II.The Classifications 二、汉字密码的构成

II.The Classifications 1.Pictograms. Pictograms are the foundation of Chinese characters. Pictogram uses the physical shapes of objects as symbols, which also forms meanings. For example, 例如日 sun、月 moon、山 hill、田field、鱼 fish、鸟 bird、火 fire、水 water、木 wood、果 fruit and so on. Instead of using the whole physical shape, to highlight its particular characteristics as a symbol is another way of pictograms, such as 牛 cow and 羊sheep. Some use abstractly formed pictographic symbols, such as 草 grass,木 wood, 禾grain, 竹 bamboo and so on. Some use pictographic symbols attached. For example 眉 eyebrow attached to 目eye, 须beard attached to 页 cheek. 2.Ideograms. Ideograms express an abstract idea through an iconic form, including iconic modification of pictographic characters. For example a knife “刀” is a pictograph. Plus a dot on it marks the blade “刃”. Wood “木” plus a circular symbol at the foot is root “本”. Wood plus a cross on the top means the end “末”. The pictograph minus an iconic form is also Ideograms. The character “鸟” (bird) without the point becomes “乌” (crow), as it is hard to identify the crow’s eyes because of its black feathers. Some pairs of ideograms are in a symmetrical form, which indicates the positivity and negativity, such as 上 （up） and 下 (down), 乒and乓、孑and孓. 3. Compound Ideographs. Compound Ideographs are the richest and most vivid symbols. 3.1.Compound ideographs are used to indicate Characters that are unable to be represented by Pictograms. Such as气 (air), depicting three oblique strokes. 儿 (child), formed by children’s unclosed fontanels. 3.2.The symbols are also used as verbs. For example: 飞 ( to fly ) is represented by two feathers soaring upward. 走 ( to walk ) is represented by the shape of a marching person. 3.3.The adjective 湿 (wet) is represented by the water underground. 美 (beautiful) is represented by feather ornaments on head. 3.4.The interjection 兮 is represented by air out from both side. Compound Ideographs are classified into three categories: monomers, such as 儿 (child), 飞 (fly), 美 (beautiful) etc.; variants, such as 卡（be stuck）, 鸣 (to tweet), 安（safe）etc.; identicals, such as 林 (wood), 森 (forest), 炎 焱、品、晶、轰、多、双、从、朋、比、赫、棘、众、磊 etc.. Compound Ideographs have obvious advantages as followed: 1) a lot of abstract meanings can be suggested; 2) It is easy to create characters; 3) the characters are easy to be identified, associated and memorized. 4.Phono-semantic compound characters. These are often called radical-phonetic characters. They form the majority of Chinese characters by far – over 90%. Character are formed with approximately the correct pronunciation (the phonetic) with one or a limited number of determinative characters which supplies an element of meaning (the semantic). Some phonetics come from pictographs, such as口、心、衣 etc.; some phonetics come from Ideograms, such as刃、本、包 etc.; and others come from compound Ideographs, such as 朋、旦、安 etc.. It is hard to categorize the phonetics and the semantics, as they are flexible and transferable. For example: 山 (hill) functions as a semantic to compound characters as 峰、屿、岩、岖 etc., but as a phonetic to compound characters as汕、疝、仙、氙、讪 etc.. A phono-semantic compound character itself can also be used as a phonetic in a further compound, which result in quite complex characters. For example: a phono-semantic compound character “召”used as a phonetic to form new characters as 诏、绍、苕、迢 岧etc.. The changing position of the same phonetic and semantic can form different characters, such as 吟 and 含；纹 and 紊；部 and 陪；架 and 枷 etc.. The combination of phonetics and the semantics has opened up a broad way to create Chinese characters. Many new characters are created with the science development and innovation. Even those chemical elements have found their matching characters. （translated by Jiao Li from Foreign languages Department, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, P.R.China） 二、汉字密码的构成 1、象形符号。象形就是把实物的外形轮廓作为符号，文字像实物的形状，以形表义。例如日、月、山、田、鱼、鸟、火、水、木、果等等。 不以实物整体为形，而是突出其某一特点，以此作为符号，是象形的另一种方法。例如牛、羊突出头部及双角，使名象符号更加鲜明突出。 有的象形是以抽象的形体符号来表达，例如草、木、禾、竹等等。 有的象形符号是采用附托的方式来完成。例如眉的象形将眉毛附托于目上，须的象形将胡须附托于人的面颊之下。 象形是汉字基础。但是用象形符号造字有一定的限度，没法满足记录语言传递信息的需要。 2、指事符号。在象形符号上加一象征性符号构成的字，称为指事字。所加的象征性符号，称为指事符号。例如刀是象形字，在刀锋上加一点，就表示刃。木是象形文字，在木的根部加一圆形符号，就表示本。木字在树梢上加一横，就表示末。在人的臀部加一半圆符号，就是臀。在动物臀部加一尾，就表示尾。 在象形符号上减去一象征性符号构成的字，也称为指事字。例如鸟字减去表示眼睛那一点，就成为乌鸦的乌，因为乌鸦全身黑羽，眼珠与黑色混为一体，减去表示眼睛的那一点，也是指事符号。 指事符号多有对称的形式，这是表示事物正反的两重性，例如上与下、乒与乓、孑与孓。 3、会意符号。会意符号是四种符号中内容最丰富、形象最生动的符号。 ① 用作无法象形的会意符号，例如空气的气字，就是三个斜画来会意的。例如儿童的儿字，就以幼儿囟门未闭来表示的。 ② 用作动词的符号，例如飞翔的飞字，就以一片或两片羽毛向上飞升的姿态来表示。走路的走字，就以甩手跨步的人形来表示； ③ 用作形容词的湿字，就用地下三层有水分子的符号来表示，美好的美字，就用人头顶插有羽毛饰物来表示。 ④ 用作叹词的兮字，就以气从口出后分为两岔来表示。 会意字大多采用象形符号联组的方式构建。就是把两个或两个以上的象形符号组合起来，从它们的联系或配合上表示出一种新的常常是抽象的意义。例如：上与下拼在一起，叫做卡；日与月拼在一起，叫做明；口与鸟组合在一起，叫做鸣；屋子与里边的豕（猪）合在一起，叫做家；屋子中有女子叫做安。 会意字有三类：一类是单体会意字（如儿、飞、美等）；二类是异体会意字（如卡、鸣、安等）；三类是同体会意字，例如林、森、炎、焱、品、晶、轰、多、双、从、朋、比、赫、棘、众、磊等。 会意字的组合结构，是由若干密码符号完成的。它具有明显的优越性：①它可以表示很多抽象的意义；②它的造字功能强；③它可以组成许多字族文字，便于人们识别、联想、与记忆。 4、声音符号。汉字的声音符号不是拼音文字，而是利用象形字、指事字或会意字所标注的声音，与其它字形合组，构建形声字。来源于象形字的声符，如口、心、衣等；来源于指事字的声符，如刃、本、包等；来源于会意字的声符，如朋、旦、安等。 使用声符与其它三种符号合组构成形声字具有两大优点：一是它有表声成分；二是它的造字方法简单。 形声字的形符，在另一些字里也可用作声符。例如山字在峰、屿、岩、岖诸字中是这些字的形符。反之，在汕、疝、仙、氙、讪等字中，它又是作声符使用。而且原有的形声字，还可以再用作声符与别的字共组成新的形声字，例如“召”是由形符口字与声符刀字组成，召字又可与其它字结合组成诏、绍、苕、迢 岧等形声字。同样的形符和声符，还可以通过部位的变换，产生新的形声字。例如吟与含；纹与紊；部与陪；架与枷等等。形声字的组合为汉字的发展开拓了一条广阔的道路，以至于近代科学发展创新上的许多字以及化学元素周期表，都可以轻而易举地创造出许多新的汉字来。本书中许新创字的篆书就是利用形声两种符号创写出来的。 （中国华中科技大学外语老师李佼译）