Character Structure
The Chinese character structure can be divided into single component and the compound. Most of the Chinese characters are made up of two or more components, and the major structures of these characters are left-right structure, top-bottom structure and enclosed structure.
Structure Type | Description | Chinese Description | Example |
Single | Single component | 独体结构 | 木 |
Compound
| Left to Right | 左右结构 | 好 |
Above to Below | 上下结构 | 古 | |
Left to Middle and Right | 左中右结构 | 班 | |
Above to Middle and Below | 上中下结构 | 享 | |
Full Surround | 全包围结构 | 因 | |
Half Surround | 半包围结构 | 同 |
Traditional Classification
All Chinese characters are logograms, but there are several derivative types. These include a handful which derive from pictograms and a number which are ideographic in origin, but the vast majority originated as phono-semantic compounds. Below are five main categories of Chinese characters.
Categories | Description | Chinese Name | Example |
pictograms
| idealised pictures of the thing it refers to | 象形文字 | 山 = mountain |
symbols | abstract idea by means of an arbitrary sign | 指事文字 | 上 = up |
picto-phonogram | character composed of the meaning and pronunciation | 形声字 | 艹+采cǎi =菜cài plant + pick = vegetable |
ideogram | combination of meaningful components | 表意文字 | 女+子 = 好 woman + child =good |
phonetic-loans
| Borrowed characters, two homonyms like too and two. | 假 借 文 字 | 要 = 腰 want = waist |