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

ORIGIN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CHARACTERS

Indicative Symbol

Phonetic (ge Logical Compound Red Combination

Imitative Symbol

FIG. 4

than other languages, and this circumstance necessitated further elaboration of the characters. So two more categories came into being: Chuan-Chu and Chia-Chieh. They consist of characters constructed in the ways we have already seen, but used to signify different meanings. The two categories have never had universally accepted meanings and even to-day are still the subject of controversy in China. The following are examples :

(5) FIFTH CATEGORY: Chuan-Chu. Characters of this type are likened to water poured from one bottle into another—the water is the same but the bottle different. Their meanings are under-

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