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Simplified
Character

Rules of Simplification of Chinese Characters


Cat:LAN
Pub: 1966
#: 1514a

Akeo Ishikawa (石川曙生)

UP 15605
Titile

Rules of Simplification of Chinese Characters

中国文字改革における漢字略字化法

Index
Ref
Why
  • Character and the method of writing constitute the core of culture; if these are revised, which means the revision of the culture itself.
  • It it not easy to revise characters without losing its historical heritage, aesthetic sense, and ability of formation of new words as well as convenience and support of the people.
  • Phonogram is not always better than ideogram; even in European languages there remains lots of Latin or Greek etymological roots in the spelling of words, which could be a kind of ideogram.
  • Famous writer Lǔ Xùn once said, "unless adopting phonogram in Chinese, China would be ruin." But now in 21C the simplified characters still survive and are being an globally influential language even in the computer age.
  • 文字およびその記法は文化の核である。それらを変更することは文化そのものの変更となる。
  • その歴史的遺産、美的感覚や新語の造語能力、さらに利便性と人々の支持を失わずに文字を変更することは容易ではない。
  • 表音文字は表意文字より常に良いとは限らない。欧州の言語には沢山のラテン語やギリシャ語の語源のルーツが綴り字の中に残されている。それらは表意文字とも言える。
  • 著名な作家である魯迅はかつて、"表音文字を採用しなければ中国は滅びる"と言った。だが21世紀の今日簡体字は生き残り、コンピュータ時代でも世界で影響力のある言語になっている。
Résumé
Remarks

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0. History:

  • There are three object in simplification of Chinese characters: 1) to simplify in writing characters, 2) to proliferate standard mandarin language, 3) to spell by pīnyīn.
    1. It is ordinary people who require to use simplified characters; also then Chinese government had promoted to abolish characters by replacing by phonogram.
    2. Simplified characters are needed for a certain period of time, even in case of gradual shifting to phonogramic writing.
    3. Simplified character are also convenient not only in easier writing but also in typing and printing, though there should be a certain limit of simplification, because it would be impossible to revise drastically characters without considering historical background of the characters systems.
  • In China, there has been no phonogramic writing method unlike Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Korea has created phonetic base of writing (音素字母 ), Japan syllabic base of writing (音節字母), and Vietnam semantic base of writing (意音字母). Korea fully use hangul, Vietnam romanized writing, and Japan has two phonogramic writings.
    • Korea has needed to spend almost 500 years until fully using of hangul, and Japan is using hybrid way of writings including kanji characters and Hiragana and Katakana. Vietnam has fully shifted to phonogramic writing.

0. 経緯:

  • 文字改革の3方向:
    1. 漢字簡化
    2. 普通語の普及
    3. 漢語拼音
  • 表音文字化の動向
    • 韓国: 音素字母
    • 日本: 音韻字母
    • ベトナム: 意音字 (哺字)
    • 中国:表音文字化の伝統なし

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1
Simplification process of characters:

  • Chinese government had published the list of simplified characters four times from Feb. 1956 until Sept. 1957, spending almost three years and five months. The list contains 517 characters and 53 radicals, published the final list in May 1964.
    • This list contains 352 characters which can be used independently, as well as 132 characters which can be also uses as radicals of other characters; and consequently 1,754 simplified characters are made using such radicals, including 14 characters only used as radicals. Therefore the list contains 2,238 characters as a total.
    • Herein 517 character which are mostly used are to be discussed to analyze how simplified characters are made.
    • In China, simplified characters (简体字 jiăntǐzì) are called new characters, while traditional or complicated character (繁体字 fántǐzì) old ones. The average strokes of simplified characters are 8.4, and complicated ones 16.1; which proves drastic simplification has been done.

1. 漢字の簡略化:

  • 旧字と新字の画数減少
    • 旧字: 約16.1画
    • 新字: 約 8.4画
  • # of strokes of Simplifed and Complicated characters:

numberofstrokesofcharacters

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2.  Method of simplifying characters:

  1. Partly deletion:
    • 松(鬆) sōng, pine; 御(禦) yù, drive; 致(緻) zhì, send; 卷(捲) juǎn, roll; 面(麵) miàn, face; 制(製) zhì, make; 舍(捨) shě, give up; 里(裏) lǐ, inside
    • 亲(親) qīn, parent; 杀(殺) shā, kill; 虽(雖) suī, although; 粜(糶) tiào, sell grains
    • 声(聲) shēng, voice; 医(醫/毉) yī, medical; 启(啓) qǐ, awaken; 点(點) diǎn, spot; 盘(盤) pán, plate; 岭(嶺) lǐng, mountain
    • 誊(謄) téng, write out; 复(復/複) fù, reply, repeat; 条(條) tiáo, item; 录(錄) lù, record; 隶(隸/隷) lì, servant; 余 (餘) yú, remain; 系 (係) xì, relate to; 系(繫) jì, do up; 务(務) wù, must; 夸(誇) kuā, praise; 亏(虧) kuī, deficit; 垦(墾)kěn, cultivate; 恳(懇) kěn, sincere;
    • 竞(競) jìng, compete; 习(習) xí, study; 业 (業)yè, engage; 产(產) chǎn; 气(氣)qì, gas; 广 (廣) guǎng, wide; 飞(飛) fēi, fly;
    • 关(關) guān, close; 开 (開) kāi, open; 云(雲) yún, cloud;
    • 宁(寧) níng, peaceful; 夺(奪) duó; 虏(虜) lǔ, capture; 与 (與) yǔ, give;
  2. Partly abbreviation:
    • 归(歸) guī, go back; 区(區)qū, area; 当 (當) dāng, equal; 寿(壽) shòu, long; 学(學) xué, study; 亦(←恋) yì, also; 恋(戀) liàn, love;
  3. Borrowing from same consonant (similar pronunciation):
    • 泻(瀉) xiè, pour ←写(寫) xiě, draw; 惨(慘) cǎn, cruel ←参(參) cān, enter; 烬(燼) jìn, cinder ←尽(儘) jǐn, extremely; 装 zhuāng, decorate ←壮(壯) zhuàng, strong; 楼(樓) lóu, building ←娄(婁) lóu, overripe; 誉(譽) yù, praise ←与 (與) yǔ, give;
  4. Borrowing from similar form (different pronunciation):
    • 欧 (歐) Ōu, Europe ←区(區) qū; 弯(彎) wān, curved ←恋(戀) liàn; 渗(滲) shènd, ooze ←参 (參) cān; 屡(屢) lǚ, repeatedly ←娄(婁) lóu, eat; 辞(辭) cí, resign ←乱(亂) luàn; 蛮(蠻) mán, rough ←恋(戀) liàn; 继(繼) jì ←断(斷) duàn;
  5. Independent abbreviation:
    • 礼(禮) lǐ, etiquette; 网(網) wǎng, net; 衅(釁) xìn, quarrel;
    • 蚕(蠶) cán, silkworm; 兴(興) xīng, start; 处(處) chǔ, reside; 边(邊) biān, side
  6. Cursive script:
    • 书(書) shū, write; 乐(樂) lè-yuè, happy-music; 伤(傷) shāng, wound; 凤(鳯) fèng, phoenix; 为(為) wéi, do;
    • 爱(愛) ài, love
      (there is a criticism for some simplified characters; e.g., the character of 'love' has no 'heart' changing into 'friend'. But when we see a cursive script of love; there is surely deformed love character is included, which looks like a friend character!)
  7. Popular use:
    • 灶(竃) zào, kitchen; 体(體) tǐ, body; 庄(莊) zhuāng, manor
  8. Substitution of similar pronunciation:
    • 卜(蔔) bo, foretell; 了(瞭) liǎo, know clearly; 出(齣) chū, performance; 后 (後) hòu, rear/empress; 谷 (穀) gǔ, grain/valley; 范(範) fàn, model; 郁 (鬰) yù, gloomy;
    • 霉(黴) méi, mould; 吁(籲) yù, plead;
    • 干(幹) gàn, trunk; 里 (裏/裡) lǐ, inside; 制 (製) zhì, make; 面 (麵/麪) miàn, flour;
    • 沈(瀋) shěn, pour; 克 (剋) kè, beat; 淀(澱) diàn, sediment;
  9. New combination of meaning & pronunciation: (新形声字)
    • 胶(膠) jiāo, glue; 购(購) gòu, purchase; 据(據) jù, occupy; 粮(糧)liáng,grain; 舰(艦) jiàn, warship; 钻(鑽) zuān, bore; 亿(億) yì;
    • 邮(郵) yóu, post; 帮(幫) bāng, help; 态(態) tài; appearance;
    • 华(華) huá, flourish; 毕(畢) bì, finish;
    • 块(塊) kuài, lump; 扰(擾) rǎo, disturb; 洁(潔) jié, clean; 酿(醸) niàng, brew; 证(證) zhèng, prove; 症(癥) zhēng, disease;
    • 图(圖) tú, picture; 药(藥) yào, medicine; 确(確) què firm; 职(職) zhí, duty; 帜(幟) zhì, flag;
  10. New character:
    • 响(響) xiǎng, echo; 惊(驚) jīng, frighten; 丛(叢) cóng, grow together; 忧(憂) yōu
    • 队(隊) duì, queue; 阴(陰) yīn, shade; 笔(筆) bǐ, pen;

2. 略字法:

  1. 一部削除

feng

duo

  1. 他字音借用
  2. 他字形借用
  3. 独立略化
  4. 草書体

wei_cursive

ai

  1. 民間使用
  2. 同音置換
  3. 新形声文字
  4. 創作

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3. Comparison of simplification of Japan & China:
(日中漢字簡略化の比較)

Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
bāng háo nǎo wān
bǎo 寶(寳) huà nǎo wàn
biàn huài         wéi
biàn huān 歡(懽) Ōu wěn
bìng 並(併竝 huì ōu        
bìng huì         xiá
                瀑? xiǎn
cān         xiàn
cán qián xiàn
cán qián
chán jiǎ qiǎn xiě
chēng jià qiàn
齿 chǐ jiè qiè xué 學(斈)
齿 chǐ jǐn quán        
chóng jīng quàn
chǔ 處(処) jīng yán
chù jìng 徑(逕) 驅(敺) yán
chuán jiù         壹(弌)
        róng
dài 舉(擧)        

dān jué shè
dǎn         shēng 驿
dāng 當(噹) kuàng 礦(鑛) 湿 shī 濕(溼) 湿 yǐn
dǎng kuò shí 實(寔) yīng
diǎn         shì yíng
dòu 鬥鬦
鬪鬭
lái shū yìng
láo shǔ
shù
duì lěi shù
duàn liàn shuāng yuán
duò liǎng yuè
        liè                
ér
èr 貳(弍) líng suí
        lóu suǐ zhāi
爐(鑪)         zhàn
fān luàn tái 臺(檯颱枱 zhèng
fèi lùn zhì
fēng         zhòng
mài tiáo zǒng 總(縂)
mài tiě 鐵(銕) zhòu
        mán tīng zhǔ
guān 關(関) mǎn 滿 zhù
guān tuán 團(糰) zhuān 專(耑)
广 guǎng                 zhuàn
guī                        
guó 國(囯)                        
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Simpli.
Chinese
Pīnyīn Tradi.
Chinese
Simpli.
Japanese
Comment
  • It is a very important decisive action to simplify historically-long characters able to be written by almost half strokes, which has contributed literacy education of the people.
  • Many billboards of student movementszs in 1960s-70s in Japan often used simplified characters, such as 斗, 战, 义, 论
  • 半分の画数にした簡体字の歴史的意義は大きい。
  • 日本でも60-70代から一部で使用していた。

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