Understanding Chinese Wisdom through Characters

Book excerpt: Chinese is one of the rare languages that was created thousands of years ago and has been in continuous use ever since. As language signs, Chinese characters reflect how ancient Chinese residents observed and understood the universe and themselves. These characters carry the fundamental ideas of man and nature, which have further developed into Chinese philosophies that have shaped Chinese personality traits and the landscape of contemporary China. This book explores the origin and evolution of selected Chinese characters that best represent the cognitive process and core values of Chinese culture. The study of Chinese characters provides an insight into Chinese wisdom of harmony, love and resiliency from which people draw strength in face of challenges today. The book is unique in its inclusion of featured Chinese calligraphy in character studies, accounting for the aesthetic enjoyment of traditional Chinese art in the history of Chinese characters’ evolution.