Chinese Characters

Description

Han Jiantang provides an accessible, illustrated introduction to the fascinating history and development of the written Chinese language, from pictograms painted on rocks and pottery and ancient inscriptions to the refined art of calligraphy and the characters in use today. Chinese Characters will appeal to readers looking for an introduction to the rich but complex Chinese language and to all those interested in the relationship between language and culture.

Author description

Han Jiantang is Professor of Chinese Language at Tianjin Normal University. He has been teaching Chinese for over twenty years, and his book Chinese Culture (1994) was adopted by the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. He has published numerous works on the culture of Chinese characters and language and has had his art and calligraphy displayed in galleries around China.

Table of contents

1. The emergence of written language; 2. The origin of Han characters; 3. The evolution of forms of Han characters; 4. The formation of Han characters; 5. The profound mystery of Han characters; 6. Chinese history narrated in Han characters; 7. The art of Han characters.