Strokes Used in Chinese Characters

Strokes Used in Chinese Characters The earliest forms of Chinese writing date from the Xia Dynasty (2070 - 1600 BC). These were etched on animal bones and turtle shells which are known as oracle bones. The writing on oracle bones is known as ç” ²Ã© ª ¨Ã¦â€"‡ (jiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n). Oracle bones were used for divination by heating them up and interpreting the resulting cracks. The script recorded the questions and answers. JiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n script clearly shows the origins of current Chinese characters. Although much more stylized than the current characters, jiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n script is often recognizable to modern readers. Evolution of Chinese Script The JiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n script consists of objects, people or things. As the need for recording more complex ideas arose, new characters were introduced. Some characters are combinations of two or more simpler characters, each of which can contribute a particular meaning or sound to the more complex character. As the Chinese writing system became more formalized, the concepts of strokes and radicals became its foundation. Strokes are the basic gestures used to write Chinese characters, and radicals are the building blocks of all Chinese characters. Depending on the classification system, there are about 12 different strokes and 216 different radicals. The Eight Basic Strokes There are many ways to classify strokes. Some systems find up to 37 different strokes, but many of these are variations. The Chinese character æ ° ¸ (yÇ’ng), meaning forever or permanence is often used to illustrate the 8 basic strokes of Chinese characters. They are: DiÇŽn, (é »Å¾/ç‚ ¹) DotHà ©ng, (æ © «) HorizontalShà ¹, (ç « ª) ErectGÃ… u, (é‰ ¤) HookTà ­, (æ  ) RaiseWÄ n, (Ã¥ ½Å½/Ã¥ ¼ ¯) Bend, curvePiÄ›, (æ’‡) Throw away, slantN, (æ  º) Pressing forcefully These eight strokes can be seen in the diagram above. All Chinese characters are composed of these 8 basic strokes, and knowledge of these strokes is essential for any student of Mandarin Chinese who wishes to write Chinese characters by hand. It is now possible to write in Chinese on the computer, and never write the characters by hand. Even so, it is still a good idea to become familiar with strokes and radicals, since they are used as a classification system in many dictionaries. The Twelve Strokes Some systems of stroke classification identify 12 basic strokes. In addition to the 8 strokes seen above, the 12 strokes include variations on GÃ… u, (é‰ ¤) Hook, which include: æ ¨ ªÃ©â€™ © Hà ©ng GÃ… uç «â€"é’ © Shà ¹ GÃ… uÃ¥ ¼ ¯Ã©â€™ © WÄ n GÃ… uæâ€"Å"é’ © Xià © GÃ… u Stroke Order Chinese characters are written with a codified stroke order. The basic stroke order is Left to Right, Top to Bottom but more rules are added as the characters become more complex.   Stroke Count Chinese characters range from 1 to 64 strokes. The stroke count is an important way to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. If you know how to write Chinese characters by hand, you will be able to count the number of strokes in an unknown character, allowing you to look it up in the dictionary. This is a very useful skill, especially when the characters radical is not evident. Stroke count is also used when naming babies. Traditional beliefs in Chinese culture hold that a persons destiny in greatly influenced by their name, so great care is taken to choose a name that will bring good fortune to the bearer. This involves choosing Chinese characters that are in harmony with each other, and which have the proper number of strokes. Simplified and Traditional Characters Beginning in the 1950s, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) introduced simplified Chinese characters to promote literacy. Close to 2,000 Chinese characters were altered from their traditional form, in the belief that these characters would be easier to read and write. Some of these characters are quite different from their traditional counterparts which are still used in Taiwan. The underlying principals of character writing, however, remain the same, and the same types of strokes are used in both traditional and simplified Chinese characters.

Editing English Paper

Editing English Paper Editing English Paper Editing English PaperAnyone who has gone through the difficulties of writing an English essay is aware of the satisfaction of completion. Once you have finished writing your English paper and have said everything you wanted to say, arrived at the interesting conclusions, analyzed all relevant evidence, organized your ideas logically, and addressed counter-counters, you feel that there is nothing left to do but to run a computer-based spell-checker. Editing English paper can be annoying, confusing, and even boring. However, you cannot avoid this step of English essay writing because the quality and, most important, purity of your English essay depends on lack of mistakes, mistyped words, and errors. Editing English Paper TipsIf you need help with editing English paper, review the following secrets of successful editing: Read your English paper aloud: when you are working on sentences trying to express your ideas, you may lose attention to the larger picture. When you read your Engl ish paper aloud, you can hear how the sentences sound and, consequently, make necessary changes. Check all words: do they contribute to your arguments? You need to avoid using unnecessary words, phrases, and sentences. Do not use filler words if you do not know what to include in your English paper, it is better to submit a shorter written paper rather than add rubbish into it.Keep in mind the principle of Rights Words on the Right Places do not try to impress your teacher with long, unclear, and specialized words. Your language should be clear enough to avoid confusion and specific enough to achieve the desired understandingGo directly to point of your English paper. While it is nonsense to check the fitness of every single word, you should pay attention to the following detail: every paragraph should start with a topic sentence and be devoted a single idea. Otherwise, your English paper will lack clarity. Check the in-text citations and reference list. If you do no t want to be accused in plagiarism, you must ensure that all sources you used for writing your English paper are cited properly in accordance to the required referencing style such as APA, MLA, or Turabian. Editing English Paper: Professional ServiceIf you have written your English paper but want to make it perfect, you have an opportunity to use professional editing service at our site. We hire the most experienced, responsible, and, most importantly, certified paper editors who are able to make your English paper perfect in grammar, style, format, and structure! In addition, we offer help with writing English coursework, research paper editing , and all other academic assignments! There is no project we would give up!