英语畅谈中国文化（第二版）课件 Unit 3 Chinese Characters

英语畅谈中国文化IntroducingChineseCultureinEnglish(第二版)ChineseCharacters

NavigationEmbarkationExplorationResourcesDestination3UnitTograspbasicstructures,strokes,formationrulesandcoremeaningsofcommonChinesecharacters.NavigationLearningObjectivesLearningObjectivesToenhancetheabilityofanalyzingChinesecharacterstructuresandappreciatingcharacterconnotations.Todevelopstudents’competenceininterpretingandintroducingChinesecharactersaccuratelyinEnglishforcross-culturalcommunication.ToappreciatetheculturalcharmofChinesecharacters,cultivateculturalconfidenceandinclusivecross-culturalawareness.KnowledgeAbilityValuesEmbarkationLead-inPreparing1.HowmanystrokesarethereinthisChinesecharacter?Lead-inEmbarkationLead-in422.WhatdotheseChinesecharactersreferto?Workinpairsandmakeaguess.EmbarkationLead-in焚

宫

龟

火

山Workinpairs.Discussthefollowingquestions.PreparingEmbarkationPreparing1)WhatistheoriginalsourceofancientChinesecharacters?AncientChinesecharactersoriginatedfromprimitivepictographicsymbolsandpeople’sdailyobservationandrecordingofnaturalobjectsandsocialactivities.2)WhatistheearliestmaturewritingsystemofChinesecharactersdiscoveredsofar?TheoraclebonescriptistheearliestmaturewritingsystemofChinesecharacters,whichwaswidelyusedintheShangDynastyfordivinationandrecord-keeping.EmbarkationPreparing3)WhatcorefeaturecanreflectthesourceofChinesecharacters?Themostprominentfeatureis“pictographicorigin,”whichmeansearlyChinesecharactersevolvedfromvividgraphicimitationsofrealthings.ExplorationSummaryComprehensionExplorationComprehensionComprehensionForeachstatement,identifytheparagraphitcomesfrom.1)Incalligraphy,theuniqueshapesofChinesecharactersandtheprinciplesoftheirformationarethefoundation.2)Informalscript,adotcanbewritteninover20differentstyles,andthehookstrokeinaboutadozenstyles.3)Chinesecharactershavegivenrisetoavarietyofscriptstyles;amongthem,formalandrunningscriptsarecommonlyusedindailylife.1)—Para.22)—Para.53)—Para.7ExplorationComprehension4)Apieceofseal-scriptcalligraphyallowspeopletoappreciatethesincerityoftheearliestartistsandinspiresadmirationforChina’sancientculture.5)Althoughalphabeticwritingsystemscontainmoreletters,theformsofthoselettersarelessvariedthanthestrokesofChinesecharacters.4)—Para.115)—Para.6ExplorationComprehension6)Chinesecharactersarecommonlytaughtashavingeightbasicstrokes:dot,horizontal,turning,vertical,hook,right-upward,left-downward,andright-downward.7)Statisticsshowthatthereare3,500commonlyusedcharactersoutofatotalofover80,000.8)Throughvariouswritingstylesorscripts,Chinesecalligraphershaveartisticallyexpressedtheirideasthroughouthistory.6)—Para.47)—Para.38)—Para.13TExplorationDecidewhetherthefollowingstatementsaretrue(T)orfalse(F)accordingtothepassage.1)ShapeisthemostdirectexpressivecarrierinChinesecalligraphy.2)PronunciationplaysamoreimportantdirectrolethanmeaninginChinesecalligraphy.3)ChinesecalligraphycanexistindependentlywithoutChinesecharacters.4)Visually,Chinesecharactersgenerallyfitwithinroughlysquarespaces.ComprehensionFFTFExploration5)BasicstrokesofChinesecharactersdirectlycorrespondtocertainsounds,justlikeEuropeanalphabetletters.6)TheformsofstrokesremainfixednomatterwhichChinesescriptstyleisused.ComprehensionFExplorationCompletethetablewithinformationfromthepassage.ComprehensionScriptsFeaturesFormalscript/regularscript•Characterizedbystandardstrokes,1)______________,andasteadywritingspeed•EasytorecognizeRunningscript•2)_______thanformalscript,withmorelinksbetweenstrokes•Featuresslantedstrokes•Markedbysimple,3)________,andlightstrokemovementrigorousrulesLoosersmoothExplorationComprehensionScriptsFeaturesCursivescript•4)_________inform,withsomestrokesjoinedtogetherandpartsofstrokesorwholestrokesomitted•5)________towriteandrecognizeSealscript•Originatedfrominscriptionscarvedon6)____________andancientbronzevessels•Seeks7)____________________oflines,symmetry,andbalanceddistributionofstrokes•Conveysanimpressionof8)____________________Officialscript/clericalscript•Mainlyusedduring9)___________________•Squatandantiqueinappearance•Abandonstheuniformstrokethicknessofsealscriptandreducesits10)____________________mysteryandcharmauniformthicknesstheHanDynastypictographicfeaturesIrregularDifficultoraclebonesExplorationComprehensionAnswerthefollowingquestionsaccordingtoyourunderstandingofthepassage.1)WhatarethemainstructuraldifferencesbetweenChinesecharactersandEuropeanalphabeticscripts?Chinesecharactersfeatureaspatialsquarestructure.Europeanalphabeticscriptsfollowastrictlinearorder.Alphabetlettersmainlyconsistofstraightlinesandcurves,whileChinesecharactersarebuiltfromflexiblebasicstrokeswithdiverselayouts.ExplorationComprehension2)Whatarethemainfeaturesthatmakecursivescriptdifferentfromformalscriptandrunningscript?Cursivescripthasthefastestwritingspeedwithminimalpenlifting.Itisthemostunrestrainedandconcisestyle.Manystrokesareconnected,andsomestrokesarepartlyorfullyomitted.Therefore,cursivecharactersaremuchhardertorecognizethanformalscriptandrunningscript.ExplorationComprehension3)SummarizethemutualrelationshipbetweenChinesecharactersandChinesecalligraphy.TheuniqueformsofChinesecharacterslaythefoundationandmakeChinesecalligraphypossible.Inreturn,Chinesecalligraphyenrichesthemeaningofcharactersandvisuallyshowsthecalligrapher’sideas,personalityaswellassocialfeaturesofthattime.ExplorationComprehension4)Whyaresealscriptandclericalscriptseldomusedindailylifetoday?Andwhataretheirpresentuses?Sealscriptishardformodernpeopletorecognize.Itisusedincalligraphy,sealcarvingandoccasionsneedingclassicaleleganteffects.Clericalscripthasbeenreplacedbylaterscripts.Nowadaysbotharemainlyusedincalligraphicart,sealcarvinganddecorativecontextsinsteadofdailywriting.ExplorationComprehension5)WhycanChinesecalligrapherscreaterichandvariedworkswithChinesecharacters?Chinesecharactershavemorphologicalflexibility.Theirbasicstrokesarenotfixedandcantakemanyforms.Strokescanbearrangedindiversewayssuchasstacking,placingsidebyside,enclosingandoverlapping,offeringcalligraphersunlimitedcreativepossibilities.Workinpairsandsummarizethemainideaofthepassagebyfillingintheblanks.ChinesecalligraphyiscloselyrelatedtotheuniqueformsofChinesecharacters.Allwrittenlanguagescontainthreekeyelements:shape,1)______________,andmeaning.ForChinesecalligraphy,character2)___________servesasthemostdirectvehicleforexpression.Meaningaffectscalligraphicworksindirectly,while3)_______________hastheweakestdirectconnectionwiththeessenceofcalligraphy.Chinesecharactersvisuallyfitintoroughly4)__________spaces.Theyareconstructedfromeightbasic5)____________,whichdonotstandforsounds.Thesestrokeshaveunfixedformsandcanbearrangedinvariousways.ExplorationSummarySummarypronunciationshapepronunciationsquarestrokesUnlikeEuropeanalphabeticscriptswitha6)_____________structure,Chinesecharacterspossessspatialstructures.Throughouthistory,severalscriptstyleshavedeveloped,includingformalscript,runningscript,cursivescript,sealscriptandclericalscript.Formalandrunningscriptsarecommonin7)__________life.Cursivescriptusesconnectedandomittedstrokes,makingitdifficultto8)__________.Sealscriptoriginatedfromoracleboneandbronzeinscriptions.Clericalscriptappearedaftersealscriptandwaswidelyusedinthe9)_______________Dynasty.Inshort,specialformsofChinesecharactersmakecalligraphypossible.Inturn,calligraphyreflectscalligraphers’thoughtsandpersonalitiesaswellasfeaturesofthe10)_______________oftheirtime.ExplorationSummarydailyrecognizeHansocietylinearResourcesDifficultsentencesWordstonoteHeritageanddevelopmentCulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningDifficultsentencesDifficultsentencesResourcesThespecialshapesoftheChinesecharactersandtheprinciplesoftheircompositionformthebasisoftheemergenceanddevelopmentofChinesecalligraphy.Justasliferequiresamaterialbasistoexist,ChinesecalligraphydependsuponChinesecharactersforitsexistence.Themorphologicalflexibilityinherentinthesecharactersprovidescalligrapherswithlimitlesscreativepossibilities.(Para.2)Theseflexiblestrokesarearrangedinvariousconfigurations:Theycanbestacked,placedsidebyside,encloseoneanother,interweave,oroverlaptoformdifferentChinesecharacters.(Para.5)Overthecourseofhistory,Chinesecharactershavegivenrisetoavarietyofscriptstyles,eachwithdistinctcharacteristics,includingformalscript,runningscript,cursivescript,sealscript,andclericalscript.

(Para.7)ThespecialshapesoftheChinesecharactersandtheprinciplesoftheircompositionformthebasisoftheemergenceanddevelopmentofChinesecalligraphy.Justasliferequiresamaterialbasistoexist,ChinesecalligraphydependsuponChinesecharactersforitsexistence.Themorphologicalflexibilityinherentinthesecharactersprovidescalligrapherswithlimitlesscreativepossibilities.(Para.2)DifficultsentencesResources1)HowdoestheunderstandingoftheprinciplesofChinesecharactercompositioncontributetotheappreciationofChinesecalligraphy?ThespecialshapesofChinesecharactersandtheprinciplesoftheircompositionarethefoundationofChinesecalligraphy.KnowingtheseprincipleshelpspeoplerecognizethemorphologicalflexibilityofChinesecharacters.Thisflexibilityofferscalligraphersendlesscreativeroom.Therefore,readerscanbetterunderstandhowartistsarrangestrokesandstructures,andfurtherappreciatethebeautyandcreativityincalligraphicworks.DifficultsentencesResources2)Whatisthemeaningof“morphologicalflexibility”？morphologicalflexibility字形结构灵活多变morphology【语言学】形态学；词形学3)Translatethesentence.汉字独特的字形及其构成原理，是中国书法产生和发展的基础。正如生命的存在需要物质依托，中国书法的存在也依附于汉字。汉字本身具备的形态灵活性，为书法家提供了无限的创作可能。DifficultsentencesResourcesTheseflexiblestrokesarearrangedinvariousconfigurations:Theycanbestacked,placedsidebyside,encloseoneanother,interweave,oroverlaptoformdifferentChinesecharacters.(Para.5)1)Whatisthemeaningof“configuration”?configuration布局；构型；组合方式2)Translatethesentence.这些形态灵活的笔画以多种方式排布：可上下叠置、左右并列、相互包围、穿插交织或部分重叠，形成千变万化的字。DifficultsentencesResourcesOverthecourseofhistory,Chinesecharactershavegivenrisetoavarietyofscriptstyles,eachwithdistinctcharacteristics,including

formalscript,runningscript,cursivescript,sealscript,

andclericalscript.(Para.7)1)Explain“formalscript,runningscript,cursivescript,sealscript,andclericalscript”inChinese.formalscript—楷书runningscript—行书cursivescript—草书sealscript—篆书clericalscript—隶书2)Translatethesentence.随着时间的发展，汉字逐渐形成了多种特点鲜明的书体，包括楷书、行书、草书、篆书和隶书。DifficultsentencesResources1)

horizontal2)stack

3)interweave

4)overlap

5)rigorous

NewWords1)inherentin2)giveriseto

ExpressionsWordstonoteWordstonoteResources1.horizontaladj.paralleltotheground;extendingfromonesidetoanother,oppositetovertical水平的；横向的；与地面平行的Work

in

pairs.Translatethesentences.Youcanplacethebookinahorizontalposition.

你可以把书本横向摆放。Keepyourbodyhorizontal

whenswimming.

游泳时保持身体水平。Goodcalligraphyrequiresneathorizontal

strokeswithstablestrength.

上乘书法要求横画工整、力道沉稳。ResourcesWordstonote2.stackn.aneatpileofobjectsplacedoneontopofanother（整齐的）一叠；一堆；一摞v.toarrangeobjectsinapile,oneontopofanother堆叠；摞起；堆放Workinpairs.MatchuptheEnglishphraseswiththeirChineseversion.ResourcesWordstonote1—c2—a3—b一摞/一堆使某人处于不利局面；处处为难某人堆积；摞起来stackupastackofstackthecardsagainstsomebody3.interweavev.1)toweavetwoormorethingstogether（实物）交织，编在一起2)tomixideas,stories,feelingscloselytogether（抽象事物）交融；紧密融合Workinpairs.Translatethesentences.Theartistinterweavestraditionwithmodernideas.

这位艺术家将传统与现代理念相互融合。HistoryandcultureareinterwoveninChinesecalligraphy.

历史与文化在中国书法中交融共生。ResourcesWordstonote4.overlapv.1)tocoverpartofthesameareaofsth.（物体）部分重叠，交叉2)tohavesharedfeatures,ideas,ortime（内容、时间、观点）重合；有共同之处Work

in

pairs.Translatethesentences.Thetwopiecesofpaperoverlapslightly.

这两张纸有一小部分重叠。Theaestheticsofpoetryandcalligraphyoverlapgreatly.

诗歌与书法的审美理念高度相通。Thetilesoverlap

topreventrainfromleakingin.

瓦片相互交叠，防止雨水渗入。ResourcesWordstonote5.rigorousadj.verystrictandcareful;thorough;difficultanddemanding严格缜密的；严谨的;艰苦的；严苛的Work

in

pairs.Translatethesentences.Thisschoolmaintainsrigorousacademicstandards.

这所学校秉持严格的学术标准。Creatinggoodcalligraphyrequiresrigorouspractice.

写好书法需要持之以恒、一丝不苟的练习。Theselectionprocessislongandrigorous.

选拔过程漫长且严格。ResourcesWordstonote1.inherentinadj.beingabasicqualityofsth.andcannotbeseparatedfromit与生俱来的；事物本质的；自带的Workinpairs.Makesentencewithinherentin.Thebeautyinherentin

Chinesecalligraphyattractscountlesspeople.

蕴含在中国书法中的独特美感吸引着无数人。Risksare

inherentineveryinvestment.

任何投资都存在固有风险。ThephilosophyinherentinancientChinesecharactersdeservesdeeperexploration.

古汉字中蕴藏的哲学思想值得深入探究。ResourcesWordstonote2.giverisetov.tocausesth.tohappenorexist引起；引发；导致；使产生Workinpairs.Makesentencewithgiveriseto.Thedevelopmentofcharactersgaveriseto

variouscalligraphicstyles.

文字的发展演变催生了多种书体。Lackofcommunicationoftengivesriseto

doubts.

缺乏沟通往往会滋生猜忌。Culturalexchangegivesrisetonewformsofart.

文化交流孕育出新的艺术形式。ResourcesWordstonoteHeritageanddevelopmentHeritageanddevelopmentResourcesReadthefollowingpassageaboutChinesecharactersandculturalunity.BeyondDialects:HowShuTongWenSustainedChina’sCross-RegionalCulturalUnityFewcivilizationshaveconfrontedalinguisticchallengeasformidableasChina’s.Withinitsborders,overabillionpeoplespeakmutuallyunintelligiblevarietiesofChinese—Mandarin,Wu,Cantonese,Min,Hakka,Gan,andXiang—whosephonologicaldistancesoftenexceedthoseseparatingSpanishfromPortugueseorDutchfromGerman.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesAtravelerfromGuangzhouandafarmerfromBeijingmaystruggletoconverse,yetbothcanopenthesamenewspaper,readthesameclassicalpoem,andsignthesamecontractwithoutatranslator.Thisextraordinaryparadoxrestsonasingleinstitution:ShuTongWen(书同文),theprincipleofaunifiedwrittenscript.Farmorethanabureaucraticstandardization,thesharedChinesewritingsystemhasfunctionedforovertwomillenniaastheinvisiblearchitectureofculturalcohesion,transformingapatchworkofdialectcommunitiesintoacontinuouscivilization.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesThemosttransformativechangetookplaceaftertheQinDynasty.Clericalscriptreplacedsealscript,abandoningcomplicatedcurvedlinesandadoptingstraighthorizontalandverticalstrokes.Thissimplificationgreatlyimprovedwritingefficiency.Later,regularscriptmaturedandbecamethemainstreamfontfordailyuseandofficialdocuments.Inthelonghistoricalprocess,thedevelopmentofcharactersoverlappedwithsocialchanges,andvariouscalligraphicstylesincludingrunningscriptandcursivescriptgraduallycameintobeing.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesTheFragmentationofSpeechToappreciatewhatChinesescriptaccomplished,onemustfirstgraspthedepthofChina’sspokenfragmentation.Thesevenmajordialectgroups—oftenlabeled“dialects”ratherthan“languages”—exhibitsystematicdifferencesinphonology,vocabulary,andsyntax.CantonesepreservesthreeenteringtonesandfinalconsonantslostinMandarin;MinnanretainslayersofpronunciationdatingtotheTangdynasty;Wudialectsfeaturevoicedinitialsthatvanishedelsewhere.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesLinguistsestimatethatthemutualintelligibilitybetweenMandarinandCantoneseislowerthanthatbetweenEnglishandDutch.HadChinaadoptedaphoneticwritingsystemthattranscribedspeechdirectly,thesedialectswouldalmostcertainlyhavecrystallizedintoseparatewrittenlanguages,asVulgarLatinevolvedintoFrench,Spanish,andItalian.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesTheQinInitiativeandItsLegacyThedeliberateconstructionofaunifiedscriptbeganin221BCE,whentheQindynastyunifiedtheWarringStatesanddecreedthatthewritingsystembestandardized.Beforethismoment,thesamewordcouldbewritteninradicallydifferentformsacrossstates,asituationthephilosopherXuShenlaterdescribedas“speechdifferinginsound,writingdifferinginform.”TheQinimposedthesmallsealscriptastheofficialstandard,andsubsequentdynastiesrefinedthisintotheclericalscriptandeventuallytheregularscriptthatremainsthebasisofmodernChinesewriting.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesHeritageanddevelopmentResourcesWhatmadethisreformenduringwasnotmerelytheimpositionofasinglefontbutthepreservationofthescript’slogographicnature.Unlikealphabeticsystems,Chinesecharactersencodemeaningprimarilyratherthansound.Thecharacter人(réninMandarin,janinCantonese,lîninMinnan)denotes“person”regardlessofhowitispronounced.Acharacterthusoperatesasatrans-phoneticsymbol,comprehensibletoanyonewhohaslearneditsmeaning,irrespectiveofthespokenlanguagetheyuseathome.ThispropertyisthetechnologicalfoundationofChina’sculturalunity.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesClassicalChineseasaLinguaFrancaFormostofimperialhistory,theunifyingforceofthewrittenwordoperatedthroughWenYanWen(文言文),orClassicalChinese—acompact,allusivewrittenregisterdistinctfromanyspokendialect.OfficialsinGuangdong,scholarsinJiangsu,andmerchantsinSichuanallcomposedessays,memorials,andlettersinthesameclassicallanguage,evenastheirvernacularsdiverged.Thissharedwrittenmediumenabledthecirculationofacommoncanon:theFourBooksandFiveClassics,thepoetryofLiBaiandDuFu,thehistoriesofSimaQian.Aliterateeliteacrosstheempireinhabitedthesameintellectualuniverse,quotingthesametextsandadheringtothesameaestheticstandards.EnduringValueThetwentiethcenturywitnessednewchanges.TheMayFourthMovementpromotedvernacularwriting(BaiHuaWen)overClassicalChinese,andthePeople’sRepublicofChinaintroducedsimplifiedcharactersinthe1950stoimproveliteracy.CriticsarguethatthedrivetowardlinguisticuniformityriskserodingtheverydiversitythatShuTongWenonceaccommodated.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesHeritageanddevelopmentResourcesYetthecoremechanismremainsintact.AreaderinShanghaicanstillfollowanovelpublishedinChengdu;astudentinXi’ancanstillstudyapoemwritteninChang’antwelvecenturiesago.Inthedigitalage,Chinesecharactershaveprovenremarkablyadaptable,migratingfrombrushandpapertokeyboards,touchscreens,andAIinterfaceswithoutlosingtheirtrans-dialectalidentity.Thescriptcontinuestoperformitsancientfunction:renderingalinguisticallyfragmentedpopulationlegibletooneanother.HeritageanddevelopmentResourcesConclusionShuTongWenisbestunderstoodnotasastaticpolicybutasacivilizationaltechnology.Bydecouplingwritingfromthecontingenciesofpronunciation,theChinesescriptcreatedasharedsymbolicspacethatnodialectboundarycouldpartition.Itallowedavast,diversepopulationtoidentifyitselfasasingleculturalcommunityacrosscenturiesofpoliticaldivisionandregionalparticularism.TheChineseexperienceoffersamodelinwhichunityisachievednotthroughtheerasureofdifference,butthroughasharedmediumthattranscendsit.Thecharactersremain,astheyhaveformorethan2,000years,thequietgrammarofChinesecivilization.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResourcesScriptsinConversation:MultilingualDocumentsfromDunhuangandtheCosmopolitanHeritageoftheSilkRoad1.ReadthefollowingpassageaboutdocumentsfromDunhuang.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningIn1900,neartheoasistownofDunhuanginpresent-dayGansuProvince,aDaoistpriestnamedWangYuanlubrokethroughaplasteredwalltodiscovertheLibraryCave.Insidewasaforgottenculturaltreasure:nearlyfiftythousandmanuscriptsandpaintingsdatingfromthefourthtotheeleventhcentury,sealedawayforalmostathousandyears.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResourcesWhatmakesthisdiscoveryextraordinaryisnotmerelyitsscalebutitslinguisticdiversity.AlongsidetensofthousandsofChinesescrolls,thecaveyieldedtextsinSanskrit,Tibetan,Sogdian,Khotanese,Uyghur,andevenHebrew.Thesemultilingualdocumentsarefarfrommerearchaeologicalcuriosities;theyaretangibleevidenceofacivilizationinwhichtheChinesescriptcoexisted,interacted,andintertwinedwithotherwritingsystems—embodyingavisionofpluralisticintegrationovermonolithicuniformity.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResourcesDunhuangoweditspolyglotcharactertogeography.SituatedatthewesterngatewayoftheHexiCorridor,itwasthelastChineseoutpostbeforetheTaklamakanDesertandthefirstmajoroasisforcaravansarrivingfromCentralAsia.Merchants,monks,diplomats,andrefugeespassedthrough,andmanysettled.Thecity’slibrariesthusaccumulatedthewrittentracesofdifferentpeoplewhotraveledtheSilkRoads.Nowhereisthismorevisiblethaninthebilingualandmultilingualmanuscriptsthemselves.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResourcesThemostspirituallysignificantoftheseareSanskrit-Chinesetexts,producedinthecontextofBuddhisttransmission.Foroveramillennium,monkscrossedthePamirsandtheGobitobringIndianscripturestoChina,andtranslationbecameoneofthelargestorganizedintellectualprojectsinpremodernhistory.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResourcesMasterssuchasKumārajīvainthefifthcenturyandXuanzangintheseventhrenderedthousandsofsutrasfromSanskritintoChinese,andsomemanuscriptspreservebothlanguagessidebyside—SanskritversesintheslantingsiddhaṃscriptfollowedbyChineseglossesorfulltranslations.TheChineselanguageitselfwastransformedintheprocess.WordslikeFo(佛，“Buddha”),Pusa(菩萨，“Bodhisattva”),andNiepan(涅槃，“Nirvāṇa”)wereoriginallyphonetictranscriptionsofSanskritterms,nowsodeeplyassimilatedthatfewspeakersrecalltheirforeignorigin.ThebilingualscrollsofDunhuangrecordnotjusttranslationbutthebirthofanewintellectualvocabulary.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResourcesDunhuangalsopreservesthescriptsofpeopleswhosevoiceshaveotherwisefaded.Sogdian,anIranianlanguageoncespokenbythemerchantdiasporathatdominatedSilkRoadtrade,appearsinletters,contracts,andreligioustexts—oftenfoundalongsideChinesedocumentsinthesamebundles.Whatthesedocumentscollectivelydemonstrateisamodelof“pluralisticunity”longbeforethetermexisted.Chinesescriptservedasalinguafrancaofadministrationandhighculture,butitdidnoteraseotherwritingsystems.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResources

ThemultilingualmanuscriptsofDunhuangrevealaworldinwhichscriptsweretoolsofconnectionratherthandivision,inwhichtranslationandbilingualismwereordinaryfeaturesofurbanlife.Inanagewhenculturalexchangeisoftenframedasamoderninvention,theLibraryCaveremindsusthattheSilkRoadwasnotmerelyarouteforgoodsbutaspacewherelanguagesmet,scripturesweretranslated,andcivilizationsenrichedoneanotherthroughthesimpleactofwritingtogether.CulturalcommunicationandmutuallearningResources2.WatchthevideoaboutChinesecharacters.UnitProjectProject1Project2Project3Project4Project5Project8Project9Project10Project6Project7UnitProjectDestinationProject1：HowdidChinesecharactersdevelopoverthousandsofyears?IntroducethemainstagesintheevolutionofChinesecharacters.Explainwhycharacterskeptchangingwithsocialdevelopment.Youcanshowpicturesofdifferentscriptstosupportyourspeech.UnitProjectUnitProjectDestinationProject2：WhyisChinesecalligraphymorethanbeautifulhandwriting?Manypeoplethinkcalligraphyisjustprettywriting.Shareyouropinions.Talkaboutitsculturalmeaning,artisticvalueandinf