be classified into eight basic types. These strokes form components which can then form characters, and they follow rules of internal composition. Thus, learners gradually develop their analytical ability as they build their base of characters, which will in turn facilitate the learning of new characters.