ChineseCharactersTHEearliestChinesecharacters，accordingtoarchaeologicalfindings，datebacktotheYangshaoCultureoftheNeolithicAge，about5，000to7，000yearsago.AwritingsystemcameintobeingintheShangDynasty（ca.17th-11thcenturiesBC）.AnimmensecacheofanimalbonesandturtleshellscarvedwithancientcharacterswasexcavatedfromtheruinsoftheShangcapitalinthevicinityofAnyang，HenanProvince.These“oraclebones”mainlycomprisedShangrulers’recordsofdivinations.Theysignifythematureandstrictwritingsystemwhereinthe“SixWritings”originated.TheSixWritingsrefertosixcategoriesofcharacters，namely，pictograms，ideograms，compoundideograms，phono-semanticcompounds，derivativecognates，andphoneticloans.TheSixWritingswasfirstaddressedintheZhouLi，orRitualsofZhou，oftheZhouDynasty（1122-256BC），andfullyelaboratedbyXuShen（ca.58-147）inhismasterpieceShuowenJiezi（ExplanationandStudyofPrinciplesofCompositionofCharacters）.Pictogramsareliterallycharactersthatresembleobjects.Ideogramsincorporatesymbols，forexample，上shang（above）and下xia（below），intoapictogram.Compoundideogramscombinetwoormorepictogramstoconveyabroaderreference，forexample，休（rest）iscreatedbyputting亻（person）and木（wood）together，givingtheimpliedmeaningofsomeoneleaningagainstatree.Ideophonogramsrefertocharacterscomposedofaphoneticcomponentandasemanticpictogramcomponent，soinferringthepronunciation.Thesefourcategoriesareactuallywaysofcreatingnewcharacters，whilethelasttwocategories，derivativecognatesandphoneticloans，denoterulesfortheuseofcharacters，andhavenothingtodowithcharacterformation.Itisnoteworthy，however，thatnotallChinesecharacterscanbeexplainedbytheSixWritingswithregardtotheformationofcharacters.Distinctfromotherwritingsystems，Chinesecharactersconstituteentiaofform，soundandmeaning.Theyhaveevolvedformillenniaintothe“squarecharacters”oftoday.Strokescomposethebasicelementsofacharacter.Thecharacter“”，with64strokes，isthemostcomplicated.Composedoffour龙（long，meaningdragon），itmeansgarrulous.ThewritingsystemonChina’smainlandhavingbeensimplifiedseveraldecadesago，thecharacterwiththemoststrokesisnow?Q（nang）?Cwith36strokes.Itcombines鼻（bi，nose）and囊（nang，bag）tomeansnufflingduetohavingacold.ThestandardpronunciationofChinesecharacters?CinPutonghuaorMandarin，basedontheBeijingdialect?Cisinfourtones.Thiscreatesadistinctcadence.ThesingularityofChinesecharactersliesintheirunityofform，soundandmeaning.Thisopensavastsourceofpuns.Forexample，thesimplephrasemeaning“drinkvinegar”hasthedeeperconnotationofjealousy.Variousdialectsalsocreateafascinatingdiversityofmeanings.Forexample，ifsomeonefromSouthwestChina?CSichuanProvinceforinstance，tellsyouhehaslosthishaizi“child，”don’tbealarmed，becausewhatheactuallymeansisthathehaslosthis“shoes.”Chinesecharactersareregardedasthecountry’s“fifthgreatinvention，”inadditiontothecompass，gunpowder，papermakingandmovable-typeprinting.ThewrittenlanguageistreasuredastherootofChina’ssplendidandtime-honoredcivilization.Withvariousdistinctpermutationsandcombinations，characterscanformproverbs，verses，essays，andliterature.Foreignstudentsareoftenbemusedathowcertainproverbsareexpressed.Forexample，whyspecify“thestrengthofnineoxenandtwotigers”ratherthanof“eightoxenandthreetigers，”tomeanmightyeffort，and“hittingthesouthwall，”ratherthan“hittingthenorthwall”tomeanlearnthehardway？Thereasonisthatallproverbsarederivedfromhistoricalstoriesandembodyspecificculturalconnotations.ContemporarywriterXiaoFuxinggaveinhisbookChineseCharactersandForeignWritingsmanyexamplesofhowflexibleandvividChinesecharacterscanbe.Intransliterationsofforeignbrandnames，Chinesecharactersconveyphoneticaswellassemanticelements.Forexample，thetranslationforautobrandBenzis奔驰?Cbenchimeaning“gallop，”thatforCocaCola可口可乐?Ckekoukelemeaninghappyanddelicious，and宜家?CyijiaforIKEAmeanscomfortablehome.ChinesecharactershavealsoinfluencedthelanguagesofneighboringcountrieslikeJapan，KoreaandVietnam.WrittenJapanese，forexample，isamixtureofChinesecharactersandkana.ContemporaryTVprogramslikeChineseCharacterHeroandChineseCharacterDictationCompetitioncommandhugeviewingaudiences.Andmoreforeigners，throughlearningChinesecharacters，arediscoveringtheirbeautyandfascination.