Understanding Chinese Wisdom through Characters PDF Download

Author: Zikai Ma
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527517659
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description
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.

Author: Olle Linge
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781530334889
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
Learning Chinese can be frustrating and difficult, partly because it's very different from European languages. Following a teacher, textbook or language course is not enough. They show you the characters, words and grammar you need to become proficient in Chinese, but they don't teach you how to learn them! Regardless of what program you're in (if any), you need to take responsibility for your own learning. If you don't, you will miss many important things that aren't included in the course you're taking. If you study on your own, you need to be even more aware of what you need to do, what you're doing at the moment and the difference between them. Here are some of the questions I have asked and have since been asked many times by students: How do I learn characters efficiently? How do I get the most out of my course or teacher? Which are the best learning tools and resources? How can I become fluent in Mandarin? How can I improve my pronunciation? How do I learn successfully on my own? How can I motivate myself to study more? How can I fit learning Chinese into a busy schedule? The answers I've found to these questions and many others form the core of this book. It took eight years of learning, researching, teaching and writing to figure these things out. Not everybody has the time to do that! I can't go back in time and help myself learn in a better way, but I can help you! This book is meant for normal students and independent language learners alike. While it covers all major areas of learning, you won't learn Chinese just by reading this book. It's like when someone on TV teaches you how to cook: you won't get to eat the delicious dish just by watching the program; you have to do the cooking yourself. That's true for this book as well. When you apply what you learn, it will boost your learning, making every hour you spend count for more, but you still have to do the learning yourself. This is what a few readers have said about the book: "The book had me nodding at a heap of things I'd learnt the hard way, wishing I knew them when I started, as well as highlighting areas that I'm currently missing in my study." - Geoff van der Meer, VP engineering "This publication is like a bible for anyone serious about Chinese proficiency. It's easy for anyone to read and written with scientific precision." - Zachary Danz, foreign teacher, children's theatre artist About me I started learning Chinese when I was 23 (that's more than eight years ago now) and have since studied in many different situations, including serious immersion programs abroad, high-intensity programs in Sweden, online courses, as well as on the side while working or studying other things. I have also successfully used my Chinese in a graduate program for teaching Chinese as a second language, taught entirely in Chinese mostly for native speakers (the Graduate Institute for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University). All these parts have contributed to my website, Hacking Chinese, where I write regularly about how to learn Mandarin.

Author: Gene Luen Yang
Publisher: First Second
ISBN: 1466805463
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
A tour-de-force by rising indy comics star Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny's life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax. American Born Chinese is a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, an Eisner Award nominee for Best Coloring and a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. This title has Common Core Connections

Author: Ding Weixiang
Publisher: American Academic Press
ISBN: 1631814265
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
Mencius’ many assertions from virtue “Being what I inherently possess” to “this [virtue] is what Heaven or Nature gives to me” clearly show the basic self-consciousness of virtue in pre-Qin Confucianism and the confirmation that virtue originates from Heaven or Nature. Then, what was the reason for the Chinese “Axis Age” thinkers to unanimously trace the origin of human virtue back to Heaven or Nature and the mandate of Heaven? Of course, for them, the source of human virtue is Heaven or Nature, which means that they realized that human being was the limit of cognition. Since in their view, the problem is itself a question that transcends human cognition or that human understanding can possibly clarify both virtue itself and the source of human virtue being beyond the bounds of human knowledge. Namely, tracing back virtue to its source is a quest that transcends the capacity of human understanding. However, those who have been influenced by modern cognitive theory and who constantly explore how Confucian thought emerged as well as how it took shape, cannot give a satisfying answer. Therefore, to trace the emergence and development of Confucianism through the perspective of the survival of agency and the foundation of the survival of agency is not only my own personal interest, but also one necessary for clarifying the development of Confucianism and the legitimacy of its existence.

Author: Adeline Yen Mah
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
ISBN: 0307482804
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
More than 800,000 copies in print! From the author of critically acclaimed and bestselling memoir Falling Leaves, this is a poignant and moving true account of her childhood, growing up as an unloved daughter in 1940s China. A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In her own courageous voice, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her, and life does not get any easier when her father remarries. Adeline and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled with gifts and attention. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family. Like the classic Cinderella story, this powerful memoir is a moving story of resilience and hope. Includes an Author's Note, a 6-page photo insert, a historical note, and the Chinese text of the original Chinese Cinderella. A PW BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR AN ALA-YALSA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS “One of the most inspiring books I have ever read.” –The Guardian

Author: Gerd De Ley
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1578268265
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Book of Chinese Proverbs collects over 1000 of the most profound and illuminating proverbs--both ancient and modern--from China and its people. Chinese culture is one of the oldest in history and the amount of wisdom collected during that time is bigger than the Great Wall of China. From Confucius to Laozi to Sun Tzu, numerous Chinese philosophers and their teachings have influenced Chinese culture, but permeated in many different parts of the world. The Book of Chinese Proverbs features over 1000 of the greatest ones, organized to be accessible and informative for today's audience and giving more insights to China and its rich culture.

Author: Jing Tsu
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735214743
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST A New York Times Notable Book of 2022 What does it take to reinvent a language? After a meteoric rise, China today is one of the world’s most powerful nations. Just a century ago, it was a crumbling empire with literacy reserved for the elite few, as the world underwent a massive technological transformation that threatened to leave them behind. In Kingdom of Characters, Jing Tsu argues that China’s most daunting challenge was a linguistic one: the century-long fight to make the formidable Chinese language accessible to the modern world of global trade and digital technology. Kingdom of Characters follows the bold innovators who reinvented the Chinese language, among them an exiled reformer who risked a death sentence to advocate for Mandarin as a national language, a Chinese-Muslim poet who laid the groundwork for Chairman Mao's phonetic writing system, and a computer engineer who devised input codes for Chinese characters on the lid of a teacup from the floor of a jail cell. Without their advances, China might never have become the dominating force we know today. With larger-than-life characters and an unexpected perspective on the major events of China’s tumultuous twentieth century, Tsu reveals how language is both a technology to be perfected and a subtle, yet potent, power to be exercised and expanded.

Author: James Trapp
Publisher: Amber Books Ltd
ISBN: 1908273275
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
The sayings known as Cheng yu are used frequently in Chinese. Chinese Proverbs features 86 of the more than 5,000 Cheng yu, reproduced in a large format. Alongside each phrase is an accessible and inspiring explanation, its literal translation in English, and what the particular strokes symbolize.

Author: Zhongxian Wu
Publisher: Singing Dragon
ISBN: 0857011103
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Vital Breath of the Dao is a fully illustrated guide to the historical background, practical application, underlying principles and techniques of Qigong, a way of physical and spiritual cultivation, and a way of life. Chinese Shamanic Tiger Qigong is a uniquely potent practice designed to bolster health and deepen spiritual connection to universal energy. Lineage holder Master Zhongxian Wu uses story-telling and a wealth of practical examples to introduce this powerful 24-movement Qigong form, which combines the traditions of ancient shamanism, Confucianism, Daoism, classical Chinese medicine, and the martial arts. An excellent introduction for Qigong beginners, the book will also be of interest to experienced practitioners, students of classical Chinese Medicine and anyone interested in Classical Chinese culture and anthropology.

Author: Min Ding
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131781830X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
As business becomes increasingly globalized and China establishes its growing role in the international business environment, developing an understanding of the complex culture is important to anyone acting in the global arena. This book offers readers a thorough and nuanced resource to that end, describing the ever-evolving Chinese way of life circa 2014, based on extensive primary and secondary data. Taking an anthropological approach to achieve a well-rounded representation, the book covers 51 topics that would have been studied if China were a newly discovered civilization. It explores the culture through its examination of the nine core concepts that best represent the Chinese way of life. While the book is a rigorous treatment of the Chinese way of life, it is also filled with personal stories and perspectives from close to 1000 successful Chinese from academia, business, and government. The Chinese Way equips international business students, scholars, and practitioners with a deep understanding of a society that is a major player in global business today and offers a foundation for successful business interactions with Chinese companies, organizations, and people.