Chinese characters

Description

New York: Paragon, Dover, 1965 — 820 p. ISBN 978-0-486-21321-7 Translated Into English by Davrout L. Second Edition, enlarged and revised according to the 4th French edition This edition, first published in 1965, is an unabridged and unaltered republication of the second edition, published by the Catholic Mission Press in 1927. The first edition of Chinese Characters was published in 1915.The end aimed at by the Author has been to analyse the ancient forms of the Chinese characters, to extract from them their primitive constituents, and then to group them together according to these primitive elements, in an order both logical and synoptical. The materials, figures and interpretations, were gathered from the works of the Chinese epigraphers and philologues. After having eliminated the useless characters, the Author picked out, among the usual characters, 224 Primitives. Around these elements were grouped about 1500 logical aggregates and phonetic complexes, from which all the other characters are derived. Then the whole matter was divided into 177 Lessons. After many experiences, this disposition seemed to be the most advantageous for study. The Introduction is designed to furnish some necessary explanation respecting the history, the categories, the analysis and the different classificalions of the Chinese characters. The Graphies are fac-similes of the oldest specimens of Chinese writing cast, not engraved, upon bronze bells and vases. The Phonetic Series, are a natural complement of the Lessons. Two Lexicons showing the characters arranged by order of Sounds and Radicals, complete the work. The Romanisation adopted by the Translator, was according to the Wade system.Contents Preface Introductory Historical sketch Six Categories Composition and Decomposition Classification ol Characters List of the Primitives Etymogical Lessons Usual Groups of strokes Old Graphies. Symbols. Texts