Chinese writing
system
Hui-Ju Chuang
University of Hawaii-Manoa
Sound system review
• Simple finals
a o e i u ü
• Initials
b
d
g
j
z
zh
p
t
k
q
c
ch
m
n
h
x
s
sh
f
l
r
Hui-Ju Chuang
Sound system review
cha
lu
re
xiang
su
xu
qian
nan
zhou
Hui-Ju Chuang
Sound system review
zū
cǒng
fùmǔ
shuì
zhèng
huì
jiǔ
xuě
bànyè
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yóng
Tone changed rules
• When a third tone syllable is followed by
another third tone syllable, the first syllable
change to second tone
e.g. hěn hǎo --> hén hǎo (very good)
hǎo jiǔ -->háo jiǔ (good wine)
Hui-Ju Chuang
• When two forth tone syllables occur
together, the first syllable will change to
second tone
• But only apply to two words yì (one) and
bù (not)
• e.g. yì dìng --->yí dìng (definitely)
bù duì--> bú duì (not correct)
Hui-Ju Chuang
Numbers
• 10, 20, 30, 40…90
十(shí), 二十(èr shí), 三十(sān shí), …
• 11~19
十一(shí yī), 十二(shí èr), 十三(shí sān), …
Hui-Ju Chuang
Chinese writing system
• Six categories
1. 象形 (xiàngxíng) Pictographs
Hui-Ju Chuang
Chinese writing system
2. 指事 (zhǐshì) Self-explanatory characters
Hui-Ju Chuang
Chinese writing system
3. 會意(huìyì) Associative compounds
Sun moon - bright
日rì 月yuè
明míng
4. 形聲(xíngshēng) Pictophonetic characters
Hui-Ju Chuang
Chinese writing system
5. 轉注(zhuǎnzhù) Mutually explanatory
characters
e.g.
老 lǎo
考kǎo
‘elder’ ‘to test’
6. 假借 (jiǎjiè) Phonetic loan characters
e.g.
來lái
花huā
‘to come’ ‘flower/to spend’
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Chinese basic stroke
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
點 ‘dot’
橫 ‘horizontal’
豎 ‘vertical’
撇 ‘downward left’
捺 ‘downward right’
提 ‘upward’
橫鈎 ‘horizontal hook’
豎鈎 ‘vertical hook’
斜鈎 ‘slanted hook’
橫折 ‘horizontal bend’
豎折 ‘vertical bend’
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Guidelines for stroke order
A. From left to right
B. From top to bottom
C. Horizontal before vertical
D. From outside to inside
E. Middle before two sides
F. Inside before closing
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Useful expressions
A: Nǐ hǎo! ‘How do you do?’
B: Nǐ hǎo! ‘How do you do?’
A: Dàjiā hǎo! ‘How are you, everyone?’
B: Lǎoshī hǎo! ‘How are you, teacher?’
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• Shàng kè ‘Let’s begin the class.’
• Xià kè ‘The class is over.’
A: Míngbai ma? ‘Do you understand?’
B: Míngbai le. ‘Yes, I/we understand.’
A: Dǒng bù dǒng? ‘Do you understand?’
B: Dǒng le. ‘Yes, I/we understand.’
Hui-Ju Chuang
• Qǐng gēn wǒ shōu.
‘Please repeat after me.’
• Qǐng zài shōu yí biàn.
• ‘Please say it again.’
• Qǐng wèn…..
• ‘Excuse me…; May I ask…?’
• Xièxie!
• ‘Thank you.’
Hui-Ju Chuang