subject: Decoding Chinese Characters, Part Two [print this page] Decoding Chinese Characters, Part Two Decoding Chinese Characters, Part Two
Would you be surprised to learn that the Chinese character writing system once dominated the societies of Japan, Korea, and Vietnam? This is extraordinary considering that the Chinese, at different times, have had armed conflicts with each of these nations. How did this happen? What caused Chinese script to be adopted by its nearby neighbors? The answer is to be found in the Han (pronounced Hun) dynasty (140 BCE) and the distribution of its writing system throughout northern Vietnam, the Korean Peninsula, and the length of the Japanese islands.
The Hans are the majority ethnic group in present day Chinathe Han Chinese. Just about every Chinese person you will see in America is Han Chinese. China has various words to illustrate the Han'ness, if you will, of its society--such as, Hanyu, Hanzi, Hanzu and Hanjian representing the Chinese language, Chinese characters, Chinese nationality, and a Traitor to China respectively. What Latin was to Europe the Chinese writing system was to Pacific Asia.
In part one, of the 214 total radicals, we dealt with"m, meaning wood." Part two, we look at three radicals with meanings linked to nature. When you see any of the following radicals attached to a character you might not know how to pronounce it, but you will usually have an idea what the subject is. "t, meaning soil"d deals with earth, land, place, etc., the radical is to the left of . "hu, meaning fire" x deals with extinguishing something, e.g., fire or light, the radical is to the left of . "r, meaning sun, day, time"zo, deals with the morning, the radical is above .
Radicals are an aid to defining the character. Dissecting the character by first locating the radical de-mystifies the meaning. If you know what grouping the radical falls into, that is, does it deal with People, Animals, Actions, Nature, to name a few, you are well on your way to deciphering the symbol.
This concludes the second of two articles dealing with Chinese Character deciphering. Hopefully, I have provided you with an adequate foundation in deconstructing most symbols. You will soon find that a great deal of the characters are comprised of smaller characters. Once this concept is mastered your character memorization and writing facility will greatly improve.
