Sinology: The Genetic Code of Chinese Culture - Deciphering Characters (Part 2)

Author: Zhao Shimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: "Gene" is a concept in life science within natural science. In the humanities, the study of Chinese characters borrows the term "gene" to symbolize non-living cultural symbols, reminding people of the fact that Chinese characters are the fundamental particles and self-evolving factors of Chinese culture. It is because of Chinese characters, this gene, that Chinese culture has been able to continue unbroken and flow far into the present. Now, one of the cutting-edge sciences in the world is the study of the human genome. However, this is only from a biological perspective. When we arrange the entire human genome, we still cannot clearly trace the lineage of the human cultural gene. That is half the distance away from "knowing yourself." For Chinese characters, the earliest forms not only recorded the speech of the Chinese people at that time but also, in their very shapes, are crystallizations of pre-historical Chinese culture.