Authors:

Nasirova Saodat Abdullayevna — Orientalist, philologist, translator, and Sinologist; Doctor of Philology (DSc), Associate Professor; Director of the Confucius Institute in Tashkent.

Xashimova Sabohat Abdullayevna — Orientalist, philologist, translation scholar, Sinologist, and economist; Doctor of Philology (DSc), Associate Professor.

J. Boybotayev — Sinologist.

Summary:

The teaching manual Chinese Characters is a translated and expanded work based on Han Jintan’s book of the same name. Using standard script forms and numerous illustrations, the book provides a concise introduction to the rich and multifaceted culture of the Chinese character writing system. It offers both Chinese and international readers an engaging and informative journey into the “world of characters.”

Chinese writing originated from pictographs and evolved over time. Throughout its development, Chinese characters appeared in various script styles such as jiaguwen, jinwen, xiaozhuan, clerical script, and regular script, gradually changing in form. The writing system evolved from pictographic to symbolic forms and from complex to simplified characters. The simplification of characters is presented as a major direction in the evolution of Chinese writing. The manual includes numerous illustrations that document and explain these processes.