{"id":3631,"date":"2018-06-21T10:52:57","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T02:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/2018\/06\/21\/xie_gei_hai_20180621\/"},"modified":"2018-06-21T10:52:57","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T02:52:57","slug":"xie_gei_hai_20180621","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2018\/06\/21\/xie_gei_hai_20180621\/","title":{"rendered":"Essays on Chi\u00adnese Char\u00adac\u00adters for Chil\u00addren (Reflec\u00adtions on \u201cChar\u00adac\u00adters Like Stars\u201d)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u5199\u7ed9\u5b69\u5b50\u7684\u6c49\u5b57\u968f\u7b14\uff08\u300a\u5b57\u82e5\u661f\u8fb0\u300b\u8bfb\u540e\u611f\uff09\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 
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\nWhen I received the man\u00adu\u00adscript of Words Like Stars from Teacher Qun\u00adfang, I quick\u00adly print\u00aded it out and then read it care\u00adful\u00adly, know\u00ading that such text is not suit\u00adable for quick brows\u00ading on a com\u00adput\u00ader. More\u00adover, a book that dis\u00adcuss\u00ades words with such respect and ele\u00adgance seems to have a deep\u00ader mean\u00ading only when print\u00aded on paper.
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\nTeacher Qun\u00adfang is a class\u00admate I met while attend\u00ading a chil\u00addren\u2019s lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture work\u00adshop in Jin\u00adhua led by Mr. Jiang Feng. She\u2019s a long\u00adtime front\u00adline Chi\u00adnese lan\u00adguage teacher, but con\u00adtrary to my stereo\u00adtype of Chi\u00adnese teach\u00aders, she pos\u00adsess\u00ades a gen\u00aduine\u00adly fairy-tale-inspired spir\u00adit. I once lis\u00adtened to her describe how she taught a first-grade read\u00ading class, where they sat on the lawn on a beau\u00adti\u00adful sun\u00adny day, read\u00ading \u201cThe Run\u00adaway Bun\u00adny.\u201d I imag\u00adined the scene and was cap\u00adti\u00advat\u00aded. Lat\u00ader, when I read her essay col\u00adlec\u00adtion, \u201cQui\u00adet\u00adly Lis\u00adten\u00ading to the Flow\u00aders Bloom,\u201d I real\u00adized how deeply she loved words. Her writ\u00ading exudes a qui\u00adet sen\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty and the tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty that per\u00adhaps char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adizes the tal\u00adent\u00aded women of Jiang\u00adnan. I won\u00addered if she had\u00adn\u2019t become a Chi\u00adnese lan\u00adguage teacher. The four char\u00adac\u00adters she chose for the title per\u00adfect\u00adly cap\u00adture the sen\u00adti\u00adment of a gar\u00adden\u00ader, lis\u00adten\u00ading with bound\u00adless joy to the sound of each blos\u00adsom bloom\u00ading flower.
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\nThis new book before me is also called \u201cChi\u00adnese Char\u00adac\u00adter Course,\u201d so my ini\u00adtial sus\u00adpi\u00adcion was that it might be more like a les\u00adson plan or class\u00adroom tran\u00adscript. But after read\u00ading it in one sit\u00adting, I real\u00adized it\u2019s more like 99 essays about Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters. In recent years, books that explore Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters with a gen\u00ader\u00adal audi\u00adence in the form of essays have become increas\u00ading\u00adly com\u00admon. I\u2019m famil\u00adiar with Tang Nuo\u2019s \u201cThe Sto\u00adry of Char\u00adac\u00adters,\u201d which is cit\u00aded sev\u00ader\u00adal times in this book, and Swedish sinol\u00ado\u00adgist Lin Xil\u00adi\u2019s \u201cThe King\u00addom of Chi\u00adnese Char\u00adac\u00adters.\u201d Inter\u00adest\u00ading\u00adly, this book, pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly aimed at explain\u00ading Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adter cul\u00adture to adult read\u00aders abroad, has been repack\u00adaged and released in Chi\u00adna as \u201cThe King\u00addom of Chi\u00adnese Char\u00adac\u00adters for Chil\u00addren.\u201d So, com\u00adpared to these books, what kind of book is \u201cChar\u00adac\u00adters Like Stars\u201d? I think it\u2019s accu\u00adrate to say that it\u2019s a col\u00adlec\u00adtion of Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adter essays writ\u00adten specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly for chil\u00addren.
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\nWhile the author of this book is not an expert schol\u00adar in Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adter stud\u00adies, her long-stand\u00ading expe\u00adri\u00adence as a Chi\u00adnese lan\u00adguage teacher brings her a unique advan\u00adtage. She is deeply famil\u00adiar with the char\u00adac\u00adters chil\u00addren encounter dai\u00adly, whether from text\u00adbooks, the ancient poems and prose they fre\u00adquent\u00adly recite, or the lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture they read. The author effort\u00adless\u00adly draws upon these raw mate\u00adri\u00adals, cre\u00adat\u00ading a stage (or, if you pre\u00adfer, a \u201cclass\u00adroom\u201d) where the char\u00adac\u00adters they are sup\u00adposed to present take cen\u00adter stage, per\u00adform\u00ading with ease and nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adness. I believe chil\u00addren will feel no sense of dis\u00adtance as they watch these per\u00adfor\u00admances. They may be deeply impressed by the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnists, but more like\u00adly, they will find that the raw mate\u00adri\u00adals used for the stage design have sud\u00adden\u00adly come alive, no longer seem\u00ading so daunt\u00ading. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, they may dis\u00adcov\u00ader that learn\u00ading Chi\u00adnese has a tru\u00adly inter\u00adest\u00ading side beyond sim\u00adply prepar\u00ading for exams.
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\nBecause I often trans\u00adlate chil\u00addren\u2019s books for them, peo\u00adple often ask me how to write (or trans\u00adlate) texts that chil\u00addren will find inter\u00adest\u00ading. This is a very puz\u00adzling ques\u00adtion. I don\u2019t know of any writ\u00ading tricks to achieve this, but in my expe\u00adri\u00adence, you must first be an inter\u00adest\u00ading per\u00adson, espe\u00adcial\u00adly one with a cer\u00adtain child\u00adlike charm. To put it more mys\u00adte\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly, this child\u00adlike charm may large\u00adly come from con\u00adnect\u00ading with your own child\u00adhood.
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\nIn my opin\u00adion, Teacher Qun\u00adfang pos\u00adsess\u00ades a deep con\u00adnec\u00adtion to child\u00adhood. Read\u00ading her essays on Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters for chil\u00addren often brings back mem\u00ado\u00adries of her own child\u00adhood. When she dis\u00adcuss\u00ades the char\u00adac\u00adter \u201c\u53e4,\u201d the image of her moth\u00ader knit\u00adting and telling her sto\u00adries to sleep resur\u00adfaces. Those dream\u00adlike sto\u00adries are deeply woven into her child\u00adhood mem\u00ado\u00adries, a tru\u00adly sweet mem\u00ado\u00adry. When she dis\u00adcuss\u00ades the char\u00adac\u00adter \u201c\u770b,\u201d her moth\u00ader\u2019s pres\u00adence reap\u00adpears, her con\u00adcerned gaze super\u00adim\u00adposed on the beau\u00adti\u00adful mem\u00ado\u00adries of her child\u00adhood in the moun\u00adtain vil\u00adlage\u2026
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\nPer\u00adhaps because we were born in the same gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion, I par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly enjoyed the many food descrip\u00adtions that Teacher Qun\u00adfang includ\u00aded with her expla\u00adna\u00adtions of Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters. Per\u00adhaps they were part of our shared child\u00adhood mem\u00ado\u00adries. For exam\u00adple, when dis\u00adcussing the char\u00adac\u00adter \u201cniang,\u201d (mean\u00ading \u201cto brew\u201d), she poet\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly described the entire rice wine-mak\u00ading process. The most mov\u00ading part was the tast\u00ading sequence: \u201cWhen the chil\u00addren could\u00adn\u2019t wait any longer, their moth\u00ader would scoop a large bowl of fer\u00adment\u00aded rice wine from the jar, add a beat\u00aden egg, a few red dates, and sim\u00admer it in the pot. Some\u00adtimes, she\u2019d also add a few slices of brown dried lon\u00adgan. The sweet aro\u00adma of the wine would waft all the way over the court\u00adyard wall. The chil\u00addren\u2019s cheeks would flush from the fer\u00adment\u00aded rice wine, and their moth\u00aders would lov\u00ading\u00adly take their hands and let them go to bed. They slept sound\u00adly and sweet\u00adly.\u201d I believe that read\u00ading such words will help chil\u00addren under\u00adstand that words can have fra\u00adgrance and col\u00ador.
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\nIn dai\u00adly life, words are sim\u00adply a medi\u00adum for use. How\u00adev\u00ader, with fre\u00adquent and pro\u00adlonged use, peo\u00adple may for\u00adget the cul\u00adtur\u00adal con\u00adno\u00adta\u00adtions they orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly car\u00adried. Con\u00adverse\u00adly, com\u00adplete\u00adly strip\u00adping words of their cul\u00adtur\u00adal con\u00adno\u00adta\u00adtions and rely\u00ading sole\u00adly on rote mem\u00ado\u00adriza\u00adtion can be tedious and bor\u00ading, espe\u00adcial\u00adly for chil\u00addren. Those of us who are pro\u00adfi\u00adcient in Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters have for\u00adgot\u00adten this pain, but we may face sim\u00adi\u00adlar chal\u00adlenges when learn\u00ading a for\u00adeign lan\u00adguage. For exam\u00adple, I once encoun\u00adtered the Eng\u00adlish word \u201clacon\u00adic.\u201d The dic\u00adtio\u00adnary def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtion is \u201ccon\u00adcise and con\u00adcise.\u201d It seems sim\u00adple, but I could\u00adn\u2019t remem\u00adber it. God knows why for\u00adeign\u00aders had to com\u00adbine these let\u00adters to cre\u00adate this mean\u00ading! Lat\u00ader, I stum\u00adbled upon its ety\u00admol\u00ado\u00adgy and dis\u00adcov\u00adered that it comes from the Greek region of Laco\u00adnia. The Spar\u00adtans, rep\u00adre\u00adsent\u00ading that region, were known for their tac\u00adi\u00adturn tem\u00adpera\u00adment and courage. There\u00adfore, the orig\u00adi\u00adnal mean\u00ading of \u201clacon\u00adic\u201d sim\u00adply means \u201clike a Lacon\u00adian.\u201d Over time, it grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly evolved into its cur\u00adrent dic\u00adtio\u00adnary def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtion. And when I learned this sto\u00adry, it became very easy to remem\u00adber this word.
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\nFrom the per\u00adspec\u00adtive of young read\u00aders, \u201cWords Like Stars\u201d can indeed serve as an inter\u00adest\u00ading \u201cChi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adter les\u00adson,\u201d help\u00ading them to joy\u00adful\u00adly learn some Chi\u00adnese char\u00adac\u00adters. But I think even more valu\u00adable is that it may help them fall in love with the cul\u00adture that has long been embed\u00added in these char\u00adac\u00adters, and in turn, devel\u00adop a curios\u00adi\u00adty about human lan\u00adguage and writ\u00ading as a whole, and a will\u00ading\u00adness to dili\u00adgent\u00adly explore them.
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\nAs the author demon\u00adstrates many times in the book, the begin\u00adning of explo\u00adration is actu\u00adal\u00adly very sim\u00adple: when you come across a word or phrase that you find inter\u00adest\u00ading, you can\u2019t help but ask: Where does it come from? Bold\u00adly explore fur\u00adther and you will find a new world as bril\u00adliant as the stars.
\n
\nAjia \u2026
\nWrit\u00adten in Bei\u00adjing on March 6, 2017<\/span>
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