Chinese characters with translation into Russian. Chinese characters, meaning What does each character mean

The Chinese characters since the time of Shuowen Xu Shen, who lived at the beginning of our era, are divided into:

1. simple wen 文;
2. compound zi 字.

In addition, Chinese characters are divided into:

• demonstratives (zhi shi 指事), which are the oldest layer of Chinese writing and are used to convey abstract concepts. Their meaning can be understood even by people completely unfamiliar with Chinese writing - the numbers one (i 一), two (er 二), three (san 三), bottom (xia 下), top (shang 上), tree (mu 木), root (ben 本), apex (mo 末), etc.;
• pictorial (xiang xing 象形), which are direct images of objects and go back to pictograms. In modern Chinese writing, such characters include the following characters:
  1. shan 山 (meaning mountain), depicting mountain peaks;
  2. meng 門 (gate), depicting gate leaves;
  3. yu 雨 (rain), depicting falling raindrops;
  4. chê 車, denoting vehicle on wheels and depicting a view of a chariot from above.
• simple and complex ideograms (huizi 會意字), which are a combination of two simpler hieroglyphs related in meaning, forming a new concept:
  1. The character lin 林 (forest) is formed by two characters “木” (tree), and the meaning “thicket” (sen 森) is formed by a combination of three “trees”;
  2. rest (xiu 休) is formed by a variant spelling of the element 人 (person 亻) and wood “木”;
  3. hao 好 (love or good) is formed by combining the characters woman 女 and child 子.
     Hieroglyphs of this type are few in number and make up about 10% of modern Chinese writing characters;
• phonoideograms (xingshengzi 形聲字) are the most numerous type of hieroglyphs, consisting of two parts - a key indicating the meaning, and a phonetic indicating the reading. They were created in two ways:
  1. by isolating one of the meanings from the original word - the hieroglyph qu 取 (to take) had several meanings, including “to take as a wife.” By adding the key “woman” 女 to this character, the meaning “to take as a wife” of the character qu 娶 was formed;
  2. by connecting the existing sign that conveys the sound of the word, which needs to be written, with a key indicating the semantic area:
     1. qing 青 combined with the key 日 (water) forms 晴 (meaning clear);
     2. the same qing 青 with the key 虫 (insect) means dragonfly (蜻), and with the key 魚 (fish) – mackerel (鯖), etc.

With the development of the language, the number constantly increased. If at the beginning of the second century AD the dictionary “Shuo Wen Jie Zi” recorded 9353 characters, the dictionary “Yupian 玉篇”, dating back to the 6th century, includes 16917 hieroglyphs, then the dictionary “Zhonghua Zihai”, published in 1994 in Beijing, contains already 87019 hieroglyphs.

It should be noted that a large number of hieroglyphs are dialect forms, their vernacular signs and various varieties of writing, and the number of characters actually used in a given era is much smaller. Currently, 7 thousand characters are classified as normative hieroglyphs in China.

The meaning of the most common Chinese characters

Hieroglyphs in Western culture have acquired decorative and symbolic meaning and therefore they are often used in interior decoration, dishes, clothing, and even in tattoos. In our culture, applying a hieroglyph is similar to applying runes; it is important to use the symbols correctly, and for this it is advisable to know their meaning.

Perhaps the most popular and well-known sound is the Chinese character “Qi” 氣, which is simply depicted as 气. This character belongs to the fundamental concepts of Chinese philosophy and denotes the vital energy that underlies all things.

“Qi” is a spatio-temporal, spiritual-material and vital-energy substance that underlies the structure of the Universe. In the Western philosophical tradition there is no analogue concept.

There are three semantic levels:

• qi as the substance of the Universe;
• qi as the energy of life that fills the human body;
• qi is a psychological center that reacts to feelings under the influence of will.

It is a fundamental concept for Feng Shui, a number of Chinese medical practices and teachings.

The character “fu” 福, which denotes happiness, wealth and well-being, is also popular. On New Year's Eve, almost every family in China attaches this character to the door of their home, as it is believed to bring success and happiness throughout the next year.

Often this character is used in various sentences together with the character “hing” 幸 – 幸福, and in combination with “家庭” it takes on the meaning “family happiness” 家庭幸福.

As an important element of Chinese culture, the character "fu" is associated with high expectations from life, dreams and various desires.

The Chinese character for Double Happiness 喜喜 is often used as a symbol of love and harmony in marriage as it brings happiness to both you and your spouse. A gift with such a hieroglyph means a sincere wish for a person to fulfill all his desires and is evidence of sincere friendship.

It is common to use and "富", which also sounds like "fu". In Feng Shui it is used as a sign that increases income and material wealth, and also creates indoor positive energy Qi.

Others are also used in Feng Shui. To attract monetary wealth, the hieroglyph “gian” 钱 is used, and the hieroglyph “yankang” 健康 (its meaning is health) can preserve health or help the sick.

For those who are not attached to material assets, the hieroglyphs 繁荣 – fánróng and 成功 chénggōng are suitable. Their meaning is prosperity, giving spiritual peace and good luck, and business and creative success. Well, longevity, which will not harm anyone, is indicated by the hieroglyph 长寿 chángshòu.

Any culture actively uses love symbols, and for this it is quite possible to use hieroglyphs.

The character “ai” 爱 means love, 心 (“xin”) means soul, 情 (“qing” with “i”) means feelings, and 忠 (“zhong”) means loyalty.

The character “le” 樂 means joy, and 忍 (“ren”) means endurance, patience, which is required for someone who has decided to master the Chinese language and generally approaches any business seriously.

The character “patience” consists of simple pictorial characters 刃 (“ren”) - “blade”, “knife”, “sword” and 心 (“xin”) - “heart”.

The common character for "kindness" 善 also consists of two simple characters 言 and 羊, which is clearly visible in the ancient writing. Their meaning is “speech” and “ram”. The Chinese interpreted the sounds made by a ram (be-be-be) as a symbol of goodness, contrasting them with the roar of predators.

Thanks to films about martial arts, such Chinese characters as 老虎 (lǎohǔ) - tiger, 龙 ("long") - dragon, 战士 ("changshi") - warrior, etc. began to arouse interest.

Well, of course, the list of Chinese characters that are significant to us will be incomplete without our loved ones, that is, family members.

The character 父母 means parents, 母亲 means mother, and 父亲 means father. In Chinese, husband is written as 丈夫 and wife as 妻子. A child without gender indication is 孩子, a son is 儿子 [ér zi], and a daughter is 女儿.

The writing of hieroglyphs denoting brothers and sisters looks interesting - they are formed by the repetition of a simple sign - older sister 姐姐, younger sister 妹妹, older brother 哥哥, and younger - 弟弟.

Quite often, when decorating furniture or interiors, for example, on frosted glass of sliding wardrobes, hieroglyphs are drawn. Typically this Chinese characters. But you don’t just need to write a hieroglyph, but it wouldn’t be bad at all to write them competently. The application of a hieroglyph, in our culture and language group, is comparable to the application of a runic symbol. You print the correct symbol and everything will be fine, but what if not? Therefore, I propose to consider the meanings of some Chinese characters - symbols that have been used since the time of the Book of Changes. These pages present a very small number of hieroglyphs, but in the Chinese language there are dozens of them!!! thousand. - this is life, some hieroglyphs grow old, are forgotten, and are replaced by new symbols, and so on throughout history. But some symbols have stood the test of time.

! For reference.

** IN Chinese all words are unchanged, there are no categories of number, gender, verb tenses, cases, declension and conjugation.

** Chinese is spoken by about one-fourth of the world's population. In addition to China, Chinese writing is also found in Japan, partially in Annam and Korea.

The term "Chinese" refers to a number of its constituent parts:

• colloquial dialects of regions and provinces (northern dialect, Wu dialect, Min dialect, Yue dialect);
• the official national language of the modern formation is “Guoyu” (it is still being formed as a combination of different dialects);
• a dead literary language - "Wenyan", in which the greatest literature in the world in terms of volume and value was written - a language that is not understandable to the ears of modern Chinese;
• The modern literary language is Baihua, which is based on the Guoyu language.

All this diversity is united into a single and whole concept “Chinese language” - the immutability of the word, the monosyllabic composition of the roots, a certain order in the sentence and the presence of “service” words that are the same for all dialects.

** Chinese- language of images and concepts. The origin of the hieroglyphic language "Wenyan" dates back to ancient times, when linear speech was used for communication, i.e. a language of facial expressions and gestures, the main instrument of which was the hand.

The most important and most frequently used hieroglyph " Qi" - the vital energy that underlies everything.

Hieroglyph.	Usage.
	It will bring the fulfillment of all your dreams and harmony in marriage to your home. Since this is double happiness, this hieroglyph helps not only the owner of this symbol, but also his other half. Success becomes the success of both, happiness becomes twice as great! If you give this hieroglyph, then you sincerely wish the person happiness, fulfillment of all desires and show an expression of deep friendship.
Double happiness.
	Helps increase income and obtain all sorts of material benefits, helps to gain not only material benefits, but also spiritual ones, creates positive Qi in the home and office.
Wealth.
	Attracts wealth and monetary wealth in the places where it is located. Unlike the hieroglyph “Wealth”, it attracts precisely monetary energy and everything related to money. Promotes the formation of multiple sources of income.
Money.
	This hieroglyph not only helps to maintain health, but also contributes to the speedy recovery of patients.
Health.
	A symbol of health and long life. This symbol can be placed in the bedroom.
Longevity.
	This hieroglyph not only strengthens the joint bonds of marriage, but also extinguishes mutual conflicts. You will find harmony and peace, tranquility and decent life with your loved one. Promotes the acquisition of long-term and mutual love, happiness in love.
Love.
	The hieroglyph is used as a love talisman so that nothing can destroy this deep and tender feeling.
Eternal love.
	Will bring an abundance of everything you desire into your home, be it money, fame, success or love. This hieroglyph, like “Prosperity,” attracts the energy of abundance and growth in any area of ​​life. This hieroglyph can be used in conjunction with other hieroglyphs whose symbolism is important to you at the moment
Abundance.
	This hieroglyph is very good to have at home; it will help with the fulfillment of desires and the implementation of all your plans, both personal and business.
Dream come true.
	Happiness is different for everyone, for some it is to find love and family, for others it is to achieve career heights, for others it is success in creative activity. So, this hieroglyph “Happiness” helps you obtain what exactly is happiness and well-being for you.
Happiness.
	This generalized hieroglyph will bring good luck, health, love and material well-being to your home. If you do not strive for wealth, then you will find spiritual peace and tranquility.
Prosperity.
	Business and creative success. It attracts clients and business partners, ensures success in all endeavors, and contributes to the birth of new ideas and opportunities. This hieroglyph is usually placed in offices, on the desktop or at home in the office to attract energy, activity and creativity.
Success.

Some other hieroglyphs:

		"Tszyu" is an alcoholic drink.
	The name of tea in different languages ​​depends on the region of China in which speakers of these languages ​​bought the tea. If in Northern China, then their name for tea comes from the word “cha” (“tea” in the Cantonese dialect), if in Southern China, then from the word “te” (“tea” in the Malay dialect). In Russian, the word has been used since the middle of the 17th century, and, at the very beginning, as a name medicinal plant("herbal tea").
	In Chinese, the word crisis consists of two hieroglyphs: one means danger (abyss, abyss), the second means opportunity. (quote: J.F. Kennedy.) The first character "Wei" means "dangerous time". The second “Ji” is “time of opportunity, chance.”
Comprehension.	Understanding, awareness.
Patience.	The hieroglyph “ren” means patience, restraint. Consists of two parts: the upper one is the knife, the lower one is the heart. When a knife pierces the heart, and the heart remains unshaken, this is “zhen” - “patience”. That is, this figuratively reflects the state when, when faced with verbal or other attacks that irritate the soul, a person can restrain himself and not allow his anger and indignation to dominate his mind, then this is “zhen.”

1. Simple signs have one stroke, for example: 一 read And, means one.
2. Hieroglyph having greatest number the dash consists of three characters: 龍 , read moon, designation – dragon.

Interesting!Researchers of writing are very surprised by the fact that hieroglyphic writing does not depend on the dialect at all. For example, if you need to say something to your interlocutor from China, and you write a hieroglyph on paper, then every resident of this country will understand you, regardless of which province he came from.

Hieroglyphs tattoo of Chinese origin

Modern writing in China comes from ancient pictographs representing objects. It has been proven that the most ancient signs date back to the 2nd millennium BC. e. In comparison with all writing systems existing today, Chinese literacy is considered ideographic. In other words, it conveys not the sound, but the meaning of the word. This helps the Chinese understand each other, promotes unity, because this country is divided into a huge number dialects.

The style of writing hieroglyphs in modern times is called kaishu - exemplary writing. Complex Chinese characters are mainly made up of keys. What is this and how to understand it?

What are keys in Chinese characters?

These are the so-called graphic components. After all, they themselves are separate, simple signs. It helps to classify a written sign (hieroglyph), assigning it to a specific thematic group, for example:

1. Key - 人 – a simple sign that means “person”.
2. He's in the hieroglyph 亾 – translated as “death.”
3. And in 亿 means "many" or "one hundred million".
4. The same key in the hieroglyph 仂 read as "remainder".
5. And in the sign 仔 "child".

The Chinese are confident that in order to understand and speak their language well, it is enough to master 4 thousand characters. Writing hieroglyphs is actually very difficult, translating them is even more difficult. But a certain trend has already formed in the tattoo industry.

Important!This does not mean that when choosing a tattoo, you should limit yourself only to these symbols. Each person has the right to express his desires, negative or, conversely, positive emotions, to inspire himself with some encouraging expressions, to capture some pleasant, memorable moment for the rest of his life, and so on.

What do Chinese characters tattoo mean in Russian?

Perhaps the above symbols may seem intuitive to some. By and large, some of them are similar to the meanings, objects and things that they actually depict. This is easy to explain, because hieroglyphs are “descendants” of pictograms. And those, in turn, are called upon to specifically express the meaning of the drawing.

First sign 日 means the sun. One of the oldest symbols, found in all East Asian languages.

Interesting!It was originally depicted as a circle, but over time it transformed into what you see. A similar fate affected a number of other signs. This is explained by the formation of unified traditions in the peoples where they are used. The second explanation is that rounded shapes are not very convenient for writing, and besides, they make it chaotic.

Symbol 日 is considered a key and is used in signs such as:

• 旦 – dawn;
• 旧 – past, ancient, ancient.

Next key symbol 厂 has two designations - “warehouse” and “cliff”. Included in characters such as:

• 厄 – adversity, disaster, difficulty;
• 历 – calendar, history;
• 厈 – cliff.

Key 土 translated as earth. Examples of characters with his participation:

• 圥 – mushroom;
• 圹 – tomb or grave ;
• 圧 – crush or press.

Important! This example is given not to use these hieroglyphs in a tattoo, but to understand that one graphic component can radically change the meaning of a word symbol.

Reasons for popularity in tattooing

Tattoos in the form of Chinese characters have always been in demand and popular. Obviously, they will never cease to be in demand. Especially in countries far outside of Asia. This tattoo gives the impression of a certain mysticism and mystery. But before rushing to the salon for such a fashionable image on the body, you need to properly understand all the subtleties and meanings of the hieroglyphs.

Asians themselves often prefer to get a tattoo in the form of a hieroglyph, although for some reason English and with a lot of errors. As for the Europeans, they prefer to inject the hieroglyph on the body.

In our country, a certain canon and traditions in tattooing regarding hieroglyphs have long been formed. Virtually all existing salons offer clients a single standard set of characters.

Let's look at the most well-known and popular Chinese tattoo characters about love, health, career and their meanings

Meanings of other Chinese characters in tattoos in Russian

This is far from full list Chinese symbols symbolizing growth, prosperity, love and wealth. Chinese is considered the most powerful and diverse language.

What should you know before going to a tattoo salon?

Before deciding on a tattoo in the form of a Chinese character, you should very carefully study the symbol that turns out to be your priority. To prevent the trouble that one European young man got into. In his naivety, he trusted the tattoo artist, expressing his preferences and wishes. He paid a lot of money and tattooed hieroglyphs on his body, which, in his opinion, should mean: love, obey and respect.

While he was in his country, nothing happened, but when, by coincidence, he went to China, that’s where it all began. Everyone, without exception, the Chinese, paid attention to him, even turning around in surprise. The guy decided to find out what was the matter, and after asking the locals, he found out that what he had inked was not what he wanted.

In fact, he had a message knocked out of him that at the end of the day he becomes a very bad and ugly boy. Returning to Germany, he had to spend money again to remove the ill-fated tattoo with a laser.

Important!Summarizing everything that was said above, you can see that choosing a symbol for a tattoo requires special attention. The beauty of the picture takes a back seat here; the meaning of the hieroglyph plays a big role here. After all, one sign can have several meanings, and sometimes they are completely different.

Which salon should I go to?

There are a lot of salons that will kindly provide tattoo services, including Chinese characters. But everyone who wants to wear such beauty on their body must still adhere to certain precautions.

What you need to do:

1. Make a preliminary plan or drawing of the image that is preferred.
2. Compare the sketch with several analogues on the Internet.
3. Read as much information as possible about its meaning.
4. Consult with several experienced tattoo specialists. It is desirable that they are not just craftsmen, artists, but well versed and understand the art of the East.

1. Choose a tattoo artist who, in addition to oriental art, specializes in a number of genres. A good master is one who devotes all his time to one profile and his calling - oriental art. In fact, he should have no free time for other genres, nor, indeed, any desire.
2. Getting a tattoo without thinking, just for fun. The East does not tolerate thoughtlessness and frivolity. Many hieroglyphs are very similar to each other, so it’s very easy to make a mistake here; correcting a mistake will be harder, more painful and more expensive.

Options for applying a hieroglyph tattoo to the body

Those who revere Chinese characters as amulets with magical meanings that can, for example, protect against evil force, quarrels, and so on, they make a tattoo in the form of a talisman, choosing prominent parts of the body so that the magic begins immediately.

It is not at all necessary to wear a tattoo, for example, on the neck, hoping for goodness and wealth. It is not a fact that the Chinese hieroglyph dream tattoo, the meaning of which is to bring good luck and success, will necessarily bring it and other human benefits.

After all, inscriptions decorated in any way, for example, in three-dimensional design or woven into any image or written in several colors and on other parts of the body, look no less attractive and mysterious.

Important!Writing hieroglyphs, especially pinning them on the body, is not an easy task, and if you choose between a drawing or symbols, the latter can give the body no less richness, beauty and mystery.

Applying Chinese characters is a whole science, which not every master can master. After all, when deep meaning, mystery and beauty are combined, then such a combination cannot go unnoticed or appreciated. Apparently, this is why Chinese characters are in such consumer demand and popularity.

“Hieroglyphs?!? Oh no! How can you even remember them? Chinese is not for me!” Olga.

We constantly receive feedback like this from our readers.

Here's another example: “All my life I wanted to learn Chinese, but I remember the hieroglyphs very poorly […] I gave up everything...” Alexey L.

It's incredibly sad when people give up on their dreams simply because they encounter difficulties that seem insurmountable to them.

Do you have such thoughts? If yes, then be sure to read on!

Is it possible to easily learn and memorize hieroglyphs?

Yes, I don’t argue, hieroglyphs are one of the biggest stumbling blocks in mastering Chinese. But think about it: More than a billion Chinese were able to master them. They use them every day! And believe me, not all of them are brilliant. If they could do it, you definitely can!

I have 2 news for you: one is good, the other is also good.

1. If you use the right approach, Chinese writing will no longer seem so inaccessible. Main understand basic principles : how hieroglyphs are constructed, where they get their meaning from and how they are pronounced. Once you figure this out, half the battle is done.

2. The more hieroglyphs you know, the easier it will be to remember new ones.

Where to start?

Ideally, learn the principles of hieroglyphs and at the same time gain vocabulary.

And today we will study the first principle on the basis of which many basic hieroglyphs were formed: the “Picture Principle”. According to him, the hieroglyph is as similar as possible to the object it depicts.

And to illustrate this principle, today we will study with you 10 simplest Chinese characters.

They are easy to remember and learn to write, and most importantly, they will often appear in various Chinese texts and will help you master even more characters in the future.

1. 一 yī

What does it mean: This is without a doubt the simplest character in the Chinese language. It is not difficult to guess that it means the number “one”.

How to remember: The logic in this hieroglyph is obvious: the Chinese put one stick on the ground, which means one.

Let’s add two more obvious hieroglyphs here:

Two sticks are two 二 èr;

Three sticks are three 三 sān.

Example: Of course, hieroglyphs themselves are useless to us if we do not know how to use them. So let's immediately make up a couple of words and expressions and start talking a little.

十一 shí yī eleven (ten + one);

十三 shí sān thirteen;

二十 èr shí twenty (two tens);

我要一个。wǒ yào yī gè I want one piece (use while shopping).

2. ren

What does it mean: This hieroglyph means Human.

How to remember: Imagine that a head is drawn above the hieroglyph, and add 2 feet to the legs, and voila, you have a person.

How to write: First write a line to the left, and then from its center to the right. Remember that we write all hieroglyphs from top to bottom.

Example:

Just one person.

What about? tā shì shénme rén – who is he?

3. 入 rù

What does it mean: Very similar to human 人, but in no case should they be confused. 入 rù means enter.

How to remember: This hieroglyph originally had the meaning “outside - in” and depicted the tip of a knife or arrow blade that pierced or ENTERED into some object.

How to write: First, write a small line to the left, and then, starting a little higher, write a line to the right. We write from top to bottom.

Example:

入口 rùkǒu entrance;

It is important to go to university.

4. 日rì

What does it mean: This is the sun. And when we see the sun, what time of day is it? That's right, day. So this is Sun or day.

How to remember: There were times when this hieroglyph was written as a circle, with a dot in the center. With the development of writing, it acquired a modern appearance and ceased to be so obvious. And yet, we look at the square with a line and see the solar disk with a halo around it.

How to write: First we write the left vertical line from top to bottom. Then the top and right line from left to right and down without lifting your hand. Last we write horizontal lines in the center and below. Both strokes are written from left to right.

Example:

一月一日 yī yuè yī rì the first of January (the first day of the month).

By the way, what will it be like on the third of March?

5. 山 shān

What does it mean: in its shape this hieroglyph is also similar to what it means: mountain.

How to remember: On the horizon we see three mountain peaks.

How to write: First write a short left stroke from top to bottom and continue down to the bottom right. Then write the highest line in the middle and the right line a little lower. All vertical strokes are written from top to bottom.

Example:

山口 shānkǒu pass, entrance to the gorge;

上山 shàng shān to climb the mountains.

6. 口 kǒu

What does it mean: This hieroglyph has different meanings, the most common are mouth And entrance.

How to remember: A very simple hieroglyph - like many basic hieroglyphs, it was a direct image of an object, so it is easy to remember. We look at the square and see an open mouth.

How to write: Same as 日 rì, but without a line in the middle. By the way, a little check, what is 日？

Example:

大口 dà kǒu big mouth, large-mouthed;

出口 chū kǒu exit. By the way, remember what “entrance” is? – 入口;

人口 rén kǒu population.

7. 中 zhōng

What does it mean: This is a hieroglyph center, inside, middle.

How to remember: Its value is indicated by a line that is located exactly in the center.

How to write: Same as 口 kǒu, only more rectangular in shape. Why add a middle line from top to bottom.

Example:

中午 zhōngwǔ noon (middle of the day);

中国人 zhōng guó rén Chinese (a person from the middle state, i.e. from China);

中医 Chinese medicine.

8. 火 hǔo

What does it mean: You might think that this is a man waving his arms? But no, it's fire.

How to remember: Do you remember what a fire looks like made from small logs and with flames flying upward? Now look at this hieroglyph - one to one!

How to write: First the left, then the right “tongues of flame”, and then like 人 rén.

Example:

大火 dà hǔo fire;

火山 hǔo shān volcano;

火车 hǔo chē train (fire carriage).

9. 女nǚ

What does it mean: This woman.

How to remember: Initially, a woman was depicted kneeling. Now we can see in this hieroglyph a head, arms, two legs and a graceful “back” part.

How to write: This hieroglyph has 3 lines: the first line from the head smoothly transitions to the leg to the right, then we write the second leg to the left. And finally, hands - from left to right.

Example:

女人 nǚ rén woman;

女厕所 nǚ cèsuŏ women's toilet.

10. 门 men

What does it mean: This door.

How to remember: This character, especially in the traditional spelling 門, is very similar to the doorway in old Chinese houses. If you don’t know what doors looked like in China, then remember the doors to saloons in cowboy films.

And this hieroglyph often becomes a phonetic, i.e. helps us learn the reading of the hieroglyph without looking in the dictionary (but we’ll talk about this in more detail another time).

How to write: first a small line-dot in the upper left corner, then a vertical line down from it, and finally a third line - horizontally and down, without lifting your hand.

Example:

门口 mén kǒu entrance, exit, gate;

开门 kāi men open the door;

入门 rù mén to enter the door (and can also be used in a figurative meaning: to make a beginning, to make an initiative).

Happy practice!

Svetlana Khludneva

P.S. Take care of yourself!

In China, it is still believed that calligraphy reflects the qualities and character of a person. In ancient times, those applying for a job did not provide a resume, as now, but their calligraphy, which the employer used to judge whether to hire this person or not.

Basic graphic elements of Chinese characters

In fact, hieroglyphic writing, unlike alphabetic writing, has almost nothing to do with the language itself. Its signs should be understood associatively, figuratively. And if the study of spoken language begins with phonetics, then mastery of written literacy begins with the simplest components of the Chinese character.

Each hieroglyph consists of a certain number of graphic elements (there are more than 200 in total). As a rule, these elements themselves do not carry any semantic meaning. Combinations of graphic elements written in a certain sequence are called graphemes. A grapheme can be used as an independent simple Chinese character, or be part of a complex one.

The simplest graphemes of Chinese characters.
Image: Leonid 2/ru.wikipedia.org

The order of writing graphemes in Chinese characters. Photo: H.ua

The basic graphic elements of the Chinese character are:

• horizontal line
• vertical bar
• dot
• folding left
• hook
• folding right
• rising bar
• broken line

From these simplest elements derivatives are formed, for example, a threefold broken horizontal line.

It is also important to know the rules for writing Chinese character elements. For example, the writing tool should move from left to right if we are writing a horizontal line, and from top to bottom if we are writing a vertical or oblique line. First of all, we write the vertical, then the horizontal. First, a folding line is written to the left, then a folding line to the right. First - the sides of the hieroglyph, then - the middle. The last dot is placed on the right.

Number of Chinese characters

The number of hieroglyphs, like the hieroglyphs themselves, has constantly changed throughout history. The largest number of them was collected in the collection “Ji Yun”, compiled during the Sun Dynasty. This collection contains 53,525 Chinese characters.

Today it is impossible to determine exactly how many ideographic characters there are in Chinese writing. The average Chinese person uses several thousand characters in their speech. A person who understands the meanings of 1.5-3.5 thousand hieroglyphs is considered literate. In an attempt to calculate the exact number of Chinese characters, linguists have differed in their opinions. Some call the figure 40 thousand, others - 70 thousand. Most hieroglyphs are contained only in the texts of classical folk literature.

Cultural influence of Chinese writing

Ligature is a wish combined into one Chinese character.
Image: G.S.K.Lee/ru.wikipedia.org

You need to know that Chinese culture is the only example of an ancient culture that has preserved its writing system to this day. Monuments of Chinese writing created before our era have reached us - “Shu Jing” (“Book of History”) and “Shijing” (“Book of Songs”).

Chinese writing penetrated into Vietnam and Japan in the 1st - 3rd centuries. n. e. As a result, these languages ​​began to use Chinese characters (adapted and modified) in their writing systems. Japan still uses characters of Chinese origin in its writing system.

Chinese writing is primarily based on visual perception. Therefore, there are so-called pictorial hieroglyphs (drawings of plants, flowers, birds, etc., consisting of many hieroglyphic signs) and ligatures (wishes that are one hieroglyph).

Chinese character "Happiness" and cards with wishes.
Illustration: Donbass.ua

We can say that Chinese characters in some way determined the perception of the world around them by these people. Many customs, as well as some examples of folk art, were created under the influence of the characteristics of the Chinese language. For example, there is a tradition of hanging an inverted hieroglyph “Happiness” at the entrance to the house. A passerby will think: “The hieroglyph “Happiness” has turned upside down,” which is also consonant with the phrase: “Happiness has come.”

Pronunciation in Chinese

Despite the large number of Chinese characters, there are very few words, if you can call them that, in the Chinese language. The pinyin table (pinyin - transcription) contains only 394 syllables - this is the entire vocabulary of the Chinese language. Numerous combinations also help to convey the rich content of written language orally. That is, the same syllable, pronounced in different tones and used in different combinations with other syllables, has completely different meanings. In order to recognize all this when communicating, a person must have an ear for music to a certain extent.

However, if, for example, someone recites an unknown verse in Chinese, no one will understand its entire content by ear until they read its written version. This is because the poems use non-standard combinations of Chinese characters to achieve rhyme, the meanings of which are almost impossible to understand by ear.

Some Chinese characters have multiple meanings and pronunciations. There is one about this interesting story: One day, a peasant who made a living by selling bean sprouts asked an educated man to write him “duilian” (paired inscriptions with wishes, traditionally hung on both sides and on top of the doorway). That man, without thinking twice, wrote him this “duilian”:

The seller looked for a long time at the inscription, consisting of eighteen identical hieroglyphs, and then asked: “What kind of wish did you write to me?” The learned man explained to him that these inscriptions read like this: the left one – cháng　zhǎng　cháng　zhǎng　cháng　cháng　zhǎng (chang zhǎng chang chang chang chang); right – zhǎng　cháng　zhǎng　cháng　zhǎng　zhǎng　cháng; top – cháng　zhǎng　zhǎng　cháng. Having read the inscription in this way, the seller understood everything and sincerely thanked him for his good wishes.

The point is that this Chinese character has two pronunciations (chan and zhang) and different meanings: “long”, “to grow”, “to increase” and “often” or “constantly”. Thus, the inscription can be translated as (this is a wish for the peasant’s bean sprouts): left - constantly grow, grow long, constantly and long grow; right - grow constantly, grow long, increase and grow long; upper - grow often, grow long.

In the process of studying hieroglyphic writing, a person develops figurative perception and visual memory. Learning to write Chinese characters develops artistic abilities. Studying tones develops an ear for music. That is, this writing itself contributes to the harmonious development of a person, not only enriching his knowledge, but also developing his abilities for art, which was highly valued in Ancient China.