The document provides information about the Chinese alphabet and writing system. It discusses how the Chinese writing system developed from ancient pictographs into a system with over 50,000 characters. Unlike the English alphabet, Chinese characters represent whole words rather than individual sounds. The document also notes that the Chinese writing system allows people speaking different dialects to communicate in writing. It traces the origins of Chinese writing to around 4500 years ago and describes how ancient texts carved on oracle bones from that era can still be translated into modern Chinese.

1. Lesson 2
Chinese alphabet and pronunciations

2. English Alphabet
• As you realise the English language which
has 26 symbols that construct all our
words.

3. The Chinese Alphabet
• Unlike the English Alphabet– the Chinese
alphabet developed from ancient times to now
include almost 50,000 symbols each representing
an individual word.

4. Some other Differences
• It’s read from top to bottom
• And unlike English where each letter or
combination of letters have a sound Chinese
writing is pictorial or based upon pictures.

5. Cross Language Interpretation
• That means many
Chinese who cannot
talk to each other
due to different
dialects can still
communicate as their
written language is
the same.

6. Chinese Writing
• Originally many Chinese characters were
basic pictures of what they were trying to
communicate. See if you can guess what
these ancient Chinese words say:
Mountains
Fish
Human
Ear
Moon
Rain

7. Development of Chinese
Writing
• Ancient artifacts containing ancient text in many
cases can be translated by modern Chinese. This
is because the changes have been slight over the
years.
Sun Horse Water Tree Bird
Ancient
Modern

8. Chinese can be written in English
• Pronunciations:
– X is pronounced sh. So Xia is shar
– Zh is pronounced j – So Zhou is jow
– Q is pronounced ch – so Qin is Ch’in

9. When/how did Chinese writing
originate?
• According to
Chinese legend a
man called Cangjie
saw an angel whose
face had unusual
features that looked
like a picture of
writings.

10. When did Chinese writing
originate?
• Another story
says that Cangjie
saw the footprints
of birds and
beasts in the sand,
which inspired
him to create
written
characters.

11. A More Historical Approach
• Current theories
suggest the first
emergence of Chinese
writing was on the
East Coasts about
4500 years ago.

12. A More Historical Approach
• This ancient
Chinese culture
was also renowned
for their pottery
work.

13. Discovery of Oracle Bones
• Chinese characters
carved on ox bones
and turtle shells.
• Dated from the
Shang period
(c1500-1000BC).

14. Discovery of Oracle Bones
• Discovered 1899 with the help
of a common cold.
• Chinese medicines crushed
bones/shells as medicines. Some
believed they were ‘dragon
bones’.
• Wang Yirong, Chinese
politician and scholar, was the
first to recognize the oracle
bones as ancient writing.

15. Why they were created
• Religious shaman
(leaders) – prod the
bones or turtle shell
with heated tools
forming cracks and
believed to foretell
future events.

16. What sort of things did the bones
say?
• When it came to the fifth day
there was alarming news from
the west. The Du Fang [a
border people] are attacking
our eastern borders and have
harmed two settlements
• In the following ten days there
will be no disaster however,
there will perhaps be the
coming of alarming news after
this.