【“字源”其说 】| The origins of Chinese characters

 
As humans, we share a common desire to understand our origins, our history, so that we can better understand who and what we are by understanding who and what we were. 
While studying Chinese characters, the process of tracking down the origins is also enlightening. In the first week of May, all of the Chinese classes in Lower Secondary had a series of activities about “The origins of Chinese characters”. Their engagement and creativity really impressed all the Chinese teachers:

  • CFL-Year 7: “Aeolian Bells”

Each bell indicates one important Chinese Radical.
  • CFL-Year 8: “Scrolls about Chinese names” 
  • CFL-Year 9: “Designing Postcards”
“在这次中文活动中,我们的班级选择制作“汉字”明信片。明信片的主题是“汉字之最”。我们在纸的反面画上明信片的邮票,地址格和邮政编码。接着,每一个人都挑选了各种不同“最xx”的汉字,写在自己的明信片上,并且设计和绘画了中国风的图画。从这次活动中,我们不仅锻炼了自己的绘画能力,还提高了创造力,并且学会了自己设计。中国色彩,山水,黑白水墨,各种各样的中国特色描绘出了我们自己心中的中国风。” — 黄安安 Y9
  • CAL 1&2: My Favourite Chinese Characters
  • CAL – L1: “My very first Chinese character”
  • CAL – L2: “Book marks about favourite character”
CAL 3-4: “Know my name”
“Discovering the origin of my Chinese name is really a unique experience for me. I like my Chinese name even more. I’m grateful that my former Chinese teacher gave me such a good name.”
– Song:“我们的名字”
“During the process of creating & compiling the Chinese lyrics, we not only understood the meanings of our Chinese names but also had lots of fun learning the song and making our movie of it. It’s a good experience for us to learn the culture of Chinese names and Chinese characters.

CAL 5: Making Movies
– Scan the QR Code and watch the movie.

  • CAL 6: “Making Brochures for Remembering Characters”
  • CAL 7: Incorporating Chinese Characters in Terms of Different Subjects
“For this Chinese Character week, we were tasked with deciding upon a method in which we would choose to represent Chinese characters in our chosen subject. I chose to incorporate Chinese characters in terms of Maths. I brainstormed and came up with severals way I could demonstrate these characters. Ultimately, I determined that I would exhibit my poster as a chalkboard where a diverse range of mathematical equations were to be written. I used characters to add, subtract, multiply, and divide by each other to come up with other existing characters. Graphs were used to show the mirror image of some characters. In order to make the poster look more aesthetically pleasing, I included separate equations and graphs to add some variety in the poster. Lastly, adding colour was essential to attracting viewer’s attention. ”—— SAW Alexandra Y9

After this Chinese activity, my students felt that although Pinyin is easy for typing and processing, Chinese characters, as kind of graphic language, still plays an important role in conveying the culture and richness Chinese history. It is an inseparable part of how we perceive Chinese socially.
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