Learning How To Write Chinese Word (Lesson #3) - Part 2

Learning How To Write Chinese Word (Lesson #3) - Part 2

From Chinese Characters To Chinese Words

First we went from components to characters.

Next, we are going from characters to words.

Although there are a lot of one-character words in Chinese, they tend to either be classically-rooted words like “king” and “horse” or grammatical particles and pronouns.

The vast majority of Chinese words contain two characters.

The step from characters to words is where, dare I say it, Chinese script gets easy!

Come on, you didn't think it would always be hard did you? 🙂

When you first learn to write Chinese, you'll discover a foreign pronunciation system, a foreign tonal system and a very foreign writing system.

Chinese, on the other hand, sucker-punches you on day one… but gets a little more gentle as you go along.

One you've realised these things:

• there aren't that many components to deal with

• all characters are made up of these basic components

• words are actually characters bolted together

…then it's a matter of just memorising a whole bunch of stuff!

Making words from Chinese characters you already know is easy and really fun. This is where you get to start snapping the lego blocks together and build that Pirate Island!

The Logic Of Chinese Writing

Here are some wonderful examples of the simplicity and logic of Chinese using the character 车 which roughly translates as “vehicle”.

• Water + Vehicle = Waterwheel = 水 +车

• Wind + Vehicle = Windmill = 风＋车

• Electric + Vehicle = Tram/Trolley = 电＋车

• Fire + Vehicle = Train = 火＋车

• Gas + Vehicle = Car = 汽＋车

• Horse + Vehicle = Horse and cart/Trap and Pony = 马＋车

• Up + Vehicle = Get into/onto a vehicle =上＋车
  

• Down + Vehicle = Get out/off a vehicle =下＋车

• Vehicle + Warehouse = Garage = 车＋库

• To Stop + Vehicle = to park = 停＋车

Chinese is extremely logical and consistent.

This is a set of building blocks that has evolved over 5,000 years in a relatively linear progression. And you can't exactly say the same about the English language!

Just think of the English words for the Chinese equivalences above:

Train, windmill, millwheel/waterwheel, tram/trolley, car/automobile, horse and cart/trap and pony.

Making The Complex Simple

This logical way of constructing vocabulary is not limited to everyday words like “car” and “train”. It extends throughout the language.

To take an extreme example let's look at Jurassic Park.

The other day I watched Jurassic Park with my Chinese girlfriend. (OK, re-watched. It's a classic!)

Part of the fun for me (annoyance for her) was asking her the Chinese for various dinosaur species.

Take a second to look through these examples. You'll love the simplicity!

• T Rex 暴龙 = tyrant + dragon

• Tricerotops 三角恐龙 three + horn + dinosaur

• Diplodocus 梁龙 roof-beam + dragon

• Velociraptor 伶盗龙 clever + thief + dragon (or swift stealer dragon)

• Stegosaurus 剑龙 (double-edged) sword + dragon

• Dilophosaurus 双脊龙 double+spined+dragon

Don't try to memorise these characters, just appreciate the underlying logic of how the complex concepts are constructed.

(Unless, of course, you are a palaeontologist…or as the Chinese would say a Ancient + Life + Animal + Scientist!).

For more on this, check my series of Chinese character images that I publish on this page. They focus on Chinese words constructed from common characters, and help you understand more of the “building block” logic of Chinese.

TAKEAWAY: Chinese words are constructed extremely logically from the underlying characters. This means that once you've learned a handful of characters vocabulary acquisition speeds up exponentially.

TAKEAWAY: Chinese words are constructed extremely logically from the underlying characters. This means that once you've learned a handful of characters vocabulary acquisition speeds up exponentially.