91download.com supports a wide range of platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Dailymotion, Reddit, Bilibili, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and Zhihu, etc. Click the download button below to parse and download the current video
Have you ever wondered how one of the oldest forms of written language came into existence? Imagine a moment of inspiration by a riverbank that led to the creation of symbols capable of recording history, culture, and the very essence of human thought. This is the legend of Cangjie, the historian who, according to Chinese folklore, developed the first Chinese characters in the 27th century BCE.
What if the act of writing could alter the unseen forces of the universe? The myth tells of a sky that rained millet and ghosts that wept, signifying the profound impact of the written word. While we can't verify the accuracy of this tale, we do know that the earliest artifacts containing Chinese characters date back to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE. How did these characters evolve, and what do they tell us about the people who created them?
At their inception, Chinese characters were primarily pictograms, representing objects through symbolic imagery. Today, characters like "人" (person) and "木" (wood or tree) still retain this pictographic nature. But how do these symbols convey abstract ideas? Enter ideograms, such as "一" (one), "二" (two), and "三" (three), which represent concepts rather than physical objects.
The complexity deepens with compound ideograms, which combine pictograms or ideograms to create new meanings. For instance, "休" (to rest) is formed by placing the character for person next to that for tree. However, the majority of modern characters are logograms, composed of a radical that suggests meaning and a sound component that hints at pronunciation.
These characters are built from eight basic types of strokes and 214 radicals, each with its own definition. Some radicals can stand alone, like "日" (sun), while others are always part of a larger character, such as "艹" (used in characters related to plants). How do these radicals and sound components interact to create a cohesive system?
Consider the characters "峰" (summit) and "蜂" (bee). The radical "山" (mountain) in "峰" suggests its meaning, while "虫" (insect) in "蜂" combines with the sound component to create the word for bee. Context and tonality often clarify meaning in a language where many words sound alike.
But how does pronunciation vary across dialects? From Chengdu to Nanjing, the written language remains unchanged, yet spoken words may differ greatly. Unlike romance languages, Chinese lacks gendered nouns and verb conjugations, making it a unique linguistic system. How does this affect communication and understanding?
To indicate the past, the marker "了" can be added to a verb, changing "I eat bread" to "I ate bread." Over the centuries, the Chinese writing system has evolved, transitioning from bone etchings to paper brushstrokes. In the 1950s and 60s, simplified characters were introduced, becoming the standard in China while traditional characters persist in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The influence of Chinese characters extends beyond its borders, impacting the languages and writing systems of neighboring countries. Approximately 60% of Japanese dictionary entries are kanji, derived from or inspired by Chinese characters.
Chinese characters are more than symbols; they are a testament to the resilience and creativity of human culture. With a history spanning 3,000 years, they continue to leave an indelible mark on our understanding of language and the world. What stories do these characters hold, and how will they evolve in the future?
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook