Chinese Characters and Calligraphy

CCC

Chinese Characters and Calligraphy

中国文化中的汉字与书法

China has a very long and rich culture.

中国文化悠久而丰富。

We have many traditions—zodiac animals, legends, festivals, and special foods.

我们有很多传统——生肖、传说、节日和食物。

But among them, Chinese writing is one of the oldest and most beautiful parts.

但在这些传统中，汉字是最古老也最美丽的一部分。

It’s not only for daily life—it’s also an art.

它不仅是生活工具，更是一种艺术。

Chinese characters can be traced back to about 3,000 years ago.

汉字可以追溯到三千多年前。

The earliest writing was found on animal bones and turtle shells.

最早的文字刻在动物骨头和龟甲上。

We call them oracle bone inscriptions.

我们称它为“甲骨文”。

They looked like small pictures at first.

这些字一开始像小图画。

For example, the characters for “sun,” “moon,” “eye,” and “water.”

比如“日”“月”“目”“水”等字。

They slowly changed into the symbols we use today.

这些图画慢慢演变成我们今天使用的符号。

Later, people wrote on bronze objects.

后来，人们把字刻在青铜器上。

That style is called bronze script.

这种文字叫“金文”。

Before paper was invented, people wrote on bamboo and silk. We call it Seal script.

在纸发明之前，人们写在竹简和丝绸上。

After paper was invented, new styles appeared.

纸发明之后，新的书体出现了。

We had clerical script, cursive script, regular script, and running script.

有隶书、草书、楷书、行书。

Each has its own rhythm and feeling.

每一种书体都有自己的节奏和感觉。

In the Song Dynasty, printing made writing more standard.

到了宋代，印刷术让汉字更标准化。

That’s why we call the printed style Song Ti, or Song font.

这就是为什么印刷体叫“宋体”。

Even today, we still use it on computers!

直到今天，我们在电脑上仍然使用它！

To write Chinese characters, we use four traditional tools.

写汉字要用四种传统工具。

They are the brush, ink, paper, and ink stone.

它们是笔、墨、纸、砚。

We call them the Four Treasures of Study.

我们称它们为“文房四宝”。

The brush is made of animal hair—soft and flexible.

毛笔用兽毛制成，柔软有弹性。

The ink is solid. We grind it with water to make black ink.

墨是固体，要加水研磨成墨汁。

The paper can absorb ink in different ways.

纸的吸墨性不同。

Some paper is soft, some is hard.

有的纸软，有的纸硬。

The ink stone is used for grinding the ink.

砚台是用来磨墨的。

These tools can be cheap or very expensive.

这些工具可以便宜，也可以贵得惊人。

Some are simple, others are works of art.

有的普通，有的堪称艺术品。

Chinese calligraphy has a history of more than 3,000 years.

中国书法有三千多年的历史。

It’s more than just writing—it’s visual art.

它不仅是写字，更是一种视觉艺术。

People say calligraphy is “a poem without words, a dance without movement.”

人们说书法是“无言的诗，无行的舞”。

It’s also “a painting without color, and music without sound.”

也是“无图的画，无声的乐”。

Even if you don’t understand Chinese, you can feel its beauty.

即使你不懂中文，也能感受到它的美。

The strokes show balance, movement, and spirit.

笔画中有平衡、流动和精神。

Every line carries the writer’s mood.

每一笔都传达着书写者的心情。

Finally, I’d like to share one Chinese symbol—the God of Wealth.

最后，我想介绍一个中国象征——财神。

In Chinese tradition, he brings good fortune to everyone.

在中国传统里，他掌管财运，带来好运。

So I wish all of you good luck and prosperity!

祝大家好运连连，财运亨通！

Thank you!

谢谢！

Characters

字符

Calligraphy

书法

zodiac animals

生肖动物

legends

传说

daily

日常的

traced back

追溯

animal bones

动物骨骼

turtle shells

龟壳

oracle bone inscriptions

甲骨文

symbols

符号

bronze objects

青铜器

bronze script

青铜铭文

clerical script

隶书

cursive script

草书

regular script

楷书

running script

行书

rhythm

节奏

standard

标准

Song font

宋体

Four Treasures of Study

文房四宝

solid

坚硬的，固体

grind

研磨

strokes

笔画

spirit

精神

mood

情绪

symbol

象征

Wealth

财富

fortune

财富

prosperity

繁荣