ff* —' if     Lesson 1
— > /X^ÄHPn    Notes on Chinese characters:
1. /X^#J#3J5)c    The construction of Chinese characters:
Hodilo
Chinese characters which are now in current use, have a history of over 3, 000 years. They are also known as "square characters    because they are square-shaped.
Different from the alphabetic script which is spelled out in letters, Chinese characters are written in various strokes.
Out of the 30 odd strokes, only 8 are basic ones and all the others are their variants. The strokes in a character are written according to some fixed rules. Once the basic: strokes and the rules of stroke-order are grasped, the writing of characters will become easy.
Structurally characters are divided into two categories: the single-component ones and the compound ones. In the single-component characters, the strokes are written or arranged as a compact integral, but most of the characters are compound ones which are composed of two or more components or sides . Some of the sides are used as radicals in Chinese dictionaries. So it is of key importance to know the sides or radicals before you learn how to consult a Chinese dictionary.
3
It can be seen that there are rules for the construction of characters and it is helpful to master these rules in learning how to read and write characters. 2. a=řtó*iS( —) Strokes (1):
gS^^j®     Basic strokes:
- ( —)    m héng
/  {/)
piě
V (\)    # na
, (\)    JŔ dian
The horizontal stroke is written from left to right and it can not be written otherwise.
The down stroke to the left is written from top-right to bottom-left. If it is written from bottom-left to the top-right, it becomes another stroke.  (See Lesson 3. )
The down stroke to the right is written from top-left to bottom-right. It can not be written otherwise.
*UUuMrT<ÄET)*.
The dot is written from top to bottom-right (or to bottom-left) .
— x *fe ^ #E    Table of new characters:		
1	—	—
2	—	—
3	—	-=~
4	7\	
5	A>	/        yV
6	£	-      jr      *L
— > iAií    Read the following:
A.
*.
4
UgN %£>}    Exercises: 1. ^^1:
Write the strokes:
—					
J					
V					
■\					
1					
2. mtämž^&vLŤ:
Give the characters for the following words:
liů    (            )                             ěr    (            )
bä   ( sän (
)
yi   (            )
dá  (            )
s
Ü&     Lesson 2
(i)
C7)       % göu
% SI ^ Si ÍR    Notes on Chinese characters: •ÄíWíiil —) Strokes (2): üj^^ÜlEi     Basic strokes:
S shü       ^A±faTil^,^t£JATfö±:ii3Öo
The vertical stroke is written from top downward and can not be otherwise.
Some strokes have a hook. The hook is written by a quick lifting of the pen (or Chinese brush) .  Following are strokes with hooks: IÍ&J     The horizontal with a hook ;f£j     The vertical with a hook ffcj     A bending stroke with a hook A slant stroke with a hook ^p-f&I     Level bending with a hook
-s ife^
Table of new characters:
1	*	w	í)	
		*('	^   t   4*    *)	ěr you (archaic)
2	ft	ft		
		<£;('	'^>       'C*       'C* )	xTn heart
3	#	*u	k    -k )	nü female
		ŤC	T    Ť)	zT person
6
— n iAiS    Read the following:
EU §£<)    Exercises: 1. Igl:
Write the strokes:
I					
—					
1					
)					
^>					
2. »T$m*a*:
Transcribe the following characters:
o ft (       )
2) ft (          )
3)#(            )
3.  imfijSTjijáěató-A^iAA):
Give characters containing the following strokes! optional i:
D    .«
2)  -:
3)   ] :
4)  / :
5)  ":
6)   ) :
7)   v>:
1%:    Lesson 3

— x Ä^íOÍR    Notes on Chinese characters: a^tö«ii(H) Strokes (3): ;||2£:^|lBl     Basic strokes:
ÍS)
t (1)    #rzhé - (L)
The upward stroke to the right is written from bottom-left to top-right.
Strokes with a turn:  1) the horizontal with a downward (urn; 2) the vertical with a horizontal turn to the right. 5     Combined strokes: 1     Wiffi$J     héngzhégôu     The horizontal stroke with a downward turn and a hook U    íg^ffžj     shuwöngöu     The vertical stroke with a right turn and a hook 7     fitlft         héngpiě            The horizontal stroke combined with a down stroke to the
left
.A.
■ n
-x   ±¥
Table of new characters:
1	A	ŕ    t    <■  'á, ' ä   4	
2	JL	r    *    í.	
3	f&	i	
		•&(-*    -*    •&)	yě
4	#,	i	
		4.	
in
n(
n)
men
x iAií    Read the following:
(-)
if^n   A4&   fain   d*4n
A: 4MJ#1
|B|N *&>J    Exercises
l. 1«B:
Write the strokes:
y					
1					
-?					
u-					
V.					
7					
2. fôäŠSm^Ä^:
Give the charactes for the following words:
1) tarnen       (                    )
9
2) women      (                    )
3)  nímen        (                    )
4)  nín háo      (                     )
Count and tell how many strokes there are in f£. Are all the three slant strokes down strokes to the left?


10
lig i$     Lesson 4
— > JXífiliR    Notes on Chinese characters: ^JIMJ (—) Rules for stroke- order (1) ■
Most characters have more than two strokes. To write them, there must be a fixed order to follow, and there are some rules for the order of strokes:
The horizontal stroke before the vertical: The horizontal stroke and strokes containing a horizontal should be written before the vertical or the down strokes either to the right or left. Examples:
+ : -     + *.: -     ir     *.
The down stroke to the left before that to the right: When the down stroke to the right crosses or touches that to the left, the former is written before the latter. Examples:
A;   /       K A:  r      (-     /) *    (7     *)
->£?
Table of new characters:
1	X	—	r	X.	
2	K	/	K		
3	k	-	—	ř	k
II
4	m	no       n      n      n)           yuě flesh (as radical), moon
		^
5	JL	-  r  n  &.
6	m	i
		M, C7      V]     4)                                                     mä
7	«■	5C('         "       y       5C)                                             fů father
		& ( "      *      *      C)                                             bä
8	<%	cr ( i       r>     o)                                         köu mouth
		h
9	*	\                                                                                         (g")yán speech
		UJ     \     í    f    f    f    f    #)
10	it	*('       -     Ť"      *)
		U'    í     C)
n	A	S*        /    1                   17                F»                O    \                                                                                                    ^
		^    ( -'           "T"           -T          TT          7^)
n. x KÍ JS    Read the following:
(-)
A: JÉJtU?
B: Ä&ÄÄÄÄo  ffejt«?
A: ík&nmižo
12
(-)
A: ítóí^g^?
ß: fk,lĚ.M.Ífc měimei (younger sister)^?
A: T-(no),íáňnm^o
(H)
ÄfefiÄJI lä0Shí( teacher) o
íMMmXÁo
EL %~>]     Exercises: 1. ISS:
Write the strokes:
Lj					
b					
ľa					
2. ffl£i2tW7*^*2:
Fill in the blanks with characters you have learnt:
1)	*	"■S;?
2) fe	*	iS
»*	£.*	
4) it*		0
5) it*		O
3. Mft^Mj&a-^üSW^ÄÄTffiWSit":
Choose one from each pair of characters to fill in the blank:
1)  Ü&& měimei,_______Atik
2)  Zhäng läoshí,_________
?L4k dldi(younger brother) 0
3) A:  LĎOShí, B:
#!
*í!
(ft.,**,) (#,«0
2l T^    Lesson 5
— % Sl^ÄliR    Notes on Chinese characters:
<meH{n) Rules for stroke-order (2) -.
From top to bottom: The strokes at the top should be written before those at the bottom . Examples:
Oh :    "       ®       ®
From left to right: The strokes on the left should be written before those on the right. Examples:
ft:   \       $L
II:JIÖ:
The containing strokes before the contained ones: When a component contains another on the top-left or on the left, top and right, the containing ones should be written before the contained ones.  Examples:
B: i    n   w
1*1 JR:
However, if a component contains another on the bottom-left or on the left, bottom and right, the contained ones should be written before the containing ones.   Examples:
— n *Ě ^ ft    Table of new characters:
i    ji    i     r   JL
14
2	■Ü9|5	o  0        r?		P)			
		sp	S    (7	=5    3    n )			ná
			P   (   '	P)			
1	;l	;     ;L					
4	ft	"•('     "		"•)			
		«	í				
			w (-	■""    "5")		bäi	
5	^	A(y     /v)					
		*('     -		-      ž)			
6	a	ad    n		1*1    S)			
		4- C    ^		K     %.     £.)			
7	45	-»    ^J   -ft		$			
8	íl	t (/     a		t  )			
		t C    "		^   T    t    Ť	*	t)	
9	*	/.(/    a>					
		ÍL (		*    *    r   p	ÍL)		
10	*	^c    ••		■•■   ,■<■   .■-ľ, \			
		a					
		i(-    +		i)		tu earth	
11	&	*,				1	
15
/£»
12
t
* (
i            rj
t)
jin
H x SBÜ    Read the following:
A: B: A:
A: B: C: A: C: A: B:
(-)
tt±*JL?
(To A)ffeÄ^j|flÄW|?
(-)
B9N ^^1    Exercises 1. ^«Ii:
Write the strokes:
3					
é					
v					
1					
2. jrx«aTM»fŘi«,#ffl/*^@«ř:
Write the questions in characters and give the answers:
1) Ní mama shäng nár?
16
2)  Ní péngyou yě shi dáifu?
3)  Tä sháng túshúguän ma?
What are the rules to write the following characters?  (optional)
it  #   *  ü   m
17