The Chinese Character Kingdom for Children

*Chinese Characters for Children*, by Swedish Sinologist Cecilia Lindqvist, uses an illustrated format to explain the origins and characteristics of Chinese characters to children. The book primarily selects characters related to human life and organizes them into chapters, such as "Humans and Humanity," "Water and Mountains," "Livestock," "Cars, Roads, and Boats," "Farming," "Wine and Vessels," "Hemp and Silk, Bamboo and Trees, Tools and Weapons," "Roofs and Houses," and "Books and Music." It also analyzes and describes Chinese lifestyles and customs to deepen readers' understanding of the characters. While there are many books on Chinese characters on the market, most are written by Chinese authors. As a foreigner, Lindqvist approaches each character with curiosity. For example, why do people call a water faucet a "dragon's head" (龙头)? Why is pregnancy referred to as "having a body" (有身子了)? What is the relationship between "body" (身) and "pregnancy" (孕)? Why do many Chinese people, upon meeting, ask "Have you eaten?" instead of "How are you?" The book covers only over 200 "basic Chinese characters," most of which were among the earliest characters created and used by the Chinese people. It can be considered an accessible introductory guide for children learning Chinese characters.

2016-08-01

中信出版社

Movable Type Culture

304

9787508664972