CHINA. 



271 



Mode? of 

 writing. 



imitating the innovations of tlie rival sect, made new in- 

 ventions ; so that in A. D. 1090, the dictionary pre- 

 sented by Se-ma-kouang to Gin-tsong, contained about 

 53,165 characters, of which, however, 21,846 are dou- 

 ble, to express a different meaning. As the formation of 

 characters, too, by the combination of the 214 elements, 

 is not left to the fancy and pleasure of individuals, but 

 as the sanction of government is requisite to authorise 

 the introduction of a new character into common use ; 

 this essential part of the language is completely uniform 

 and stable. Changes may have taken place in the form 

 of the characters, by the removal of redundancies, or the 

 rounding of angles, especially in writing ; but the prin- 

 ciples upon which they are constructed, continue fixed 

 and invariable ; and it is asserted by those who are well 

 acquainted with the subject, that the Chinese language 

 has not borrowed a character or syllable from any exist- 

 ing tongue, or undergone any material alteration in its 

 sound or form, for more than 2000 years. Every new 

 article imported into China, receives an appellation in the 

 language of the country, and soon loses its original name. 

 Even the proper names of foreign countries, nations, and 

 individuals, are translated, or at least converted into others, 

 of a Chinese formation. Thus, Europe is called See- 

 yang, the western country, and Japan, Tang-yang, the 

 eastern country ; Englishmen, Hung-mou, red heads, &c. 

 With respect, however, to the form of writing the 

 character, the above assertion must be taken with consi- 

 derable deductions. Previous to that period, which, even 

 by the accounts of the Chinese, is scarcely so remote as 

 2000 years, various changes were made in the form of 

 writing. 1. The first is called Kho-theoo, which they 

 regard as ihe most ancient form of writing, and the in- 

 vention of which they ascribe to Tsang-hie, whom tome 

 consider as the same person with Sse-hoang, a prince prior 

 even to Fo-hee, and others as a mandarin under Hoang- 

 tee. He is said to have taken the idea from observing 

 the footsteps of birds upon the sand, and therefore called 

 the characters which he invented Niau-ky-tchouen (Ifttert 

 imitating the footsteps of birds) ; hut, as they were sup- 

 posed to have a resemblance to an animal called Kho- 

 theoo, a kind of water insect, they received and have hi- 

 therto borne this last appellation. These are understood 

 to have been the characters in use under the three first 

 dynasties, and not to have exceeded 540 in number. 2. 

 The second, called Ta-tchouen-tse, appeared in the reign 

 of Siuen-vang, about 826 year* before Christ, when 

 Shee-tcheoo, president of the historians, arranged the 

 characters under 15 classes, and the emperor caused them 

 to be insciibed upon ten drums, nine of which are said 

 to be-still preserved in the imperial college at Pekin. 3. 

 The third, called Siao-tchouen-tse, were new characters 

 composed by Ly-se, the prime minister of Shee-hoang- 

 tee, about 24(5 before Christ, and founded upon the an- 

 cient 540 characters ; but the form of these being after- 

 wards changed from crooked to straight lines by Tcbing- 

 miao, who had assisted Ly te in composing them, they 

 were called Ly-tse; and new corrections having been 

 made upon the system under Eul-shee-hoang-tee, 206 

 years before Christ, they were named Kiaee-tchoo. 4. 

 The fourth, called Tsao-t&e (characters of herbs), were 

 invented under Tchang-hoang-tee, A. D. 80, but as this 

 mode greatly disfigured the characters, it was soon aban- 

 doned, and is now used only as a running hand. 5. The 

 fifth and present character, called Hing-shoo, was invent- 

 ed under the Heoo-han, or posterior Han, who reigned 



from the year of Christ 22-1- to 26i, by a person named Language- 

 Lieoo-te, who, while he preserved the spirit and system """Y~ 

 of the ancient characters, endeavoured to facilitate the 

 manner of writing them. But he thus deprived them of 

 their resemblance as pictures to the objects which they 

 expressed ; and hence these modern characters do not 

 speak so well to the eye, as those formerly in use. Though 

 capable of being more expeditiously written, they re- 

 quire more care in the formation, as a single stroke, more 

 or less, would often alter the signification entirely, while 

 the ancient characters, being a kind of pictures, were in 

 a great measure intelligible, whether well or ill drawn. 

 The Chinese have still various modes of writing the cha- 

 racters, as it is certain that, when the emperor Kien-long 

 ordered his poem of Monk-dan (the name of the capital 

 of Mantchoo, Tartary,) to be written out in all the va- 

 rious kinds of character which had at any time been in 

 use, it was found, that they amounted to the number of 

 thirty-two. The dictionary published by order of the 

 emperor Kang-shee, has now indeed fixed the form of 

 the written character more decidedly ; as it is accounted 

 a breach both of good taste and sound loyalty to alter or 

 abbreviate the characters employed in that publication. 



The knowledge of the elementary characters does not Combina- 

 , i i j " n of cle ' 



lead, as might be supposed, to a knowledge or the mean- ments . 



ing of their combinations ; as there frequently exists no 

 affinity whatever between the signification of the com- 

 pound and its component part?, or at least such a con- 

 nection only, as is founded more in fancy than in fact, 

 and as could never be discovered by the learner, in con- 

 sequence of his previous attainments. The constituent 

 parts, indeed, of every compound character, are always 

 distinctly separated, and accurately described in the dic- 

 tionaries ; but it is very seldom, that an explanation of 

 the meaning can be drawn from the import of these ele- 

 mentary materials. The number of the primitive signs is 

 too limited to express a great variety of ideas ; and among 

 those which are invented, there is a great want of those 

 leading and general representations, under which a syste- 

 matic classification of mixed objects and abstract notions 

 might be arranged. Hence, though the plan of the writ- 

 ten language may appear well adapted to be the ground- 

 work of a philosophical character, as a universal medium 

 of communication ; the theory has been greatly marred 

 by the Chinese in the execution, and their whole lan- 

 guage seems to have been formed rather by accident and 

 caprice, than by system and design. 



The whole characters of the Chinese language are Clmi/Iea. 

 usually arranged, in their own books, under the six fol- tio "i'cha- 

 lowing classes, to which they give the name of Lo- ra ers * 

 tchoo. * 



1. Siang-hing, i. e. image and symbol, or those which 

 give the simple figure of the object, and sign of the 

 idea, comprehending two kinds of characters, first, those 

 which represent, by a visible picture, the objects ex- 

 pressed, as the figure of a vase employed as the charac- 

 ter or word for a vase ; secondly, those which arc ei- 

 ther by allegorical signification or arbitrary appoint- 

 ment the signs of intellectual ideas, as the figure of a 

 heart to express love and affection. This class compre- 

 hends the elementary symbols. 



2. Tchee-sse, i. e. indication of the object or idea, or 

 those compound characters which follow the simple and 

 obvious sense of the primitives of which they are com- 

 posed, and thns give at least some indication of the 

 meaning. Thus the character of litile combined with 



<.,|.' ? r . Lieou - e *; fc y whi <* 

 denote rather the fix primitive artf of life. 



of the mls.ionariea hare distinguished these clawet, is used by the Chinese ( 



