ChineseCharacters

TheShapeofChineseCharacters－中国字的形状Overview•TheoriginofChinesecharacters•TheevolutionofChinesecharacters•BasicknowledgeofChinesecharacters♦Structure,Stroke,Strokesequence•Challengesforcomputing•Othertopics•SummaryTheOriginofChineseCharacter•Chinesescriptoriginatedfrompicture-writing•ThedevelopmentofChinesecharacterscanbedatedbacktoabout4,500years.•Thecharacterswereengravedonshellandbone,alsoonbronzesandstone.MainPrinciplesforCharacterConstruction•Pictographs(≈4%)•Ideographs(≈1%)•LogicalAggregates(≈13%)•PhoneticComplexes(≈82%)CharacterConstruction:Pictographs•Representreal-lifeobjectsbydrawings(≈4%)♦Animal,plants,partsofthebodyetc.♦Example(Scriptsfromoraclebone)•Horserotate•Human•Sun•MountainCharacterConstruction:Ideographs•Representpositionalandnumeralconceptsbyindication(≈1%)♦Example:•One一up,above上•Two二lower,below下•Three三♦However•Fouris四,insteadof•Leftis左，insteadof•Rightis右，insteadofCharacterConstruction:LogicalAggregates•Formanewmeaningbycombiningthemeaningsoftwoormorecharacters(≈13%)♦Example•Wood木SmallForest林BigForest森•Person人SmallGroup从LargeGroup众•Person人Ground土＝Sit坐•手分+手＝掰HandToseparateHandToseparatesthwithtwohandsCharacterConstruction:PhoneticComplexes•Formacharacterbycombiningthemeaningofonecharacterandthepronunciationofanothercharacter(≈82%)♦Example•(water)+其＝淇(theriver)•(jade)+其=琪（avaluablewhitestoneorgem)•木(wood)+其=棋（Chinesechess)TheEvolutionofChineseCharacter•Thesimplificationofcharactershasbeenacontinueprocess♦Reducethenumberofstrokes♦Replacecomplexcomponentswithsimplifiedform•Whysimplify?♦Tomakewritingsimplerandfaster♦Toaidlearningeffectively♦TomakeknowledgeAccessibleTheexampleofevolutionOraclebonescript(1400-1200BC)Largesealscript(1100-256BC)Smallsealscript(221-207BC)Clericalscript(207BC-220AD)Standardscript(Since207BC)Runningscript(Since207BC)Grassscript(Since207BC)Simplifiedscript(Since1949)UsedinTaiwan,HongKongUsedinMainlandChina,SingaporeEarRainCloudMoonFishCartSeeAnExercise:FindCorrespondenceEarRainCloudMoonFishCartSeeAnExercise:FindCorrespondence(Answer)TheStructureofChineseCharactersI•Thecharactersarewrittenwithintheframeworkofasquare.BasicStructureLeft-rightTop-bottomInside-outsideLeft-middle-rightTop-middle-bottomSymmetricalFormExamples好地观是要星国回闪哪谢翅爱箩蒙坐乘爽TheStructureofChineseCharactersII•ThesamecomponentsmayappearindifferentpositionstoformdifferentcharactersStokesofChineseCharacters•Thereare9basicstokes•Thereisaparticularsequenceinwhichthestrokesmustbewritten.Ifitisfollowed,thewritingcanbesmoothandFast.9basicstokesTheStokeSequencePropertiesofChinese•Largenumberofcharacters♦9,353in1stcenturyC.E.♦47,043in1716♦~60,000in1990♦Occurrence•1,000characters90%•2,400characters99%•3,800characters99.9%•6,600characters99.999%•Complicatedandad-hoccompositionrulesTheChallengeforComputing•Representation♦Chinesehasmuchmorecharacters.Two8-bitormoreencodingmethodisused.♦CodedCharacterSets:•China:GB2312-80,Taiwan:Big5•Unicode:Unifyalloftheworldscharactersetsintoasinglelargecharacterset.•Input/output♦Demo•NaturalLanguageprocessing♦Recognition:speech,opticalcharacter♦Analysis♦Understanding♦Generation(Synthesis)OtherTopics:ThePronunciation•Whatsounds?♦Vastnumberofregionalects/dialects♦StandardisMandarin(basedonBeijing)茶cha—Northernzo—Suzhoudzo—Wenzhoute—Xiamen(Amoy)tssa—Guangzhou(Canton)TeaOtherTopics:Thewordandsentencecomposition•Atcurrentstage,thecreationofnewcharactersisalmoststopped.Usewordscomposedbycharacterstoexpressnewmeaning.♦ByCombiningthemeaningsoftwoormorecharacters•车(cart)•火（fire)火车（train)汽（gas)汽车（car)•货（cargo）货车（truck）公（public)公车（bus)♦Bypronunciation•因特(inter)+网（net）=internetOthertopics:CalligraphySummary•Chinesescriptoriginatedfrompicture-writing.•Sincetheircreation,thesimplificationofcharactershasbeenacontinueprocess.•LearningChineseisfun,especiallyatthebeginningstage.