Chinese Characters Hanzi — Origin, Formation, Evolvement, and Meanings

Chinese Characters, known as Hanzi, encompass all written systems used in China, spanning from ancient oracle inscriptions to the simplified characters used today.

As one of the most ancient writing systems, Hanzi has been continuously employed throughout history and remains in use to this day.

Chinese Characters or Han Zi in Calligraphy of Zhao Mengfu (1254 — 1322)

Chinese Writing Symbols or Hanzi in Calligraphy of Zhao Mengfu (1254 — 1322) — Palace Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

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Why Are Chinese Characters Called Hanzi

Origin, Evolvement, Scripts, and Writing Strokes of Chinese Characters

Traditional Chinese Characters and Simplified Chinese Characters

How Many Chinese Characters and Pronunciations Are There

Formation Principles

List of Some Chinese Characters with Common Meanings

Why Are Chinese Characters Called Hanzi?

The earliest existing Chinese Symbols are the oracle inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC — 1046 BC) in the Yellow River area.

People from this area inherited some important Neolithic cultures and developed the successive Zhou (1046 BC — 256 BC), Qin (221 BC — 207 BC), and Han (202 BC — 220 AD) dynasties.

Compared to the transient Qin, the Han Dynasty is the second and the longest unified and centralized empire in ancient China, with unprecedented prosperity and influence on Chinese culture.

Hence, the major ethnic group in China, the Han People, is named after this dynasty, and so are the Chinese Characters, the Hanzi (汉字).

Chinese Characters "Le Wei Yang" (Eternal Happiness) on Unearthed Eaves Tile of the Han Dynasty

Chinese Words "Le Wei Yang" (Eternal Happiness) on Unearthed Eaves Tile of the Han Dynasty — Fujian Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

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Origin, Evolvement, Scripts, and Writing Strokes of Chinese Characters Throughout History

Origin and Neolithic Symbols

In ancient mythology and folklore, Chinese Symbols were invented by Cang Jie, a historian during the reign of the Yellow Emperor (about 2717 BC — 2599 BC).

In archaeology, many meaningful symbols on the unearthed Neolithic relics are believed to be the beginning or prototype of Chinese writing symbols.

Symbols on Painted Pottery Basin of Yangshao Culture (Around 5000 BC — 3000 BC) — National Museum of China (Photo by Dongmaiying)

Oracle Bone Script or Jiaguwen

Including over 4500 symbols, the Oracle Bone Script or Jiaguwen is the official writing system of the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC — 1046 BC), regarding royals' divination activities and historical records.

Oracle Bone Inscription or Jiagu Wen During the Reign Period of King Wu Ding (? — 1192 BC)

Oracle Bone Script or Jiaguwen During the Reign Period of King Wu Ding (? — 1192 BC) — National Museum of China

Bronze Inscriptions or Jinwen

Including over 3700 symbols, Bronze Inscriptions or Jinwen refer to the writings carved on bronze wares, originated in the late Shang Dynasty (1600 BC — 1046 BC), thrived in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC — 256 BC), and disappeared with the establishment of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC — 207 BC).

Most Bronze Inscriptions are about praising the accomplishments of the ancestors and royals and recording important historical events.

Bronze Inscription or Jin Wen Carved on Bronze Ritual Water Container (Qiang Pan) of the Zhou Dynasty, Recorded History and Achievements of Its First Seven Kings

Bronze Inscriptions or Jinwen Carved on Bronze Ritual Water Container (Qiang Pan) of the Zhou Dynasty, Recorded History and Achievements of Its First Seven Kings — Baoji Museum

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Seal Script or Zhuanshu

Seal Script, also known as Zhuanshu, includes two types: Large Seal Script (Dazhuan) and the Small Seal Script (Xiaozhuan).

Large Seal Script Dazhuan

Large Seal Script (Dazhuan) refers to the writings that were popularized from the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC — 771 BC) to the Warring State Period (403 BC — 221 BC).

Broadly speaking, the Large Seal Script Dazhuan includes all characters before the invention of the Small Seal Script.

Small Seal Script Xiaozhuan

Small Seal Script (Xiaozhuan) was the official writing standard of the unified Qin Dynasty (221 BC — 207 BC).

Small Seal Script (Xiaozhuan) evolved from and simplified the Large Seal Script, and was promoted to official writing under the command of Qin Shi Huang (259 BC — 210 BC), the first emperor in China, and was replaced in the late Western Han Dynasty (220 BC — 8 AD).

However, because of the ancient style and beautiful structure of Small Seal Scripts, they have been widely used in calligraphy, seals, and stone carvings.

Small Seal Script Characters in Rubbing of Yishan Stele That Records and Praises Accomplishems of Qin Empire, Written by Chancellor Li Si (284 BC — 208 BC) the Creator of Small Seal Script

Small Seal Script in Rubbing of Yishan Stele That Records and Praises Accomplishems of Qin Empire, Written by Chancellor Li Si (284 BC — 208 BC) the Creator of Small Seal Script — Beilin Museum of Xi'an

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Clerical Script or Lishu

Evolved from the Seal Script by clericals, the Clerical Script or Lishu is easier and faster to write.

Originated in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC — 207 BC), thrived in the Han Dynasty (202 BC — 220 AD), and was popularized until the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 — 589).

Clerical Script or Li Shu Characters on Debris (Xi Ping Shi Jing) of Official Confucianism Classics Carved on Stone (175 — 183)

Clerical Script or Lishu on Debris (Xi Ping Shi Jing) of Official Confucianism Classics Carved on Stone (175 — 183) — National Museum of China (Photo by Ayelie)

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Regular Script or Kaishu

Regular Script, or Kaishu, has been the most popular and common writing of Chinese Symbols, invented in the late Han Dynasty (202 BC — 220 AD) and thrived in the Tang Dynasty (618 — 907) till today.

Regular Script or Kaishu in Rubbing of the Duobaota Stele Written by Great Calligrapher Yan Zhenqing in the Year 752 — Beilin Museum of Xi'an

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Cursive Script or Caoshu

Appearing in the early Han Dynasty (202 BC — 220 AD) and is based on Clerical Script, the Cursive Script or Caoshu is a relatively simple calligraphy style that is the fastest to write, but comparatively hard to recognize.

Cursive Script or Caoshu in Part of Calligraphy Work "Thousand Character Classic", Written by Emperor Huizong of Song (1082 — 1135) — Liaoning Museum

Semi-cursive Script or Xingshu

Semi-cursive Script or Xingshu is the type of calligraphy that appeared in the late Han Dynasty (202 BC — 220 AD), based on the straight style of Regular Script, but with faster writing and smoothness.

Semi-cursive Script or Xingshu in Calligraphy Work "Hanshi Tie", Written by Eminent Scholar Su Shi (1037 — 1101) — Taipei Palace Museum

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Order of Chinese Character Writing Strokes

Despite the different forms and styles in history, writing Chinese character strokes always follow the exact order:

From top to bottom, from left to right.

Traditional Chinese Characters and Simplified Chinese Characters

Traditional Chinese Characters or Fantizi is the writing system that appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 — 220) when Clerical Script gradually replaced the Seal Script.

Today, they are mainly used in Macao, Hong Kong, and Taiwan regions.

Simplified Chinese Characters or Jiantizi is the system that used some simplified symbols to replace difficult ones, published in 1956 and used in Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Why Use Simplified Chinese Characters?

Throughout the history of Chinese writing, from Seal Script to Semi-cursive Script, it has made the writing system simpler and more convenient for more people to write and read while following main concepts and formation rules.

Examples of the Evolvement of Chinese Characters

Where Do These Simplified Characters Come From?

These simplified characters that are used to replace difficult ones in Traditional Chinese Characters mainly come from:

Ancient, simpler symbols since Oracle Bone Script;

Commonly used symbols in history outside of the official writing system;

Calligraphy works since the Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasty (220 — 420), especially from Cursive Script and Semi-cursive Script masterpieces;

Newly improved and created ones by changing the position of the different parts of a Hanzi, removing or using simple ones to replace certain parts, combining elements to invent new ones based on the meaning, etc.

To sum up, from the Oracle Bone Script to modern Chinese Hanzi, they are all parts of Chinese writing, the ancient and continuously used writing system that carries culture and history.

Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters in Masterpiece "Lanting Jixu", Written by Great Calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303 — 361). This Facsimile Version was Copied by Callihraphor Feng Chengsu (617 — 672) and Preserved in Palace Museum.

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How Many Chinese Characters and Pronunciations Are There?

From various Chinese character dictionaries that have been passed down throughout history, over 100,000 symbols have been compiled. Among them, around 3,500 are commonly used, covering 99% of today's reading materials.

When combining Pinyin and tones, there are over 1,300 pronunciations in today's Standard Chinese or Mandarin.

Formation Principles of Chinese Characters

Concluded in the Han Dynasty (202 BC — 220 AD), six methods were used to form Chinese characters, three of which are most frequently used: Pictogram, Compound Ideogram, and Phono-semantic Compound.

Pictogram or Xiangxing

Pictogram or Xiangxing is the most ancient formation method, which created symbols based on the objects' appearances.

The numbers of Pictogram symbols are not many, but they are easy to recognize and understand and can be used as an easy beginning to learn Chinese characters.