According to an ancient legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China asked his historian, Cangjie, to create a system of writing. While sitting by a riverbank, Cangjie was inspired by the images around him and invented the first Chinese characters. The story goes that the sky rained millet that night, and spirits were worried that their actions might now be judged by the written word. While we can’t be sure if this story is true, the earliest evidence of Chinese characters dates back to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE. These characters were found on ox bones and turtle shells, revealing the writings of Shang kings on topics like agriculture and even toothaches.
As the legend suggests, the earliest Chinese characters were pictograms, which are symbols that look like what they represent. Some of these pictograms are still used today, like rén (人), meaning “person,” and mù (木), meaning “wood” or “tree.” There are also ideograms, which represent abstract ideas, such as the numbers yī (一), èr (二), and sān (三). Some characters are compound ideograms, combining two or more pictograms or ideograms. For example, xiū (休) combines the character for “person” with the character for “tree,” meaning “to rest.”
Most modern Chinese characters are known as logograms. They have two parts: a radical component that gives a hint about the meaning, and a sound component that suggests how to pronounce it. All characters are made from various strokes, often simplified to eight basic types. There are 214 radicals, each with its own meaning. Some can stand alone, while others cannot. For instance, the radical rì (日) means “sun” when alone and is used in characters related to the sun, like xiǎo (晓), meaning “dawn.” The radical cǎo (艹) never stands alone but appears in characters related to grass and plants, like huā (花), meaning “flower.” The radical shuǐ (水), meaning “water,” can stand alone but also has a variant (氵) used in more complex characters like hé (河), meaning “river.”
Radicals can be found in different positions within a character: to the left, right, above, below, or surrounding the rest of the character. There are many more sound components than radicals, with thousands of them in use. Words that sound similar often share the same sound component, while their radicals provide clues to their meanings. For example, fēng (峰) and fēng (蜂) share the radical shān (山), meaning “mountain,” which hints at the first character’s meaning: “summit.” The radical in the second character, chóng (虫), means “insect,” and combined with the sound component, it means “bee.”
While many Chinese words sound similar, context or tone helps clarify their meanings. The pronunciation of each character can vary by dialect across China. So, conversations in Chengdu might sound different from those in Nanjing, but the written language stays the same. Unlike languages like French or Spanish, Chinese does not have gendered nouns or verb conjugations. For example, the character chī (吃), meaning “to eat,” stays the same no matter who is eating. To show the past tense, a marker like le (了) can be added, so “I eat bread” becomes “I ate bread.”
Over the years, the Chinese writing system has changed a lot. Characters have evolved from being carved into bones to being cast in bronze and brushed on paper. In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese Communist Party introduced simplified versions of traditional characters, which are now standard in China, although traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Chinese character system may seem unique, but it has greatly influenced the spoken languages and writing systems of neighboring countries. For example, around 60% of Japanese dictionary entries are kanji—characters that originated from Chinese or were created from its elements. With a 3,000-year history, Chinese characters have left and will continue to leave a lasting impact.
Imagine you are Cangjie, sitting by the riverbank. Create your own set of pictograms to represent five everyday objects or concepts. Draw each pictogram and explain why you chose that design. Share your creations with the class and see if they can guess what each pictogram represents.
Explore a list of common Chinese radicals and their meanings. Then, go on a scavenger hunt to find characters that include these radicals. Create a poster displaying the radicals, the characters you found, and their meanings. Present your findings to the class, explaining how the radicals help convey the meaning of each character.
Work in pairs to play a matching game using cards that have Chinese characters with shared sound components. Mix up the cards and take turns matching characters with the same sound component. Discuss how the sound component helps with pronunciation and meaning, and see who can make the most matches.
Create a timeline that shows the evolution of Chinese characters from the Shang Dynasty to modern times. Include key changes, such as the introduction of simplified characters. Illustrate each stage with examples of characters from that period. Present your timeline to the class, highlighting the major transformations in Chinese writing.
In small groups, choose a Chinese dialect and research how pronunciation and tones differ from Mandarin. Create a short skit using simple Chinese phrases, and perform it for the class. Discuss how the written language remains consistent despite the spoken differences, and reflect on the importance of context and tone in understanding Chinese.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
—
According to legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China tasked his historian, Cangjie, with developing a system of writing. While sitting by a riverbank, Cangjie observed the imagery around him and created the first Chinese characters. That night, it is said that the sky rained millet while spirits lamented, fearing their actions might now be judged by the written word. While we cannot confirm the truth of this story, the earliest artifacts containing Chinese characters date back to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE, making it one of the earliest forms of written language. Characters inscribed on ox bones and turtle shells reveal the Shang kings’ writings to their ancestors, covering topics from agriculture to the origins of a toothache.
As the legend suggests, these ancient characters were primarily pictograms, or symbols that resemble what they represent. Even today, some foundational Chinese characters remain pictographic, such as rén (人), meaning “person,” and mù (木), meaning “wood” or “tree.” Some characters are ideograms, representing abstract concepts, like the numbers yī (一), èr (二), and sān (三). Others are compound ideograms, which combine two or more pictograms or ideograms. For example, xiū (休) combines the character for “person” with the character for “tree,” meaning “to rest.”
Most modern characters are known as logograms and consist of two components: a radical component that indicates the meaning of the character, and a sound component that hints at its pronunciation. All characters are formed from various strokes, often simplified to eight basic types. There are 214 radicals, each with its own definition. Some can stand alone, while others cannot. For instance, the radical rì (日) means “sun” when written alone and is also used in characters related to the sun, such as xiǎo (晓), meaning “dawn.” The radical cǎo (艹) never stands alone but appears in characters related to grass and plants, like huā (花), meaning “flower.” The radical shuǐ (水), meaning “water,” stands alone but has a variant (氵) used in more complex characters like hé (河), meaning “river.”
Radicals can appear in various positions: to the left, right, above, below, or surrounding the rest of the character. There are many more sound components than radicals, with estimates in the thousands. Similar-sounding words often share the same sound component, and their radicals provide insight into their meanings. For example, fēng (峰) and fēng (蜂) share the radical shān (山), meaning “mountain,” which hints at the first character’s meaning: “summit.” The radical in the second character, chóng (虫), means “insect,” and together with the sound component, it means “bee.”
While many words in Chinese sound similar, context or tonality helps clarify their meanings. The pronunciation of each character can vary by dialect across the country. Therefore, conversations in Chengdu may sound quite different from those in Nanjing, but the written language remains the same. Unlike Romance languages, Chinese does not have gendered nouns or verb conjugations. Thus, the character chī (吃), meaning “to eat,” remains unchanged regardless of the subject. To indicate the past, a marker like le (了) can be added, so “I eat bread” becomes “I ate bread.”
Over the years, the Chinese writing system has undergone many changes. Characters have evolved from being etched in bone to being cast in bronze and brushed on paper. In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese Communist Party introduced simplified versions of traditional characters, which are now standard in China, although traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan. While the Chinese character system may seem unique, its development has significantly influenced the spoken languages and writing systems of neighboring countries. For example, around 60% of Japanese dictionary entries are kanji—characters that originated from Chinese or were created from its elements. With a 3,000-year history, Chinese characters have left and will continue to leave a lasting impact.
—
This version maintains the content while removing any potentially sensitive or inappropriate language.
Chinese – Relating to China, its people, or its language – The Chinese language has a rich history that dates back thousands of years.
Characters – Symbols used in writing systems to represent sounds or meanings – Chinese characters are used to write the Chinese language and each character can have multiple meanings.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs – The history of China includes many influential dynasties that shaped the country’s culture.
Radicals – Basic components of Chinese characters that often indicate meaning – Understanding radicals can help students learn the meaning of complex Chinese characters.
Pictograms – Symbols that represent objects or concepts through illustration – Many ancient Chinese characters were originally pictograms that depicted objects like the sun or a tree.
Ideograms – Symbols that represent ideas or concepts rather than specific sounds – In Chinese writing, ideograms are used to convey abstract ideas such as love or peace.
Writing – The activity or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing text – The development of Chinese writing has been crucial in preserving the country’s history and culture.
Evolution – The gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form – The evolution of Chinese characters shows how they have changed over thousands of years.
Pronunciation – The way in which a word is pronounced – Learning the correct pronunciation of Chinese words can be challenging due to the tones used in the language.
Dynasty – A line of hereditary rulers of a country – The Ming Dynasty is known for its significant contributions to Chinese art and architecture.
