Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

ORIGIN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CHARACTERS

picture-symbols. Most later scholars have based their work upon the ‘ Shuo-Wén’ (#t 3c). Hsii Shen classified the ancient characters under six heads, showing how they were constructed and how new ones based upon them could be formed.

The characters are divided, in the first place, into Wen (%), Simple Figures, and Tza (), Compounds. These two classes are in turn subdivided. The simple figures may be either (1) Images, Hsiang (&), or Imitative Symbols, HsiangHsing, (& Fé), or (2) Indicative Symbols—symbols indicating an action, quality, event, &c.—Chih-Shih (4% 事 ).! The compound characters are also subdivided into two: (3) Phonetic Compounds Hsing-Sheng (\% #£), in which one part stands for the meaning and the other for the sound, and (4) Logical Combinations Hui-I (@ #), in which each part of the character contributes to the meaning of the whole. The ‘ Shuo-Wén’ gives two more classes of characters, (5) Chuan-Chu (#4 4) and (6) Chia-Chieh ({ {&), both of which must be mentioned, though neither has ever gained the universal acceptation of the other four.

Now let me restate these categories, with a few details and examples, one by one.

(I) FIRST CATEGORY: Hsiang and Hsiang-Hsing, Imitative Symbols or Images, sketches representing an object. I have given some examples already ; here I will give further details. The image can be divided into, four kinds—single, double, combined and complex. |

(i) Single figures :

Yen (#8), swallow, ap fi. 1 Literally, ‘a pointing at something’. [25 ]