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About the Chinese character: Chinese writing dates back to over 5000 years ago. Chinese characters evolved from pictographs to more abstract ideograms to the modern-day character, which bears a slight resemblance to its pictographic origins.
The characters are divided into 3 main categories : pictographs (象形)﹐ideograms (會意), phonograms(形聲). Each character is a word by itself, and is written in a flowing and balanced way.
You will notice that your browser has the option of viewing Chinese characters in Traditional or Simplified forms. Some other sites provide your translation in simplified characters which are abbreviated forms which might not be recognizable to all Chinese . This site provides you with standard traditional Chinese characters which are not only recognized by Chinese but also by Japanese and Koreans. If you require simplified characters for special purposes, make a note of it when you order.
Why are there traditional and simplified characters? Traditional characters are the standard characters with centuries of history and culture embodied in them. In an effort to wipe out illiteracy, the Communist government in China introduced in 1956 a system of simplified characters which were easier to remember than the intricate traditional characters. The intention was good, but the result is devastating. Over 2000 Chinese traditional characters have been changed by the government into the simplified form by reducing the number of strokes, and thus changing the entire form and balance of the character. (see example to the right)
The webmaster is against this mutilation of the Chinese character and annihilation of our Chinese culture. The characters provided by this site are all traditional characters so that the form, beauty and essence of THE CHINESE CHARACTER can be fully appreciated.
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