They look tough and scary with all of their random lines, swoops and slashes

它們有好多撇來撇去的線條， 看起來既困難又可怕

but they're not actually as difficult as you think.

但是它們其實沒有想像中那麼困難。

They're just very different from the phonetic alphabets

它們只是跟西方人

that westerners are used to.

習慣的拼音文字不同而已。 (吼~~~)

With alphabets, the letters act like "building blocks"

在英文字母表裡， 每個字母就像一個"積木"，

that combine to form words.

一個個拼起來變成一個"字"。

When you see the letter "T",

當你看到字母"T"，

you know it represents the sound /t/.

你就知道它的聲音是 /t/

When you see the letters "T-R-E-E",

當你看到 “T-R-E-E”這些字母，

you recognize all of those sound symbols

你認得出每個字母代表的聲音

and you can put them together to form the sound "tree".

然可把字母拼在一起並念出"tree"。

If you want to write the word "tree",

如果想要寫"tree" 這個字，

you think about how to say the word,

你會先思考怎麼念這個字，

pay attention to the sounds that you make,

專注在你發的聲音

and then write down those letters.

然後寫下這些字母，

That's how a phonetic writing system works.

這就是拼音文字的書寫方法。

Chinese is much different though.

但是中文字非常不同，

It's a pictographic writing system,

中文是一種象形文字，

not a phonetic writing system.

不是拼音文字。

Being a "pictographic writing system" means that Chinese characters

象形文字表示每個中文字

are pictures, like Egyptian hieroglyphs.

都是一個圖片， 就像埃及文字，

So, when you want to write the word "tree"

如果你要寫"樹"，

you don't have to bother with writing letters

你不用把字拼出來

so the reader can sound-out the word...

讓讀者念出這個字，

You simply draw a picture of a tree (木).

你只需要畫一棵樹就好了，

It's that simple.

就這麼簡單。(木)

That's how a pictographic writing system works!

這就是象形文字的書寫方法。

The Chinese writing system is based on drawings of things they saw

中文書寫系統基本上是

in the world around them.

把人看到的所有事物畫下來。

When you look at a Chinese character,

當你看著一個中文字，

you are looking at a stylized drawing that depicts an object or an idea.

其實是看著一幅表達一個東西 或想法的簡化圖片。

If a Chinese character is a picture of an object, like a tree,

如果是表達一個物體的中文字， 像是樹，

it's called a "pictograph".

這就叫做"象形文字"。

If a Chinese character is a picture of an abstract idea like "three" or "happy"

如果是表達一個抽象概念的字， 像是"三"或是"快樂"，

it's called an "ideograph", which means "idea picture".

這就叫做"意形文字"， 意思是”概念的圖片”。

In layman terms though,

簡單來說，

you can simply refer to the Chinese script as "Chinese characters".

你可以簡單的稱中文字體為 "Chinese characters"

You are actually quite familiar with pictographs and ideographs;

其實你已經對象形及意形文字很熟悉了，

you see these types of symbols on a daily basis

在世界各地，

all around the world in the form of street signs and warning labels

你每天都會在街上 看到路標跟警告標誌等這些符號，

(like recycle, radioactive, wet floor, no swimming, no smoking, etc.).

像是回收，小心幅射， 地板濕滑，禁止游泳，禁止吸菸等，

These are examples of pictographic symbols

這些都是象形符號的例子，

and they are universally understood because the human mind

而且是全世界通用的，

is excellent at pattern matching.

因為人腦對於圖案比對很在行，

When an eye sees a pattern,

當人的眼睛看到一個圖案，

the brain has an innate drive to decipher the pattern

腦筋會直覺的把這個圖案解讀成

as something it recognizes.

它原本就認識的東西。

It's easy enough to draw pictographs for simple objects such as a tree (木),

要畫一個簡單的物體很容易， 像是"木"

fire (火)

或是"火"

or a multi-floored tower (高) to express the idea "tall".

或是一個數層樓的塔代表"高"。

However attempting to draw abstract ideas like "have"

然而，若是想要畫一些抽象的概念

or "may" as in "May I?" is a little more complicated.

像是"有"，"可以" 就比較複雜。

Consider for a moment what you would draw

先想一下你會如何畫出

to capture the essence of "have/possess".

"擁有"的意思，

Perhaps you could draw a hand with something in it?

或許是一隻手拿著一個東西?

That's exactly what the Chinese ideograph portrays:

這就是中文意形文字的描述方式：

it's a simple two-part picture depicting a hand with an object in it (有).

由一隻手跟一個物體的圖片合起來就是"擁有"。

How about graphically illustrating the idea "may"?

那麼如何表達"可以"?

What could be drawn to represent this complex idea?

該畫什麼來傳達這個複雜的概念呢？

The actual Chinese ideograph for this (可)

中文意形字"可"

is composed of two simpler pictographic parts:

是由兩個簡單的圖片合起來：

"obstacle" (ㄎ) and "opening" (口).

"障礙" (ㄎ) 以及 "開口" (口)。

By these two simpler pictures combining together,

藉由結合這兩個簡單的圖片，

they paint a picture that can be interpreted as

它們變成一個可以解釋成

"a way through an obstacle",

"穿越障礙的方法"的圖片，

which is a very interesting way to think of getting permission.

用這種說法來解釋"允許"很有意思。

Most Chinese characters work like the two examples above.

大部分的中文字都是用這樣的方式來表達意思，

Multiple simple pictographs are combined to convey increasingly

數個簡單的象形圖片結合成

complex objects and ideas.

複雜的概念。

This approach makes sense

而使用這種方法是很自然而然的，

because there is a seemingly endless list of objects, ideas,

因為語言中有太多的物體，概念，

situations, actions, and descriptive words used in communication.

情況，動作，形容詞。

It would be very difficult for every word to have

不可能每一個字都有一個

its own completely unique symbol.

完全獨一無二的圖片。

Just for fun, let's look at a few more examples of how

我們來看看一些例子，

Chinese characters depict nouns, verbs,

中文字如何表達名詞，動詞，

adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions.

形容詞，副詞，介係詞，以及連接詞。

"Autumn" is the season when grain stalks (禾) in the fields are burned (火).

秋天是 燒(火)田中稻草(禾)的季節。

The verb "see" depicts a hand (龵)

"看"這個動詞代表看著遠方時，

shading an eye (目) as it gazes into the distance.

把手(龵)放在眼睛 (目)上方的動作。

Shells were used as currency in ancient times.

貝是古代的貨幣，

To make some purchases, an entire basket (貝)

買貴的東西時需要用

of shells (貝) was needed, so this is how the Chinese character

一整個籃子來裝貝，

for "expensive" is drawn.

這就是中文表示"貴"的方法。

To express "not", the Chinese character shows a hand (又)

為了表達"沒有"，中文字用一隻手(又)

reaching into swirling water (氵) searching for a lost object (⺇).

伸進水裡 (氵) 尋找失去的物體(⺇)來表示。

The character for "to" shows a bird swooping down towards the ground (土),

"至"這個字代表一隻鳥降落在地上(土)，

arriving "to" its destination.

"至"牠的目的地。

The conjunction "must" reminds us of an ancient decree imposed on all men

連接詞"須"表達古代男人被要求

that required them to maintain long beards and hair (彡) on their heads (頁).

頭上(頁)要留長髮及鬍子(彡)。

All of these simple pictographic components

這些簡單的象形部件

fit together like puzzle pieces

像拼圖一樣合在一起

to create a balanced visually pleasing Chinese character of uniform size.

創造了一個大小相同， 整體視覺上"對稱"的中文字。

Some of these component parts are thin and tall,

有一些部件比較細而長，

others are short and wide,

有一些比較短而寬，

and some bend.

還有一些是彎曲的。

Depending on how many of these are combined,

根據一個字裡部件數量，

along with the shape of each component part

以及每一個部件的形狀，

the following layouts are possible:

有以下不同的中文字結構。

2 or 3 component parts might be stacked vertically,

2到3個部件可以向上疊在一起，

lined up next to each other horizontally,

或左右排在一起。

one component could encompass or partially encompass another,

一個部件可以全部或部分圍著另一個部件，

or any combination of these three.

或者以上三種結構互相結合。

There are also rare instances where two components will merge together,

偶而，兩個部件也會合併在一起，

as if one has been laid on top of the other.

像是其中一個躺在另一個上方。

Additionally, some of these simple pictographic components - but not all -

另外，有些簡單的部件也可以獨立存在，

are able to stand alone without combining with other components.

不須和其他部件結合。

For example, the component "heart" (心) is often combined with other components

例如"心"這個部件常常和其它部件結合

to help relay abstract meanings,

來表達抽象的意義，

however it also stands alone for the actual Chinese ideograph "heart".

但它也是一個獨立的象形文字，表示"心"。

The pronunciation of the components is worth learning

部件的發音是值得學習的，

for they sometimes provide clues to the pronunciation

因為有時候部件的發音

of the character in which they occur.

已經暗示了他們所在文字的發音。

This means that even if it's your first time to see a new Chinese character,

也就是說，即使看到一個新的字，

you can probably guess what it means and also guess how to say the character

如果你認得這些文字裡的部件，

if you recognize all of the smaller parts that are in the character!

你也大概猜得到這個字的意思及發音，

All of the components within a character contribute to its meaning,

每一個字裡的每一個部件都代表一個意義，

and about half of the time

而有一半的機會

one of the components will carry the pronunciation of the entire character.

其中一個部件便傳達了這個字的發音。

However, this doesn't occur consistently

但是，這種情況發生的並不一致

because the spoken language existed far before the written language.

因為口說語言比書寫語言早存在了好幾年。

When creating Chinese characters, drawing them to relay the meaning

造中文字的時候，字跟意義間的關係

of the character took precedence over relaying their pronunciation.

比字跟發音間的關係來的重要。

However, as the Chinese script has evolved through the centuries,

然而，隨著中文字千百年來的演變，

scholars have occasionally added additional components

學者有時會在字裡

to the original version of some characters in an attempt

加入一些部件，

to clarify the character's meaning or pronunciation.

讓字的意思或發音更清楚明瞭。

It should also be noted that due to the evolution of the spoken Chinese language

值得一提的是，隨著中文口語的演變，

sometimes the character is no longer pronounced the way it once was,

有時人們也不再依照古時的發音，

and thus the phonetic clue - if present at all -

所以，原本可能提供發音的線索， --如果存在的話--

may not be completely accurate.

也不完全正確了。

The red component provides the character's pronunciation

紅色的部件是這個字的發音，

Alright, you get the idea of how Chinese characters work.

好了，你現在了解中文字是如何形成的了，

Now let's talk about numbers.

那麼來看一些數據吧。

People often ask how many Chinese characters there are.

人們常問到到底有多少個中文字，

Different sources give different numbers.

不同的來源提供不同的數字，

One of the most famous dictionaries in China, the Kangxi dictionary,

其中，在中國最有名的字典， 康熙字典，

contains over 47,000 characters.

收錄了超過47,000個中文字。

The Taiwan Ministry of Education has been working to standardize

台灣教育部從1980年代

traditional Chinese characters since the 1980's

就開始致力於讓繁體中文標準化，

and to date they have published a total of 48,172 characters.

到目前為止， 已經建立了48,172個中文字了。

The recently published Hanyu Da Cidian lists over 60,000 characters.

最新出版的"漢語大辭典"列舉了60,000個字。

If we look at computer encoding, due to the necessity to type Chinese characters

以電腦打字來說，為了打出中文字，

we find that Unicode 5.0 has approximately

Unicode 5.0的字表裡

70,000 Chinese characters in its tables.

有將近70,000個中文字。

And lastly, the 5th official version

最後，正式的第五版異體字字典

of the Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants contains 106,230 characters.

包含了106,230個中文字。

The good news is you don't really need to learn all of them.

好消息是，你不需要真的學會每一個字，

The Taiwan Ministry of Education has published

台灣教育部編印了一個清單，

a list of 4,808 most frequently used traditional Chinese characters,

列出最常用的4,080個中文繁體字，

followed by an additional 6,341 second most frequently used

另外有次常用的6,341個

traditional characters.

中文繁體字。

In Hong Kong, the Education and Manpower Bureau

香港教育局

established a list of 4,759 most frequently used traditional characters.

列出了最常用的4,759個中文繁體字。

And in Mainland China,

在中國大陸，

the Chart of Common Characters of Modern Chinese only contains

現代漢語常用字表

3,500 in its list.

只包含了3,500個字。

The point is, these characters cover 99% of a 2 million word sample,

重點是，這些字囊括在 兩百萬字樣本中的99%，

which means that to be considered "literate",

也就是說，你只需要

one really only need to recognize 3,500 simplified characters

認識3,500個簡體字，

or 4,800 traditional characters.

或4,800個繁體字，就代表"識字"了。

Phew!

太好了！

So there you have it!

就是這樣了！

Just by having watched this presentation you are already

光是看了這個介紹影片，

way ahead of the race because you understand

你就已經領先了，

that Chinese characters are much more

因為你已經知道中文字不只是

than just a sequence of lines to be memorized.

一連串需要背起來的線條。

A Chinese character is a picture

一個中文字是由

created by combining several simpler pictographic components.

許多部件組合成的一個象形圖片。

These simpler pictographic components are the "building blocks"

這些簡單的象形部件就是組成中文字的積木，

of Chinese characters, just like alphabets are the building blocks

就像拼音文字中，

of phonetic languages.

英文字母是組成英文字的積木一樣。

We hope you enjoyed this "pictographic" video presentation!

希望你會喜歡這個"象形"的介紹影片。

To learn how to use the intrinsic building block nature

為了瞭解如何使用

of Chinese characters to your advantage in order

這種中文字積木的特性

to quickly learn huge amounts of Chinese characters,

並快速地學會大量的中文字，

watch the next video "The ABCS of Chinese Teaching Methodology".

請看接下來的影片 "The ABCs of Chinese Teaching Methodology"，

It will forever change your approach to learning Chinese characters!

它會徹底地改變你學中文的方法。

And if you're just starting out or considering if you want to study

如果你才剛開始學中文， 或正在考慮是否要學，

Chinese or not, already living in Asia and functionally illiterate,

或者目前住在亞洲國家但是個"功能性文盲"，

or studying Chinese in university be sure to watch the 3rd segment,

或者目前在大學裡學中文， 那麼就要看第三段影片，

"The Importance of Learning Chinese".

“The Importance of Learning Chinese” (學中文的重要性)。 �