汉字的六千年

六lìu千qiān年前nián qián，黄huáng河hé边biān上shàng的de人rén把bǎ符号fú hào刻kè在zài陶器táo qì上shàng。那些nà xiē歪wāi歪wāi扭nǐu扭nǐu的de刻kè痕hén，也许yě xǔ就是jìu shì汉字hàn zì最zuì早zǎo的de祖先zǔ xiān。

Six thousand years ago people by the Yellow River carved signs into pottery. Those crooked marks may be writing's earliest ancestors.

三sān千qiān两liǎng百bǎi年前nián qián，商shāng朝cháo人rén把bǎ字zì刻kè在zài龟guī甲jiǎ和hé兽shòu骨gǔ上shàng，用来yòng lái占卜zhān bǔ。一yī场chǎng战争zhàn zhēng、一yī场chǎng雨yǔ，都dōu要yào先xiān问wèn问wèn天tiān。

Thirty-two hundred years back the Shang carved characters on turtle shells and bones for divination; war or rain, all was asked of heaven.

这些zhè xiē甲jiǎ骨gǔ文wén已经yǐ jīng很hěn成熟chéng shú：有yǒu象xiàng形xíng，有yǒu会意huì yì，有形yǒu xíng声shēng。我们wǒ men今天jīn tiān用yòng的de汉字hàn zì，血脉xuè mài从cóng那nà时shí就jìu连lián上shàng了liǎo。

These oracle-bone scripts were already mature, pictographs, ideographs, phonetics. Today's characters carry that same bloodline.

周zhōu朝cháo的de字zì铸zhù在zài青qīng铜tóng器qì上shàng，叫jiào金jīn文wén。字zì越来越yuè lái yuè多duō，样子yàng zi也yě越来越yuè lái yuè规guī整zhěng，成chéng了liǎo真正zhēn zhèng的de体系tǐ xì。

Zhou characters were cast in bronze, jinwen. They multiplied and regularized into a true system.

秦qín始shǐ皇huáng统一tǒng yī中国zhōng guó以后yǐ hòu，做zuò了liǎo一yī件jiàn大事dà shì：统一tǒng yī文字wén zì。小xiǎo篆zhuàn让ràng全quán中国zhōng guó人rén写xiě同一tóng yī种zhòng字zì，从此cóng cǐ字zì同tóng文wén，人rén同心tóng xīn。

After uniting China, Qin Shi Huang did a great thing: he unified the script. The small seal gave everyone one writing; same script, same heart.

可是kě shì小xiǎo篆zhuàn写xiě起来qǐ lai太tài慢màn。汉hàn朝cháo的de办事bàn shì员yuán图tú快kuài，把bǎ圆yuán转zhuàn的de笔bǐ画huà拉lā直zhí，隶lì书shū就jìu诞生dàn shēng了liǎo。

But seal script was slow to write. Han clerks, hurrying, straightened the curves, and clerical script was born.

隶lì书shū是shì一yī个gè分fēn水shuǐ岭lǐng。从cóng那nà以后yǐ hòu，汉字hàn zì不再bù zài是shì画huà出来chū lái的de图tú，而是ér shì写xiě出来chū lái的de字zì。

Clerical script was a watershed: from then on, characters were no longer drawn pictures but written signs.

魏wèi晋jìn以后yǐ hòu，楷kǎi书shū定dìng型xíng了liǎo。横hèng平píng竖shù直zhí，一yī撇piě一yī捺nà都dōu有yǒu规矩guī ju。我们wǒ men今天jīn tiān写xiě字zì的de骨gǔ架jià，一yī千qiān八bā百bǎi年前nián qián就jìu搭dā好了hǎo le。

By the Wei-Jin era regular script had set: level strokes, upright verticals, every flick in place. The skeleton we write today was built eighteen centuries ago.

印刷术yìn shuā shù发明fā míng以后yǐ hòu，宋sòng体tǐ字zì出现chū xiàn在zài书shū上shàng。横hèng细xì竖shù粗cū，整齐zhěng qí得děi像xiàng排队pái duì，直到zhí dào今天jīn tiān报纸bào zhǐ和hé书shū还huán在zài用yòng。

After printing came, Song typefaces filled the books, thin horizontals, thick verticals, neat as a parade; newspapers still use them.

二èr十shí世纪shì jì，汉字hàn zì经历jīng lì了liǎo一yī场chǎng大dà考验kǎo yàn。打字dǎ zì机jī、电脑diàn nǎo都dōu来lái了liǎo，有人yǒu rén说shuō：汉字hàn zì太tài多duō太tài复杂fù zá，该gāi淘汰táo tài了liǎo。

In the twentieth century the script faced its test. Typewriters, then computers arrived; some said too many, too complex, abolish them.

结果jiē guǒ汉字hàn zì不但bù dàn没有méi yǒu被bèi淘汰táo tài，还huán跑pǎo得děi飞快fēi kuài。拼pīn音yīn输入shū rù法fǎ一yī分钟fēn zhōng打dǎ几jǐ十shí个gè字zì，比bǐ英文yīng wén还huán快kuài。

Yet the script was not abolished, it now races. Pinyin input types dozens of characters a minute, faster than English.

一yī九jǐu五wǔ零líng年代nián dài，国家guó jiā推行tuī xíng简化jiǎn huà字zì，让ràng更gèng多duō人rén能néng读书dú shū写xiě字zì。大陆dà lù用yòng简体jiǎn tǐ，港gǎng台tái用yòng繁体fán tǐ，一yī笔bǐ之zhī差chà，看kān得děi懂dǒng的de中国zhōng guó人rén互相hù xiāng都dōu看kān得děi懂dǒng。

In the fifties the state promoted simplification so more could read. The mainland writes simplified, Hong Kong and Taiwan traditional, a few strokes apart, all still mutually read.

从cóng甲jiǎ骨gǔ到dào屏幕píng mù，汉字hàn zì活huó了liǎo六lìu千qiān多年duō nián，是shì世界shì jiè上shàng唯一wéi yī没有méi yǒu断duàn过guo的de古gǔ文字wén zì。

From oracle bones to screens, the script has lived six millennia, the only ancient writing never broken.

甲jiǎ骨gǔ文wén里lǐ，日rì字zì画huà成chéng一yī个gè圆yuán圈juàn中间zhōng jiān一yī点diǎn，月yuè字zì画huà成chéng弯wān弯wān的de一yī牙yá。古人gǔ rén的de字zì，是shì把bǎ看见kàn jiàn的de东西dōng xi画huà下来xià lai。

In oracle-bone script the sun is a circle with a dot, the moon a crescent curve. The ancients drew what they saw.

木mù是shì树shù，上面shàng miàn加jiā一yī横hèng是shì末mò，树梢shù shāo；下面xià miàn加jiā一yī横hèng是shì本běn，树shù根gēn。一yī个gè本běn字zì，就是jìu shì树shù根gēn的de意思yì si，根本gēn běn这zhè个gè词cí由此yóu cǐ而ér来lái。

Wood is a tree; a stroke on top makes tip, below makes root, the very root of the word 'fundamental'.

会意huì yì字zì更gèng有意思yǒu yì si：两liǎng个人gè rén跟gēn在zài后面hòu mian是shì从cóng，三sān个人gè rén挤jǐ在zài一起yī qǐ是shì众zhòng。人rén言yán为wéi信xìn，说shuō的话de huà要yào算suàn数shǔ，就是jìu shì信xìn。

Compounds are cleverer: two men following is 'follow', three together is 'crowd'; a man's word is 'trust', what you say must count.

汉字hàn zì里lǐ最多zuì duō的de字zì是shì形xíng声shēng字zì：一半yī bàn表biǎo意yì，一半yī bàn表biǎo音yīn。清qīng、情qíng、晴qíng、请qǐng，右边yòu bian都dōu是shì青qīng，读音dú yīn像xiàng，意思yì si靠kào左边zuǒ bian分fēn。

Most characters are phonetic compounds, half meaning, half sound. Clear, feeling, sunny, request share the right side qing; the sound matches, the left half sorts the meaning.

同一tóng yī个gè字zì，爷爷yé ye写xiě的de和hé爸bà爸bà写xiě的de可能kě néng不bù一样yī yàng。楷kǎi书shū、行háng书shū、草cǎo书shū，是shì同一tóng yī个gè字zì在zài不同bù tóng速度sù dù下xià的de样子yàng zi。

The same character looks different in grandfather's and father's hands: regular, running, cursive, one character at different speeds.

汉字hàn zì最zuì难nán的de是shì笔bǐ画huà顺序shùn xù。先xiān写xiě哪na一yī笔bǐ，后hòu写xiě哪na一yī笔bǐ，都dōu有yǒu规矩guī ju。写xiě错cuò了liǎo，字zì就jìu站zhàn不bù稳wěn。

The hardest part is stroke order, which stroke first, which after, all ruled. Write them wrong and the character cannot stand.

简化jiǎn huà字zì里lǐ也yě有yǒu巧qiǎo思sī：听tīng原来yuán lái是shì耳ěr加jiā王wáng，现在xiàn zài变成biàn chéng口kǒu加jiā斤jīn；爱ài原来yuán lái有yǒu心xīn，现在xiàn zài没méi了liǎo心xīn，好多hǎo duō人rén写xiě情书qíng shū还huán专门zhuān mén找zhǎo回huí繁体fán tǐ的de爱ài。

Simplification has its tricks too: 'listen' once had ear and king, now mouth and axe; 'love' lost its heart, many still fetch the traditional form for love letters.

一yī个gè字zì就是jìu shì一yī个gè故事gù shi。安ān是shì房子fáng zi里lǐ有yǒu女人nǚ rén，家jiā是shì房子fáng zi里lǐ有yǒu猪zhū。古人gǔ rén觉得jué de，屋wū檐yán下xià有yǒu这些zhè xiē，就是jìu shì安心ān xīn过日子guò rì zi。

Every character is a story: peace is a woman under a roof, home is a pig under a roof, to the ancients, these under the eaves meant a settled life.

每měi一yī个gè汉字hàn zì都dōu是shì一yī座zuò小xiǎo博物馆bó wù guǎn。看kān一yī个gè字zì，就jìu能néng看到kàn dào几jǐ千qiān年前nián qián中国zhōng guó人rén怎么zěn me看kān这zhè个gè世界shì jiè。

Every character is a small museum. Read one and you see how Chinese saw the world millennia ago.