Tang Han's Dictionary of Chinese Characters · Chinese Characters and Gender Culture

Author: Tang Han
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: Among the known writing systems in the world, Chinese characters are widely recognized as difficult to master, leading to many mystical connotations surrounding them. For example, the legend of Cangjie, the ancient inventor of Chinese characters, was said to have caused "gods and spirits wept, and the sky rained grains." Through the ages, Xu Shen wrote the Shuowen Jiezi, summarizing the six methods of character formation in Chinese characters, which brought the recognition and use of Chinese characters into a more rational era. However, for thousands of years, Chinese characters have remained difficult to recognize, write, and memorize. By the early 20th century, as China opened its doors to the outside world and Western influences swept in, bringing about a time of renewal, there were calls to promote the romanization of Chinese characters.