WRITING. 
n entirely nionosylliibic ; and all the words 
may be expressed by an European conso- 
nant and a vowel, with the exception of 
about one-third, which end with n either 
simple or nasal. A monosyllabic language 
cannot be copious ; and we expect to find 
it less so when the number of simple sounds 
are small. Tlie Chinese have not the b, d, 
and r, of the Europeans ; and the number 
of their words is only 330. The capabilities 
of their oral language are, however, much 
extended by the variation their words un- 
dergo, by means of tone and other inflexions 
of the voice. These changes require a very 
discriminating ear to perceive, and very 
flexible organs to express them; but we 
know the power of habit, and can readily 
admit that thus the meaning of their words 
may be extended, without confusion, even 
to things very opposite in their nature. 
When, however, w-e find (as Hager informs 
us), that the same word often answers to 
six hundred difierent significations, accord- 
ing to the tone with which it is pronounced, 
the place which it occupies, or the cha- 
racter by which it is expressed, we must 
suppose it impossible to avoid frequent 
ambiguity. 
Notwithstanding, however, all their 
changes in tone, Ac. they have not more 
than 1,500 distinct sounds. Most nations 
have improved their oral languages; the 
Chinese have directed all their attention 
to the improvement of their written lan- 
guage, and they have formed combinations 
ill their characters without any correspond- 
ing combinations in their sounds. Their 
changes are totally independent of each 
other; and the former are understood 
where the sounds corresponding to them 
are different from those of the Chinese. In 
tliis respect they may be compared to the 
arithmetical cyphers, &c. The character 
for tsai, calamity, is an example of this in- 
dependent combination. It is composed 
of mierij a house, and io, fire. Our pi oce.ss 
is to join the oral words expressing the 
ideas we wish to combine ; and we should 
use mknbo. We cannot easily and fully 
enter into this independency of character 
or sound, because all our words are more or 
less pictures of sound, and are so strongly 
associated with sound that it is difficult to 
separate them completely, even in imagina- 
tion. The Chinese on the other hand have 
no immediate connection between their 
words and their cliaracters, so that it cannot 
e necessary in using their characters to 
“se the sounds at all. 
VOL. VI. 
AH the Chinese characters are composed 
o 214 clefs or keys. These represent the 
mo,st obvious and simple ideas; and by 
their combinations are produced expressions 
tor the more refined and complex ideas. All 
these clefs were probably simple paintings 
or symbols, and hence the whole written 
language may be fairly considered as de- 
ducible from the more obvious writing of 
tlie Mexicans and Egyptians. Indeed the 
resemblance between the ancient Chinese 
cliaracters and the Egyptian hieroglyphics is 
so striking, and this in cases where the ana- 
logy on which both w ere founded, is not an 
obvious one that De Guignes considers 
them as certainly derived from the same 
source. Tiiese keys are at present formed 
tfom six simple strokes ; a horizontal line, 
two perpendicular (the one pointed, the 
other blunt at bottom) a point, a line 
curved to the right, and another to the left. 
The greater part of the keys have from two 
to seven strokes ; six only of one, and 
some have sixteen or seventeen. We are 
not however to suppose tliat the inventors 
of the Chinese characters fixed upon these 
six elements and composed from them me- 
thodically. As the cliaracters lost their 
correctness of delineation, the object was to 
facilitate the labour of writing. Art by, 
degrees reduced all the characters to tlie 
simple strokes we have mentioned. 
These keys are either employed alone as 
a character serving to express an idea ; or 
differently combined in a group, forming 
a phrase expressive of the idea it is intended 
to communicate. Tlius the character tor 
night is composed of three characters ; one 
signifying darkness, another the action of 
covering, the third signifying man, which, 
rendered literally, signifies darkness cover- 
ing man ; a phrase perfectly expressive, 
and similar to the language of poetry. Both 
in fact issued “ from the cradle of the hu- 
man race.” Figurative language of this 
kind is much employed in the scriptures ; 
we admire it ; for it “ comes home to our 
business and onr bosoms.” It paints to our 
minds, and calls up their conceptions forci- 
bly and correctly. Hence, though the 
offspring of necessity, it is justly esteemed 
a beauty ; and wherever the language of 
feeling is employed will generally be found 
a prevailing trait. 
We might suppose that all the characters 
being thus composed nothing more would 
be necessary, in order to understand tliem, 
than to know the elementary characters ; 
but the analogy on which the composition 
Q q 
