Chinese Calligraphy: From Pictograph to Ideogram : the History of 214 Essential Chinese/Japanese CharactersAn illuminating history of the 214 Chinese symbols or radicals and how they provide a unique way to penetrate a rich, mysterious world and can reflect the history and philosophy of an entire culture. Written Chinese can call upon some 40,000 characters, many of which originated about 6,000 years ago as little pictures of everyday objects used by the ancients to communicate with each other. This book, which introduces the Westerner to a rich and mysterious world, is based on a classic compilation of the Chinese language done in the 18th century, which determined that all the characters then in use were devised from 214 root pictographs or symbols. Each of these 214 key characters, calledradicals is charmingly explored by the author, both for its etymology and for what it reveals about Chinese history and culture. Chinese characters are marvels of graphic design, and this book shows, stroke by stroke, how each radical is written and gives examples of how radicals are combined with other radicals and character elements to form new characters. |
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Chinese Calligraphy: From Pictograph to Ideogram: The History of 214 ... Edoardo Fazzioli No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
ancient Chinese animal bamboo beneath this radical bird bronze brush calligraphy character for hand character for mouth character for strength character means China Chinese calendar Chinese characters classical colour combined composite contains conveys the idea creates the word derived dragon dynasty earth earthly branch emperor fish forms the word grain hair halberd Hàn Hàn dynasty heavenly stem horizontal Huáng imperial indicates insect inside jade joining the character Juxtaposed Lão legs lines linked modern dictionaries obtain the verb obtain the word one's oneself person pictograph shows placing the character portrayed proverb radical creates radical forms radical gives radical produces radical we obtain reflecting the idea Rén represents rice field ritual roof sense Shang dynasty signifies simplified form someone strokes symbol tail Taoist terra cotta Today tortoise tree woman writing the character written Xià dynasty Xing yellow Yellow Emperor Yuè