Chinese Pictographs

The development of the character wan (falling tone) (scorpion): from left to right, archaic Shang, oracle Shang, and modern.

The development of the character yang (rising tone) (sheep): from left to right, archaic, small seal, and modern.

Scorpion

Sheep

SPRING

Three + Human + Sun = Spring

Cna yuo raed tihs?

Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.  i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Oracle Bones

Oracle Bones

The earliest Oracle Bone dates back 8,000 years ago

The 1st was discovered in N. Hunan Province in 1899.

Since then, 150,000 more oracle bones have been found bearing more than

4,500 characters

A new discovery in Xanxi provincereveals another 600 characters.

A new discovery in Xanxi provincereveals another 600 characters.

Confucianism

Ask me about: Mencius vs. Xunxi!

Confucianism provided a faith for people to live by, a convincing account of the natural and human world, and a theoretical framework for state and society.

It emphasized self-cultivation as a path not only to self-fulfillment but to the formation of a virtuous and harmonious society and state.

Some might emphasize one aspect more than the other, but ideally, learning to be a better and wiser person went hand in hand with service to the larger social body.

China’s First China’s First EmperorEmperor

Qin Shi Huang(Shi Huangdi)

EmperorQin Shi Huang

Qin Dynasty(221-207 B.C.) Qin Dynasty(221-207 B.C.)

Significant Accomplishment:

Irrigation

The Dragon’s Spine.

The Great Wall

Standardization

Greatest Accomplishment:

LishuFirst Official Script

Qin Dynasty

(221-207 B.C.)

Emperor Qin Shi Huang

TOMB OF THE EMPORER QIN SHIHUANG (D. 210 BC)

XIAN

Kaishu or

STANDING Script

Xingshu

“WALKING”Script

lies somewhere between the kaishu (regular) and caoshu (grass) scripts in that at times the strokes are controlled and regular and at other times free and flowing.

Caoshu, “GRASS”, or “Running” Script

The Four Treasures

The INK

The STONE

Paper was invented in China. It is said that paper was invented in the year 105 by a man called Cai Lun. He lived in Shaanxi province during the Han dynasty almost 1900 years ago.

The Paper

The Brush

8 Basic Strokes of Chinese

Calligraphy

Dot Stroke

This cursive style of calligraphy by Wen Zhengming (1470-1559) has been called "The Dance of the Brush." It is used as a means of artistic expression: the character itself is less important than its expressive quality.

Shu Fa : ABSTRACTION

Horse

Anger

Professor Yang XinCalligraphy DemonstrationBeijing University, 6/19/04

Dragon

Dreaming

Jade

“Coming of Spring”

By Xin Yang

“I heard the girl was setting flowers downstairs”.

Famous Tang Dynasty Poem