中国文化英语教程Unit6.pptx

Unit 6 Chinese Characters:Poetic SymbolspLead-inpText studypExercisesContentLead-inLead-inpIntroductionpSymbols of SentimentpGraceful Olympic SymbolsText studyIntroductionAdditionalAdditional Info InfoAccording to legend,Chinese characters were invented by Cangjie(仓颉),a bureaucrat under the legendary Yellow Emperor.The earliest surviving examples of writing in China are inscriptions on so-called“oracle bones”,tortoiseshells and ox scapulae(肩胛骨)used for divination(占卜),dating from around 1200 BC in the late Shang dynasty.AdditionalAdditional Info Info甲骨文甲骨文An oracle bone unearthed in Anyang,Henan ProvinceIntroductionUnificationAdditionalAdditional Info InfoSeal script,which had evolved slowly in the state of Qin during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty,became standardized and adopted as the formal script for all of China in the Qin Dynasty.IntroductionSimplificationAdditionalAdditional Info InfoAlthough most often associated with the Peoples Republic of China,character simplification predates the 1949 communist victory.Examples:愛爱鄉乡義义導导親亲IntroductionThe number of Chinese language learners across the world has been on the rise in recent years.Some learners may experience the gratification of discovering historical and cultural elements in the process.Introduction Some pictographic Some pictographic(象形文字的象形文字的)symbols of Chinese symbols of Chinese characters express peoples keencharacters express peoples keen observation and observation and experience of the world.experience of the world.Some European poets have foundSome European poets have found Chinese Chinese characters inspiring to their imagination.characters inspiring to their imagination.Ezra Pound(1885-1972),for example,was well Ezra Pound(1885-1972),for example,was well known for his admiration of Chinese characters.known for his admiration of Chinese characters.When he saw the character When he saw the character 旦旦 in the dictionary,he in the dictionary,he was reminded of the morningwas reminded of the morning sun.sun.Symbols of SentimentNote:Ezra Pound:埃兹拉庞德。美国诗人、翻译家、评论家、意象派诗歌代表人物，曾帮助TSEliot，Joyce和Hemingway 手发表早期作品，对英美现代文学发展作出重要贡献。Pounds poetic allusions(影射)are not without basis.A number of characters containing a as an A number of characters containing a as an element all relate to the rising or setting ofelement all relate to the rising or setting of the the sun.sun.For example:Symbols of SentimentCharacterMeaning of the partsMeaning of the character 旦日：the sun The sun rising on the The sun rising on the horizon.horizon.一：the horizon 東東lookslooks like the sun rising like the sun rising from a forest.from a forest.easteast :the“sun”and“grass”:the“sun”and“grass”the morning sun rising the morning sun rising and shining over the and shining over the flowingflowing riverriver :rive:rive Fudan(Fudan(复旦复旦)means“The sun and)means“The sun and moon rise day after day”,it is tomoon rise day after day”,it is to encourage students to acquire new encourage students to acquire new knowledge every day.knowledge every day.Symbols of Sentiment東東Symbols of SentimentSymbols of Sentiment 暮暮was originally written as was originally written as 莫莫:Symbols of Sentiment 明明 depicts a scene of the moon shiningdepicts a scene of the moon shining through through the window.the window.Symbols of Sentiment The complex character for“beauty”(The complex character for“beauty”(丽丽)is)is written aswritten as麗.It resembles two deer running.It resembles two deer running side by side on a mountain.side by side on a mountain.Symbols of SentimentGraceful Olympic SymbolsGraceful Olympic Symbols The 2008 Olympics Games adopted a set ofThe 2008 Olympics Games adopted a set of symbols to represent the beauty of Chinese symbols to represent the beauty of Chinese calligraphy.calligraphy.By combining certain features of different By combining certain features of different traditionaltraditional forms of Chinese characters,the forms of Chinese characters,the symbols appear bothsymbols appear both lively and highly lively and highly representative of the sports theyrepresentative of the sports they stand for.stand for.The calligraphy symbols for Beijing Olympics The calligraphy symbols for Beijing Olympics were designed to represent the“Beauty of were designed to represent the“Beauty of Seal Character”.Seal Character”.Changes of Chinese charactersGraceful Olympic SymbolsAdditionalAdditional Info Info甲骨文【商】金文【周】(大篆)【秦】小篆【秦】隶书【汉】草书【唐】、楷书【唐】、行书【唐】At its beginning,Chinese included language pictures,which became fewer and fewer during the period of the oracle-bone(甲骨)inscriptions(铭文).A“seal character”is a type of Chinese calligraphy often carved on seals.Graceful Olympic SymbolsThe seal characters feature smoother and rhythmic lines,and thus have a more appealing appearance.There are two types of seal characters:the dazhuan,or greater seal,and the xiaozhuan,or lesser seal.Graceful Olympic SymbolsThe greater seal is also known as bronze inscription,because it was often used for carving inscriptions on bronzeware in ancient times.The lesser seal was the script the First Emperor of Qin(r.246-210 BC)adopted for the whole country,when he united China in 221 BC.Graceful Olympic SymbolsLook at the picture,can you find any difference between greater seal and lesser seal in the following picture?Whats it?Compared to greater seal,lesser seal is more simplified.Graceful Olympic SymbolsExamples of Olympic symbolsThe upper part is a symbol for“person”,while the lower part is a symbol for“water”.The swimmer strokes the water with vigor,imparting a strong sense of motion.If we take a look at the seal character for“walk”,we make out a clear connection between the Olympic symbol and the character:the upper part for“swinging arms”and the lower part for“walking legs”.The gentle and flowing lines in the lower part of the Olympic symbol are similar to the seal character for“water”.Graceful Olympic SymbolsThis symbol is aptly taken from the seal character for“dance”.The dancer slightly tilts(使倾侧)his head to one side,leans his body forward,swings his arms back and forth,and lifts his legs in a running fashion.The symbol,athletic yet graceful,has also been adopted for the“triathlon(铁人三项)”and“football”.Graceful Olympic SymbolsExercisespComprehensionpCommunicationpApplicationComprehensionl.Skimming and ScanningGo through the passage quickly and judge whether the following statements are true(T)or false(F)according to the passage._1)Every Chinese character has a pictographic symbol to show its meaning(s)._2)The character旦 is mentioned to show that Chinese characters are easy to recognize,and even foreigners can understand them through their pictographic symbols._3)In Paragraph 4,several characters containing El as an element are given as examples to illustrate that such characters relate to the rising or setting of the sun._4)The 2008 0lympic symbols were adopted mainly to make it easier for the foreigners to understand their meanings._5)The 2008 0lympic symbols were designed to represent the beauty of seal characters.ComprehensionII.Careful Reading1.Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each of the following questions.1)Which of the following is irrelevant to the pictographic symbols of Chinese characters?_A.Aspiration.B.Imagination.C.Creativity.D.Allusion.Comprehension2)Which of the following statements is true of the name of Fudan University?_A.The characters both stand for the sun rising on the horizon.B.The name is taken from a Chinese classical poem.C.The name encourages the students to get up early in the morning.D.The characters are intended to tell the students to make progress day by day.Comprehension3)Which of the following languages mostly consists of language pictures?_A.Mandarin Chinese.B.Hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt.C.Oracle-bone inscription.D.Seal characters.4)The symbol for“swimming”is closest to _.A.oracle-bone inscriptionB.Mandarin ChineseC.seal characters D.none of the aboveComprehension5)The symbol for“athletics”contains the ingredients of _.A.dancing and runningB.running and swinging C.dancing and swinging D.triathlon and footballComprehension2.Find from the passage the English interpretations of the following characters containing 日 as an element.CharactersInterpretations1）旦2）朝3）暮4）明the sun rising on the horizonthe morning sun rising and shining over the flowing riverthe sun setting into a forestthe moon shining through the windowComprehensionThe following are three groups of Chinese characters belonging to different word formations.Study them carefully and explain briefly how they are formed.CommunicationGroup 1Group 2林，明，安，品，孬，酒，鸣，炎，男 Group 3沐，河，湖，樱，固，病，园，晴，唱ApplicationWith the introduction and spreading of Western culture in recent decades,some people thought that Chinese characters were a drag on the development of China,advocating annulling(废除)them.And with the development of computer technology,some people complained about the inconvenience Chinese characters caused.The language authority declared a public comment period on August 13th,2009 for feedback from the public about further simplification of Chinese characters,which aroused a wide controversy.What is your opinion about it?