Download 4000 BCE, logography Chinese (S - T, Sinitic) China

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4000 BCE, logography
Chinese (S - T, Sinitic)
Pg. 1
China, Singapore, Thailand,
Vietnam, USA, Canada
This Chinese Language sample
(original - 32 pages)
is a sample from
Language Profiles - V ol. I
originally published in 2003.
ISBN 0-9733129-0-4
All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written and signed permission
of the author.
Printed and bound in Toronto, Canada
W orld Languages Publishing H ouse
www.languageprofiles.com
© Haghighat, Cathy
2006 -R*
Canadian Cataloguing
in Publication Data
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4000 BCE, logography
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4000 BCE, logography
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4000 BCE, logography
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CHINESE
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
China is believed to be one of the earliest areas of human inhabitation in Asia and possibly
Europe. The remains of Peking Man date back to 500,000 years ago, the Stone Age.
The Chinese claim a lineage that goes back 5,000 years. The first Dynasty was the Xia and
lasted until 1700 BCE. The preceding emperors of this empire were said to have had god-like
qualities, …(continued)
LINGUISTIC BACKGROUND
Mandarin Chinese is a member of the Chinese branch of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages.
Sino-Tibetan is the world’s second-largest language family after Indo-European, and it has
…(continued)
Mandarin, or Modern Standard Chinese, is the radio and school-spoken language of the
People’s Republic of China (PRC) Singapore and …(continued) Cantonese is spoken in
Canton, Hong Kong and Macau…(continued)
The earliest examples of Chinese writing were found on 3,500-year-old …(continued)
WRITING SYSTEM:
Written Chinese, which links the various Chinese languages and dialects, is unique in that it is
the only major …(continued)
♦ The Chinese writing system itself has been in use for more than 3,000 years, and could
be as old as 6,000. This system uses characters that, at one point, resembled the object
they represented. In 1716 CE, a Chinese dictionary …(continued)
♦ Handwriting
The pictograph category was the earliest to appear. Chinese writing, as did the Egyptian
hieroglyphics, originated with …(continued)
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♦ Script:
All Chinese script characters are made up of eight regulated basic strokes. The strokes are
drawn from top to … (continued)
∞ Characters
Each Chinese letter has an element in it. For example, Chinese letters for river, pond, creek,
ocean, etc., … (continued)
TONES:
Tones indicate differences in meaning:
- 4 …(continued)
LINGUISTIC COMPARISON
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
FAMILY
WRITING
= SYSTEM
CHINESE
Indo-European
(West Germanic branch)
- alphabet, Latin script
- non-phonetic
Sino-Tibetan
(Sinitic branch)
Han (Mandarin, civil servant language),
basis of written language
- Wades-Giles official transcription system
Pinyin phonetic spelling (1958)
- written from left to right
- Latinized version of Standard Chinese
…(continued)
# OF LETTERS
26
4-5,000 characters
- 1,000 characters for common usage
VOWELS
6 written, 15-16 spoken
9 and clusters (Mandarin)
- vowel alteration in words occurs among
…(continued)
♦ WORDS FROM MANDARIN:
China, ginseng (image of man), …(continued)
♦ WORDS FROM CANTONESE:
chop suey (mixed bits), kumquat, …(continued)
CULTURAL BACKGROUND
EDUCATION
In mainland China, at six, children begin school …(continued)
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4000 BCE, logography
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NAMES
Names are given in the following order: surname, middle name, and then, first name.
First
The first or second name is taken from the family tree to honour an ancestor. Part of the name
…(continued)
Surname
All surnames in China come from the One Hundred Family Chinese …(continued)
RELIGION
The traditional Chinese religion is a mixture of local beliefs and ceremonies. China never had
a centralized state religion. However, three great schools of thought …(continued)
Tao Te Ching, Taoism
According to the Taoist theory of life, …(continued)
♦ Lao Tze, Founder of Taoism (604 - 524 BCE)
Lao Tze, famous for his book of poetry, Tao Te Ching, lived in the sixth century BCE, during
the Hundred Schools of …(continued)
Confucianism
Confucianism appeals to practical men.
…(continued)
It praises the present world and
♦ Confucius, Great Educator (June 19, 551 BCE - 479 BCE)
Confucius, the great Chinese sage and educator of ancient China, was born in Qufu in
Shandong Province. His name was Kong, but …(continued)
TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
Nowadays, concubines, child brides and arranged marriages are outdated. Still, some will
consult astrologists …(continued)
CALENDAR
The Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600 BCE,
when the Emperor Huang Ti first introduced the first cycle …(continued)
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CELEBRATIONS
Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, January/February, first full moon of new year
The Lunar New Year is popularly recognized as the Spring Festival, with celebrations lasting
15 days. New Year starts with the New Moon …(continued)
Women’s Day, March 8th
Ancestors’ Day, April 5th
…(continued)
Qu Yuan and the Dragon-Boat Festival, July
Qu Yuan lived in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. He was the first great
patriotic poet in China's history.
Qu Yuan was a scholar who had great knowledge of the political situation of his time, and was
a distinguished diplomat.…(continued)
LITERATURE/CULTURE
Book of Documents (Book of History) is an ancient collection of speeches and historical
matters.
Wén-yán Literary Style
Phrases that are usually made up of four characters …(continued)
Arts
♦ Calligraphy is an art form that is highly developed and respected.
♦ Chinese theatre includes music. …(continued)
Sun Tzu (500 - 320 BCE).
Sun Tzu was a Chinese General in the fifth or sixth century BCE, during the Warring States
Period of the late Chou dynasty. He authored Ping Fa, the Art of War, considered the best
book ever …(continued)
OTHER
Heroes/Myths
♦ The central myths in Chinese folklore reflect stages of development in Chinese
civilization. The first myths’ themes are based on the stage that precedes the first
dynasty when humans …(continued)
Fêng Shui (wind and water)
♦ The Fêng Shui theory was introduced by the Cantonese poet, Po Kwok, I,700 years
ago. The theory’s main tenet is that when positive forces are properly channelled in a
home, …(continued)
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Superstitions
♦ Animals
The dragon represents the male and heaven, …(continued)
Ying -Yang Symbol
The ying-yang symbol is used on medallions, flags, martial arts
paraphernalia and healing arts insignias. The outer circle represents
everything while the black and white shapes within the circle represent the
…(continued)
Foot-binding
There are many legends as to how foot binding began, as foot binding did not occur at the
same time or in all regions. Eventually though, it became …(continued)
Inventions
Invention
♦ horse collar
Date
3rd century BCE
♦ wheelbarrow
1st century BCE …(continued)
Notes
• harness 100 years later, allowed horse to
pull 1.5 tons
♦
DYNASTIES
♦ Xia Dynasty (2000 - 1500 BCE)
Most historians thought this dynasty was just a myth. Excavations …(continued)
♦ Shang Dynasty (1700 B.C – 1027 BCE)
The Shang dynasty is believed to be the first urban civilization of China. The Huang He region
is known as the cradle …(continued)
Dining Conventions
♦ Tapping one’s fingertips on the table …(continued)
SOURCES/SUGGESTED REFERENCES
books:
…(continued)
WEBSITES
…(continued)
Linguistic/Cultural “ambassadors”:
…(continued)
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