Kong Junrui 11 Posted September 25, 2005 Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 I'm a Chinese 2 student at my high school, and I'm having some problems with 喜. I just can't remember what it looks like specifically. For example, I know that it looks "layered," I guess, but I usually write the wrong "layers," sometime puting the two dots that are in the middle on top, followed by the horizontal line, then another two dots or something. I don't normally write it a lot, but do use it in speech. Any ideas for how to remember what it looks like? Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nipponman 4 Posted September 25, 2005 Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 All this comes with practice my man. Characters like 嘉 are easier to remember if you break them into components. 喜 is just 壴+口 on the bottom. I think 壴 means drums or something like that. But just resolve them into their components (like vectors ) and you shouldn't have a problem. nipponman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ferno 10 Posted September 25, 2005 Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 Just split 喜 into the components that you've seen many times before - even if only one (口) is the actual radical for the character... 士 口 丷 一 口 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mootpoint 10 Posted September 25, 2005 Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 How about ten 十 beans 豆 (or pieces of tofu or whatever) go in your mouth 口 , which brings 喜 ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kong Junrui 11 Posted September 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 Hahaha, these are all good suggestions. Thanks again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gougou 147 Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 For mnemonics like these visit zhongwen.com . They have (ethymologically completely incorrect) descriptions of the characters, which might help remembering them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
in_lab 2 Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 When it is written, you will sometimes see the 丷 intersect the 一. If you can remember that, then it should help you remember where to put the 丷. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nipponman 4 Posted September 26, 2005 Report Share Posted September 26, 2005 A lot of Zhongwen's etymologies are correct actually :/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ferno 10 Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 A lot of Zhongwen's etymologies are correct actually :/ seriously? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gougou 147 Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 A lot of zhongwen.com's mnemonics aren't etymologies actually. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nipponman 4 Posted September 27, 2005 Report Share Posted September 27, 2005 I have seen a lot that are backed up by the ancient etymology site, so yes they are. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaijiMantis 10 Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 after 1 week. i think a 文盲 should wirte it well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ferno 10 Posted September 30, 2005 Report Share Posted September 30, 2005 I have seen a lot that are backed up by the ancient etymology site, so yes they are. but these characters have changed a lot... it seems like the little tricks they use to describe the characters are taken directly from their modern versions. do Chinese use this to learn characters? Japanese? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Altair 200 Posted October 1, 2005 Report Share Posted October 1, 2005 According to the preface of the corresponding book, the etymologies on zhongwen.com are based on the 说文解字 of 许慎 (around 100 CE), as well as on later commentaries. These works dealt only with the Qin Dynasty "Large Seal" forms, and not with earlier forms to which they had no access. Reliance on the 说文解字 was deliberate, since it was "the reference point for all subsequent scholarship." The author was more interested in giving insight into the current shape of the characters than in accurately tracing their origin from the earliest available forms. The resulting etymologies are often correct, but not reliable enough for scholarly purposes. The author himself says: "For almost every phonetic complex some meaning contribution of the phonetic component has been suggested by a noted scholar. The most fanciful have been excluded, although some dubious ones are still included for their mnemonic value and insight into Chinese culture." do Chinese use this to learn characters? Japanese? I think the short answer to this is no. Characters are basically taught through a focus on rote memorization and repeated copying; however, remember that Chinese and Japanese kids are learning characters in a context that is very different from the average adult foreigner, who is already litterate in his or her own language. I think everyone picks up a few etymologies here and there, but most people learn to develop their own tricks for learning characters, just as most English speakers end up developing their own tricks for learning spellings with only a vague understanding of word origins. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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.