liao Posted April 24, 2005 at 06:13 AM Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 at 06:13 AM I was wondering how those of you who can read cursive (for example cao shu 草書) learned to do so. I can read printed characters and my friends' handwriting (if they write neatly) but that's about it. I'm often in the awkward position of going out with non-Chinese speaking friends at a restaurant and being asked to read the inscription on painting decorating the place. I know there are dictionaries of script forms, but am not sure if this is the best way. (I thought of this because I just saw an interesting program that teaches the reading of calligraphic variants of hiragana and thought I should make an effort with reading Chinese calligraphy). Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodcutter Posted April 24, 2005 at 09:28 AM Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 at 09:28 AM I was wondering how those of you who can read cursive (for example cao shu 草書) learned to do so. I can read printed characters and my friends' handwriting (if they write neatly) but that's about it. I'm often in the awkward position of going out with non-Chinese speaking friends at a restaurant and being asked to read the inscription on painting decorating the place.I know there are dictionaries of script forms' date=' but am not sure if this is the best way. (I thought of this because I just saw an interesting program that teaches the reading of calligraphic variants of hiragana and thought I should make an effort with reading Chinese calligraphy). Thanks.[/quote'] Obviously, your Chinese has to be good enough to read bad handwriting. There's no special knack to that I think, just the usual grinding at the language will take you there. Also you would need to study the particular different cursive symbols, I've seen a number of books. Can't really do it myself - and like all poor Chinese readers I am also constantly frustrated by the really difficult stuff people always want us to translate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maybedaisy Posted April 24, 2005 at 02:26 PM Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 at 02:26 PM in fact, for me, as a Chinese,it's hard for me to know every cursive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geek_frappa Posted August 7, 2005 at 02:22 AM Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 at 02:22 AM you can find a very old book i scanned that may help with the cursive... Read About China in Cursive Script, by Chang Yi-nan http://www.flickr.com/photos/pzlabs/sets/709578/ hope this helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipponman Posted August 7, 2005 at 11:26 AM Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 at 11:26 AM Yeah, I have trouble reading/writing cursive too. My writing is like a computer's unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randyj Posted August 7, 2005 at 02:00 PM Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 at 02:00 PM Cursive can be difficult in any language, I think. People in China tell me doctors are notorious for their handwriting, same as doctors in the United States. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devi9 Posted August 8, 2005 at 05:15 PM Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 at 05:15 PM Chinese Cursive Script : An Introduction to Handwriting in Chinese (Far Eastern Publications Series) by Fang-yu Wang got good reviews. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0887100333/104-1045382-7617554?v=glance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
大块头 Posted December 9, 2018 at 12:13 AM Report Share Posted December 9, 2018 at 12:13 AM I thought finding some Chinese penpals to exchange handwritten letters would be a fun way to practice reading cursive Chinese, so I rented a PO box at my local post office and reached out to dozens of people on Penpal World and HelloTalk. Months later, however, I have only received three handwritten letters. Can anybody recommend resources for practicing this skill? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
889 Posted December 9, 2018 at 01:19 AM Report Share Posted December 9, 2018 at 01:19 AM I can second Wang Fang-yu's text on cursive Chinese mentioned above. I'm not sure there's any other English book out there like it. (As I recall, older copies with the loose binding have better printing quality than the new ones.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.