Character: The Gene of Chinese Culture - Shimin's Interpretation of Characters (Part 1)

Author: Zhao Shimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: "Chinese Characters: The Gene of Chinese Culture—Shimin's Interpretation of Characters (I) (II)" is composed of many individual articles, with each article focusing on a single character. The analysis of each character generally includes three parts: the origin of the character, the principles it embodies, and the author's reflections. It is neither purely academic nor simply a piece of miscellaneous writing. This style of writing is quite novel, easy to read, yet it imparts knowledge and inspires thought. It is believed that many people will enjoy reading it. "Shimin's Interpretation of Characters" can be seen as a literary work with an academic stance, but it is more about discussing "things" and sharing "insights." I did not call it a literary work because it deals with some academic issues, and I did not call it an academic work because of its literary quality. Vague theories are quite popular, and such a style of writing might bring us more clarity. When facing the special discipline of language, Zhao Shimin employs all his knowledge. He claims to have a strong interest in multiple disciplines. In addition to linguistics, there are music, philosophy, literature, education, sexology, and so on.