How Chinese Characters Have Evolved Through Time
China’s rich history influences the development of Chinese characters, making Mandarin or Pu Tong Hua (普通話) one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide. You can trace the history of Chinese characters back to five thousand years ago, when our ancestors used Oracle Bone Script, to today where we use the modern Simplified Chinese Characters.
Modern Simplified Chinese Characters symbolize the development of Chinese characters through China’s strong sense of culture and the nation’s goal to educate the rural population. The simplification of the Chinese language led to the birth of Simplified Chinese and helped people learn and write to access quality education.
Because of this, Mandarin is considered a powerful language in modern times, not only culturally but also in other aspects, such as business. It also shows how Chinese characters developed as the country progressed.
The language’s impact also binds China and the other Chinese diaspora in countries like the Philippines. In this sense, Chinoys can also benefit from learning about how the language developed over time to gain a better understanding of their ancestry and culture.
The Birth of Chinese Characters
Oracle Bone Script or Jia Guwen 甲骨文, Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE)
It’s interesting to think that the earliest known writing for Chinese characters was inscribed on animal bones and used for divination and record-keeping!
Ancient Chinese people used ox scapulae or turtle plastrons (the oracle bones or 甲骨 – jia gu) to inscribe short texts. These texts were found in the capital of the Shang Dynasty, Anyang, dated (1600-1046 BCE).
The “shell bone script” consists of divination writings called bu ci (卜辞). Experts tried to understand the texts, revealing that over a thousand words had been deciphered. This discovery showed that some ancient texts resembled modern Chinese characters with a combination of two or more characters.
Bronze Inscriptions or Jin Wen 金文, Zhou Dynasty (1046 – 256 BCE)
As the nation progressed to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 – 256 BCE), ancient Chinese people learned how to write Chinese characters with bronze inscriptions.
Chinese characters became more refined in this era, symbolizing China’s cultural progress. By using bronze vessels and weapons, the Chinese people improved the aesthetic writing style of Chinese characters, making them more sophisticated and professional.
Through this development, they started using Chinese characters for ceremonial and official purposes, reflecting China’s technological development.
The Formation of Classical Chinese
Seal Script or Zhuan Shu 篆书 , Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.E)
Chinese culture was prosperous at this time, leading to the birth of different writing systems across dynasties. There were different ways of writing Chinese characters, and only during the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE) did efforts to standardize Chinese characters take place, creating what was called the Seal Script or Zhuan Shu 篆書.
The effect of standardization helped lay the foundation for classical Chinese script. It also developed the cursive and stylized form of the characters, unifying a single style for the writing system.
This period showed how China became more unified, helping the culture thrive as time progressed.
Clerical Script or Li Shu 隶书, Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
As Chinese societies became more civilized, the writing system also evolved for practical reasons during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE—220 CE).
In this period, the Seal Script was simplified to make reading and writing easier, creating what was called the Clerical Script or Li Shu 隶书 , which showed the influence of Han bureaucracy. This Clerical Script became the basis for modern Chinese characters,marking a significant step in the evolution of Chinese writing. It is also the Chinese characters from this era that began the tradition of writing Chinese characters still used by the Chinoys today.
The Refinement of Character Forms
Regular Script or Kai Shu 楷书, Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)
Many Chinoys are familiar with traditional Chinese characters, and it’s important to know that these characters developed during the late Han Dynasty and reached maturity during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE).
During this era, the development of a standardized and formal style became the standard script. The Regular Script, or Kai Shu 楷书, was made legible so people could use it as a reference for modern writing.
Because of the legibility of the writing system, the Regular Script remains the standard script in today’s writing and printing.
Cursive Script or Cao Shu 草书, Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
Do you remember mo pit (Calligraphy brush) and obak (Chinese Ink) in your Chinese class?
Chinese calligraphy, also known as the Cursive Script or Cao Shu 草书, prospered during the beginning of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE—220 CE).
This era placed great importance on art and creative freedom in writing Chinese characters. Chinese characters had more sophisticated strokes, making them look more beautifully written. Although there is a difference in writing strokes with a free-flowing and expressive style, the Chinese character meaning remains the same.
Fortunately, Chinoys have experienced Chinese calligraphy in their classes as part of preserving and celebrating the culture.
The Impact of Modernization
Simplified Chinese Characters or Jian Hua Zi, 简化字
Because of the People’s Republic of China reform in the 1950s, officials decided to simplify Chinese characters to make them more accessible and easier to study. Since there are fewer strokes, students will be able to understand the writing system much better, increasing the educational standards for the Chinese people.
These modern changes also help the Chinese Diaspora in the Philippines. Chinoys nowadays are familiar with Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters, or Jian Hua Zi, 简化字, because both are still taught at school. By learning these modern writing systems, Chinoys can adapt to modern Chinese culture.
What is Pinyin?
Of course, Chinoys remember Pinyin because they use the Romanized version of Chinese characters to help them read their textbooks in school.
In 1996, Xizi Qiji 西字奇迹 or “Wonder of Western Writing” by Tang Degang 唐德刚 was published. The book delves into the efforts of Chinese script reforms, mainly focusing on the influence of the Western writing system on Chinese characters and how it shapes modern Chinese script.
The most widely used Pinyin system today was developed in 1859 by Sir Thomas Wade, a British ambassador and scholar, and it was later refined in the 1890s by Herbert Giles, another British ambassador and scholar.
Fast-forward to the 1950s. Chinese linguist and sinologist Zhou Youguang 周有光, known as the “Father of Pinyin,” invented the modern Hanyu Pinyin system, which was adopted and published by the Chinese government. In 1982, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted Pinyin as an international standard, and in 1986, the United Nations followed suit.
The Future Direction of Character Evolution
Change is the only permanent thing in life, and the same goes for culture.
However, despite these cultural changes, the Chinese language still thrives and evolves through time. As it did in the past, it is now evolving with the help of technology, further simplifying Chinese language and communication.
Using the digital landscape, technology can make the Chinese writing system more accessible to different Chinese diasporas worldwide. It is with modern technology that characters continue to evolve, keeping the Chinese language relevant and relatable.
Why Chinoys Should Learn How Chinese Characters Evolve
The Chinese language is rich in culture and tradition, so Chinoys should embrace it to stay in touch with their roots.
So, whenever Chinoys write Chinese characters, it can be a glimpse of a long history shaping our beliefs and traditions. Remember, learning how Chinese characters evolved is one way to understand more about Chinese ancestry.
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