Chinese alphabet hieroglyphs designation. The most interesting thing about Chinese characters

Moreover, the first 1,000 characters make up 80% of texts. This is great news, but it raises the next question. What kind of hieroglyphs are included in the list of these 3-5 thousand? What characters should we focus on learning?

Of course, if you follow the traditional logic - take any basic textbooks and study everything in a row. In the end, you will reach a certain level when you can easily read first simple, then more complex, and then deeply professional texts. Everything is quite clear.

However, I have always wondered which characters are used most often, and which ones occur only once in several hundred thousand texts.

On the Internet, I came across one very interesting study that was conducted in the late 90s - early 2000s. V State University Middle Tennessee(source: lingua.mtsu.edu/chinese-computing/statistics/index.html).

This joint Chinese-American project studied Chinese characters using statistical methods. Linguists and programmers took the vast array of Chinese modern and classical texts that were then available in digital form and ran them through computer programs.

Interesting facts in the study results:

• In total, texts with a total of 258.8 million characters were analyzed (of which classical texts - 65.3 million characters, and modern texts - 193.5 million characters).

• As a result, the researchers received 2 lists: a list of 11115 unique hieroglyphs in classical texts, and a list of 9933 unique characters in contemporary texts.

• The most common modern character 的 (de) occurs in texts 7.9 million times, and accounts for 4.09% of total number hieroglyphs (out of 193.5 million).

• The most common classical character 之 (zhi) occurs in texts 850 thousand times and makes up 1.3% of the total number of characters (out of 65.3 million).

• In modern texts, 1100 hieroglyphs are found only once (for 193.5 million characters).

• In classical texts, 956 hieroglyphs occur 1 time each (65.3 million characters).

And now I propose to get acquainted with the list Top 10 most common characters in modern Chinese.

1. 的 (de)

The possessive particle 的 takes the honorable first place. As indicated just above, this service character is the most common character in modern texts and is used 7.9 million times, accounting for 4.09% of the total number of characters ( hereinafter, the results of the above study on the analysis of modern texts for 193.5 million characters are used)

The particle 的 denotes belonging, and is also used to describe the property or quality of an object.

For example:

孩子的玩具 (Háizi de wánjù) child toy

这是你的电脑，那是我的手机。(zhèshì nǐde diànnǎo, nàshì wǒde shǒujī).This is your computer, and that is my mobile.

黄色的花 (Huangsè de huā) Yellow flower

这是我爸爸买给我的摩托车。(Zhè shì wǒ bàba mǎi gěi wǒ de mótuō chē.)This is the bike my dad bought me.

1. 一 (yī)

The hieroglyph "一" means "one". It is in second place and occurs 3.05 million times, accounting for 1.57% of the total number of modern hieroglyphs.

The reason why "一" is so common is that it is integral part a huge number of words, phrases and Chinese idioms.

For example:

我吃了一个苹果。(wǒ chīle yīgè píngguǒ).I ate one apple.

我拿了第一名。 (wǒ nále dìyī míng).I took first place.

你是我的唯一。(nǐ shì wǒde wéiyī).You are my only one.

百闻不如一见 (Bǎiwén bù rú yíjiàn).Better to see once than hear a hundred times.

1. 是 (shì)

The hieroglyph “是“ closes the top three most common modern hieroglyphs, occurs 2.6 million times and makes up 1.35% of the total.

“是” has the meaning “to be, to be” and is usually omitted in Russian translation (which makes “是” very similar to English verb“to be”). Used as a linking predicate between two nouns.

For example:

我是中国人。(wǒ shì zhōng guó rén).I [am] Chinese.

这是一本书。(zhè shì yī běn shū).This [is] a book.

她的鞋是红色的。(tā de xié shì hóng sè de).Her shoes [are] red.

1. 不 (Bù)

The hieroglyph “不” means “not”, “no” and how it is used as a negative particle. “不” occurs 2.2 million times in modern texts and makes up 1.15% of the total number of characters.

For example:

他不是澳大利亚人。(tā bú shì ào dà lì yà rén).He is not Australian.

我不想去。(wǒ bù xiǎng qù). I do not want to go.

1. 了 (le)

The auxiliary particle “了” takes the honorable fifth place among the most common modern characters, occurs 2.12 million times and makes up 1.09% of the total.

The particle "了" can have several functions; as a rule, it denotes the elapsed time, or the duration of the process. It can also enhance the meaning of the adjective.

For example:

我吃晚饭了。(wǒ chī wǎn fàn le). I had supper.

我住校已经两年了。(Wǒ zhù xiào yǐjīng liǎng niánle).I've been living on campus for two years now.

我的手表太旧了。(Wǒ de shǒubiǎo tài jiùle).My watch is very old.

1. 在 (zà i)

The hieroglyph “在” occurs in modern texts a little more than 2 million times, accounting for 1.03% of the total number of hieroglyphs.

"在" can have multiple meanings. It can be translated as a preposition of location "in", "on", etc. If “在” comes after the verb, it indicates the place where the action takes place. And is also used as an auxiliary particle to denote a long time.

For example:

我在机场等你。(wǒ zài jīchǎng děng nǐ).I'm waiting for you at the airport.

你住在哪里？(nǐ zhù zài nǎ lǐ). Where do you live?

我在学习。(wǒ zài xué xí). I am studying right now.

1. 人 (ré n)

Another frequent hieroglyph “人” occurs 1.8 million times, and means “person”, “people”, “citizen”. It is often used to refer to a person from a particular country. For example, if we add 人 "Man" to the word 中国 "China", we get 中国人 "Chinese".

Also, this character is found in the words "夫人" (Fūrén) - lady, "男人" (Nánrén) - man, and many other words denoting people.

The hieroglyph “人” is also a component of the word “人民”, a people that is quite often used in modern Chinese.

For example:

人民币 (rén mín bì) National currency

你是外国人吗？(nǐ shì wài guó rén ma). You are a foreigner?

1. 有 (yǒ u)

The hieroglyph “有” occurs 1.7 million times and means the word “to have”, “to possess”. Negative form formed with the help of the particle "没有" - not to have.

Also, “有” often means that “there is something somewhere, there is”.

For example:

你有问题吗？(nǐ yǒu wèn tí ma).Do you have a question?

我没有钱。(wǒ méi yǒu qián).I have no money.

这里有个错误。(zhè lǐ yǒu gè cuò wù).There is an error here.

1. 我 (wǒ)

The pronoun “我” occurs 1.69 million times and means “I”. Not surprisingly, this is a fairly common word. It is also an integral part of the pronouns "we", "us", "our".

Examples:

我回家了。(wǒ huí jiā le).I am back.

我们一起去吧。(wǒ men yī qǐ qù ba).Let's go together.

1. 他 (tā)

The pronoun "他" - "he", which is found in modern texts 1.59 million times, closes our top ten. This hieroglyph is also an integral part of the pronouns "they", "them", etc.

For example:

他们是新婚。(Tāmen shì xīnhūn).They just got married.

他们也问他好。(Tāmen yě wèn tā hǎo).They also say hello to him.

On this, perhaps, we will close the topic of the number and frequency of use of hieroglyphs. I am very interested to know your opinion, please share in the comments.

Wish Have a good day,
Svetlana Khludneva

Chinese hieroglyph is one of the most interesting, mysterious and amazing forms of writing in the world. Each hieroglyph is a unique pattern that has its own individual origin, meaning and history.

The history of the origin of the Chinese character

Scholars still disagree on when the first Chinese character emerged. There is information that perhaps the first Chinese writing arose during the existence of the Yin Dynasty, and this is in 1401-1122 BC. Although there are also references to the hieroglyph in literature, which is more than four thousand years old.

Chinese characters

Chinese writing is very ancient and unique thanks to hieroglyphs, the Chinese even like to say that the unity of heaven and man is displayed in hieroglyphs. The very first hieroglyphs were carved by the Chinese on the shells of turtles or the bones of dead animals. Subsequently, hieroglyphs could be found on bronze and steel utensils or weapons, as well as in ancient books.

In the course of the development of civilization, writing itself also developed. The hieroglyph was the beginning of such an art form as calligraphy, where each person can feel like a creator and artist who draws a hieroglyph to his own taste and in his own unique style. Along with this, the hieroglyph is written according to clear strict rules, which in no case should be violated.

I will give an example to make it more clear. Parts of the hieroglyph should be written only from left to right and from top to bottom, the hieroglyph must be placed in a square of a certain size, first all horizontal lines are written, and only then vertical and many other nuances that must be known and taken into account when writing each hieroglyph.

Chinese calligraphy is actually not just a type of writing, it is an art that does not just help people write important information, but also causes an emotional rise, feelings and inspiration.

In the distant past, a hieroglyph written using calligraphy was valued as a work of art. Wealthy Chinese collected such masterpieces in their collections, for which they were famous and recognized by people with good taste. The hieroglyphs, designed using calligraphy, were placed in frames and placed in offices, halls, and also used on signs. various establishments and shops.

Making art like chinese calligraphy, you can cultivate in yourself such valuable qualities as perseverance, patience and perseverance.

Meaning and Meaning of Chinese Characters

Each Chinese character has its own certain meaning and denotes a morpheme or syllable. The scientists were able

Hieroglyph "strength"

only approximately calculate the number of existing hieroglyphs, their number was about eighty thousand. However, in modern world much fewer hieroglyphs are used. For example, in order to read a Chinese newspaper or other printed publication, it is enough to know only three thousand characters.

Each Chinese character can mean both a separate syllable and a full-fledged whole word. Many of the words are derived from one or two syllables. This point is important to consider when working with a dictionary.

The easiest way to find out what this or that hieroglyph means, to find out its meaning and even pronunciation, is to use electronic translators. By the way, there are also dictionaries in which you can draw the desired character in a special window. The program will determine what kind of hieroglyph it is and give out its meaning. The main thing is to follow the rules for writing hieroglyphs (draw from left to right and from top to bottom). It is also impossible to tear your hand away from prescribing an element until the hieroglyph is completed.

Of course, the meaning of hieroglyphs can also be found in ordinary paper dictionaries, but you need to know how to do it correctly. It's not exactly a simple matter. Each edition has its own search features. For example, there is a so-called search by key, when the search for the desired character is carried out by the main element. Typically, this element is the top element on the left. It is necessary to count the number of dashes in a given key and find the corresponding one in the list at the end of the dictionary. On the page indicated in this list, you can find the hieroglyph you need.

Components of Chinese characters

Chinese characters and their spelling have little to do with the language itself. They need to be understood on some intuitive level. The study of hieroglyphs begins with the study of the simplest components.

Each hieroglyph is made up of a certain number of graphic symbols (there are about 200 types). Usually, each of these characters does not carry any meaning. There is also such a thing as a grapheme - a combination of hieroglyphs that are written according to a certain sequence. Such graphemes can be used as a separate hieroglyph, carrying a semantic load, or as a component of another complex hieroglyph.

I will not go deep into the process of formation of hieroglyphs. I just want to list some basic graphic symbols from which hieroglyphs are obtained:

- vertical line;

- horizontal line;

- ascending line;

- broken line;

- hook.

It is from these and many other simple characters that complex and beautiful hieroglyphs are formed.

Many Chinese sages they compared hieroglyphs with life, because some of them grow old or are forgotten, others appear that replace the “dead”, this has been and will continue.

You can, of course, study Chinese and comprehend the rules for writing hieroglyphs at home, but no one will teach you this better than Chinese teachers. Therefore, we invite you to study in China! Ask your questions in the form that will appear after clicking on this button.

Chinese characters- components of Chinese writing, Chinese characters is the topic of this article. Chinese characters are the oldest scripts in existence. Chinese character consists of standard features (from one to 28), repeated in various combinations. Chinese character corresponds to a toned syllable (there are three tones in Chinese) and denotes a single word or morpheme. Complex Chinese characters are a combination of simple characters, of which there are about 300. In fact, Chinese characters, or hieroglyphic writing, unlike alphabetical writing, have almost no connection with the language itself. List Chinese characters, like any dictionary, unlike the alphabet is open, and its volume grows over time. Chinese characters are one of the most profound and mysterious forms of writing on the planet. Each Chinese character is a drawing, each sign has its own history and meaning. Its signs should be understood associatively, figuratively. And if the study colloquial speech Chinese begin with phonetics, then mastery of written literacy - with the Chinese character. Each Chinese character consists of a certain number of graphic elements (there are more than 200 in total). As a rule, these elements by themselves do not carry any semantic load. Combinations of graphic elements written in a certain sequence are called graphemes. A grapheme can be used as an independent simple Chinese character, or as part of a complex one. The number of Chinese characters, like the characters themselves, has constantly changed over the course of history. The greatest number of them was collected in the collection "Ji Yun", compiled during the Sun Dynasty. This collection contains 53,525 Chinese characters. Today it is impossible to determine exactly how many Chinese characters the Chinese script has. The average Chinese uses several thousand Chinese characters in his speech. A person who understands the meanings of 1.5-3.5 thousand hieroglyphs is considered literate. In an attempt to calculate the exact number of Chinese characters, the opinions of linguists differed. Some call the number 40 thousand, others - 70 thousand. Most Chinese characters are found only in the texts of the classical folk literature. Consider the structure of Chinese characters. In some dictionaries, Chinese characters are arranged depending on the number of strokes and on the graphic alphabet. In this system, the entire mass of Chinese characters is subdivided into 5 divisions of the direction and into 24 bases. The basis is considered to be a line in the lower right corner of the Chinese character. If this line is absent, then the bottom line is taken as the basis: . In the Chinese dictionary, the list of Chinese characters opens with the first division of the direction and the first stem. Complex Chinese characters follow each other in the following order: the grapheme on the left is added first; then in the upper left corner ; and finally on top. Below are some simple Chinese characters arranged in graphic alphabet order.