Composition of a sinogramme

The Chinese Caractères are, as opposed to what one could think at first sight, built by means of more or less complex elements (to include/understand: having a more or less significant number of features) of reduced number, which is rather logical: one could not imagine such a perennial writing without structure, in which each sign would be built by chance.

What follows concerning the graphic aspect of the sinogrammes, all the languages whose writing uses the sinogrammes are concerned, although the direction, the pronunciation and the C-W communication of the quoted characters are those of the Mandarin.

Decomposition of a character in its elements

The characters of the Chinese writing are composed of primitive graphic elements, which relate to as much their layout on the sheet (or with the screen) that the nature of the elements which constitute them. Some of these elements (but not all) are radical ''' ''' or ''' key '''.

Any character, even most complex, can be not learned by retaining the total shape from the sign but its fundamental components graphic, which requires a quite less effort of memory. For example, it is enough to remember that a character as 義 yì is summarized with 羊 on 我, the latter being generally very well-known since it is about the pronoun for “I, me”, one of the first characters which one learns how to trace (but it is not a radical). In the same way for 鸞 (thirty features) luán : 糸 + 言 + 糸/鳥, etc (illustration opposite; each element is also a radical).

Once one can trace the graphic primitives (there are of them a few hundreds, the number varies according to the authors) and their C-Ws communication in composition, memorizing is very different and does not limit itself to having to retain a pure abstraction.

; Type-setting system In a very remote way, one could compare the training of a nature made up with that of a word of a language with Alphabet: one can retain the total form of communication or break up it into his Graphème S components, his letters. Although one cannot speak about letters for the Chinese writing, the existence of such a system of graphic radicals plays a similar part.

In theory, this system could be used even nowadays, to create neologisms , according to the various types of formation of the sinogrammes. In practice, however, the creation of new characters ceased since nearly one millenium.

Key and graphic primitive

Decomposition of a nature led to identify two types of elements: the key, and the graphic primitive.

the key (or radical) plays a big role for semantic categorization and research in a dictionary.
a primitive graphics theoretically does not break up not into simpler elements.

In practice, the graphic primitives do not correspond very to keys, and for the needs for classification, when they are not accompanied by another key, they are very often analyzed in a key + something. Thus the character 今 is attached artificially to the key of the man 人, whereas graphically it is about a triangle overhanging a hook.

At the end of the analysis, the first six keys are simple features which are used as " convey balais" with characters which in addition are not attached to a key. Thus 中 is attached - rather artificially to the vertical feature 丨 to which one adds 口. ; Made up keys In the same way, the keys all are not of the graphic primitives, and a significant proportion of the complex keys can be often analyzed like simpler compositions of elements. Thus, simply in the keys with more than ten features:

the flute (龠) watch three types of elementary components and could be attached to the key of the man (人) or to the mouth (口).
the nose (鼻) has three components and makes think of the keys 自 or 田.
the drum (鼓) has four components, where one recognizes the key of the well-read man (士) overhanging a mouth (口), and the character (支) itself made up.
the millet (黍) has three components, where one recognizes clearly the key of the cereals 禾, the key of the man (人) and an alternative of the key of water (水). (This cereal that the man plants in water rather made think of rice).
Jaune (黃) has three components in which one recognizes the character twenty (廿), the key eight (八) and a complex group.
hemp (麻) is obviously a composition of the roof 广 and tree 林.

龠鼻鼓黍黃麻

the corn (麥) is a composition between the radical of the retreat (夂) and a character complexes (來)
the pot (鬲) is an example curious about composition whose no component exists in an autonomous way: the mouth under the feature is component frequent, but not a character, and the combination of the entourage and the man is also frequent (for example in 冏) but never autonomous.
the hair (髟) is attached naturally to key 59 of the long hairs (彡), the left part being key 168 length (長), of which the lower part is itself a component frequent graph (but nonautonomous).
the top (高) is a vertical comopsition where one recognizes the mouth (口) under the entourage (冂), forming the character 冋, and the superposition of the roof (亠) and the mouth, frequent but without autonomous existence.
the bone (骨) is an atypical composition where one recognizes in bottom the key of the moon (月), separated by a lid (冖) of a nonautonomous upper part.

麥鬲髟高骨

These examples show well that the concepts of key and components are not recovered. Moreover, these made up keys must be carefully studied by the beginners, because they are rare, little known, and thus a source of difficulty and unfruitful research frequent in the dictionaries classified by keys.

; Layout of the characters

It does not matter to know which element is really the semantic radical and which are only additional graphic elements since the principle returns to same: The layout of a character obeys strict rules, function of the nature of the elements which compose each character.

Analyzes graphic of a character

; Modified graphic primitive A modification of a graphic primitive, by addition of a feature (sometimes more), can be used for to indicate a particular detail. Thus the knife 刀 can be found marked of a point 刃 or a feature 刄.

The reason easiest to include/understand is the tree 木 to which one adds a feature 本 to mean the root, the beginning. This character is that which is found in the name of Japan 日本, the country of the sun 日 raising 本 ; Made up characters It is the most general case: a character is formed by combination of two more primitive natures. The various types of combinations are given below. ; Composed of compounds The juxtaposition can compose of the made up characters themselves. Thus, a character as 亸 is the superposition on the one hand of 亠, 口 and 子 (superimposed vertically on the left), and of 丷, 田 and 十 (superimposed vertically on the right).

Types of composition

Juxtaposition of two simpler natures

The vast majority of the characters are trained by a simple juxtaposition. Primarily, the characters can be juxtaposed vertically (has with the top, follow-up of B to the lower part), or horizontally (, B followed on the left on the right).

In the very large majority of the cases, this juxtaposition is done by modifying the proportions of the elementary components, in order to harmoniously lay out them in the total square. The distribution is generally to the 2/3 (的, 学). She can take other proportions, especially in the vertical composition, if the complexity of the components justifies it, since half as for 要 or 好, until the quarter for the thin keys as in 定 or 交.

的学要好定交

Overflowing characters and compositions in corner

In the compositions, certain elements of character " débordent" of their framework and are prolonged to the opposite edge of the character with which they are made up. The most known example is the lower feature of 这 or 边, 進, 通,… which is prolonged under the juxtaposed character. It is the same for other less frequent characters like 起, 超 or 处. In the same way, the feature of left in 反 and 展 are prolonged to bottom, or the feature of right-hand side in the compounds of 气 like 気 or 氛. This effect is spectacular in the compounds of the tiger 虍 (like 虜), the " queue" tiger continuous to wrap the characters in compositions even when the higher element is already itself a composition (a tiger repu).

边这進通起超处反展気氛虜

These compositions remain basically vertical or horizontal compositions, however the prolongation of the feature makes that the other associated character is not any more on one side, but in a corner. This " composition; in coin" is not a method of composition with whole share, it comes from what the character in composition is of overflowing nature.

Repetitions of the same character

The repetition of a character is rather frequent. It generally represents a direct semantic bond with the repeated character, by simply adding the idea of number or intensity.

The duplication of a character is mainly horizontal as in 吅 (forty case), but one finds duplications vertical, as in 吕. The character is shifted sometimes a little, as in 多 or 从, if its form is asymmetrical. Keys like 118: 竹 (bamboo), 124: 羽 (feather), 140: 艸 = 艹 (grass), 144: 行 (to go), is themselves of the horizontal repetitions.

众刕劦厽品壵孨惢晶森毳淼灥焱猋畾

The character repeated three times is always composed by putting two specimens at the base and one in top, as in 品. These compositions end sometimes in surprising graphic results. One can notice that the elementary character can present graphic alternatives according to whether it is on the right where on the left, and which these variations find in the composition. The composition of a key and nature formed by the vertical repetition of this same key also leads to three specimens, but this form (very rare) is clearly a construction in two stages.

矗磊聶舙蟲譶赑轟鑫雥飍馫驫骉鱻麤龘

The repetitions of four characters more rarely meet (four cases in the characters Unicode). The composition is always symmetrical, as in 叕.

叕茻朤燚

Including characters

In the more complex juxtapositions, an example running is the enclosure 囗 which surrounds jade 玉 to mean the country 国, character which one finds on all the objects made in China = 中国, i.e. the country 国 of the 中 medium; …). All the compounds of the enclosure (key n° 31) are built on this same logic 回.

The character " englobant" do not surround the interior character necessarily completely. Thus, the key n° 169: 門 (carries, 门 in simplified version) remains downwards open. In the same way for the keys n°13: 冂 (entourage), n°16: 几 (seat), n° 22: 匚 (case) and 23: 匸 (cupboard). One also pourait to analyze these keys like a vertical or side superposition, of 吕 type, in which the two side features are prolonged until bottom (or on the right, for the cupboards and cases).

; Characters désarticulés by the composition The elements of character can be overlapping in a more complex way. Thus, the mortar 臼 (key n° 134) opens to include a car 车 in 舆. In the same way, compounds of the key n° 144: 行 (to go) is framed on both sides by a half of the key. One can arrange in this category the compounds framed by four mouths (口).

問同因行衍衒術街衙衢器嚚

To tell the truth, this character is the repetition of the key n° 60: 彳 (to go), and from this point of view, the compounds of 行 also correspond to a composition into triptic. In addition, in some compounds of the character 二 (two), where the remainder of the character is traced inside (as in 互), one can hesitate between an including composition, or a desarticulation of the character.

Other rarer compositions

樂熒棾 ; Composition into triptic This composition consists in framing a character by the repetition of another, on the right and on the left.

; Vertical superposition with a floor In intermediate position in a vertical composition, the key n° 14: 冖 (to cover) mark simply a " plancher" separating the character top of that from bottom. This key (which is never the key in this intermediate position) is thus attached neither to the character top nor to that of bottom, but indicates simply a particular type of construction.

; Doubly as a chief One also rather frequently finds compositions vertical, in which the part the top is a doubled character, sometimes triplet. These characters can be analyzed like the result of a construction with two stages (repetition, then superposition). However, their relative frequency suggests that the topic of " doubly in chef" is an autonomous method of construction, which does not imply necessarily the preliminary existence of the repeated character. This composition is naturally with the repeated keys that are the feather, the bamboo or the grass, but also with other simple characters.

楚栞梵棼

Characters (very…) complexes

Very complex characters were created, but of which the use of course is very limited. Bellassen (1989) indicates that the most complex sinogramme is zhé (figure of left), which includes/understands 64 features, fallen in disuse towards Ve century. It is not necessarily very difficult to form, insofar as it is only about the character 龍 (dragon) repeated four times. Most complex of the characters unicode is in any case 龘 , formed of three dragons, and which posts 48 features.

A composition of 84 features exists in the Kokuji Japanese (figure of right-hand side), there is composed of three " nuages" (雲) surmounting three " dragons" 龘, and means " having the appearance of a dragon in vol".

The most complex character that one can find in the modern Chinese dictionaries is 齉 nàng (figure of left), which means " defective stating because nasillarde" , and " does not post; que" thirty-six features.

The most complex character still employed is probably " biáng" (figure of right-hand side), with 57 features, which indicates a kind of traditional noodles (noodles Biang Biang) of the province of the Shaanxi. However, this character is not in the dictionaries. Although the result is visually complex, the composition is completely regular. One recognizes, while starting with the surface layers:

On the left, and being prolonged in lower part, the key n°162: 辵 (to go quickly) in its simplified form 辶 (three or four features, following how it is drawn).

The block interns that it insulates is a vertical composition.

Under the internal block, four features which form the key n° 61: 心 (heart)
With the top of this same block, key 116: 穴 (hole), five features.

The internal block taken between 穴 and 心 is a horizontal composition.

On the left, a key of four features which is the key n°74: 月 (the moon), is more probably the key n° 130: 肉 (flesh), which in its simplified form is very often traced like the character ~ 月.
On the right, a key of two features, the key n° 18: 刀 (knife), which in side position is traced simply in the form of two vertical features: 刂.

Lastly, the internal block between 月 and 刂 are a vertical composition in triptych, where a character is framed by two specimens of another.

In the center, another vertical superposition of the key n° 149: 言 (word), seven features, and of the key n° 187: 馬 (horse, 马 in simplified character) of nine features. This combination does not appear in the current dictionaries.
On both sides, a vertical superposition of the key n° 52: 幺 (small), of three features, and the key n° 168: 長 (long, 长 in simplified version) of eight features. This combination does not appear either in the current dictionaries.

This composition is rather atypical, insofar as all its elementary components are keys. This does not have anything obligatory. In addition, none the subsets appears in the current dictionaries: the complexity of its construction is not justified (at least nowadays) by the need for distinguishing it (by addition) from other characters of which it would be the derivative.

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