象形字Xiang Xing Zi the pictographic system of Chinese characters

象形字Xiang Xing Zi the pictographic system of Chinese characters

Chinese characters in general may be referred to as ideograms, due to the fact that ideas are represented directly by characters, but they can be divided into different types, based on how they are formed or derived. Originally they consisted of pictograms (Xiàngxíng 象形), from which derived “associative compounds” (huìyì 會意), that consisted of two or more pictographs in order to form the character with the logical meaning. However, the majority originated as picto-phonic (形聲xíngshēng) which comprise  80 % of existing Chinese characters. Each Chinese character is composed of two or more picto-phonetic components that help to understand how to write and pronounce.

 
The basic components are around 200, they are known as radicals and are fundamental in the Chinese language. Therefore, once you learn these radicals, you can figure out how it was composed and the sound of a character. Make studying more effective and enjoyable! In the project “Kids Shou Bo in Chinese”, these radicals are divided into 5 sections, each section has 36 radicals accompanied by one derivation, published on the site kidshoubo.jimdo.com in the beginning of each new semester. Kids will learn 72 characters in one year. This project is completed in five years, the children will learn 500 Chinese characters, a good level for the Chinese
language.
      

 A special thanks is due to 中華文化總會THE GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF CHINESE CULTURE,GAC   http://chinese-linguipedia.org for the beautiful work they put in to Chinese culture and heritage. I trust that my work is profitable for the popularization of this interesting project. Thanking all the people who want to share my work, I wish you a happy new year 2016.    

                               

Minhua Lin  

Shou Bo Italia