Chinese Characters

The elegant pen-strokes and visual harmony of Chinese writing, known as hànzì, have long been admired in the West. Classical Chinese calligraphy is a popular and valuable art form and is becoming more widely appreciated and understood. In particular, the deep layers of history and symbolism that exist behind even the most everyday character have a strong appeal to those seeking understanding from an alternative philosophy.

Chinese Characters: The Art and Meaning of Hànzì features 86 of the three to four thousand characters needed to write modern Chinese. Characters expressing concepts such as love, peace, respect and happiness are reproduced in a large format, enabling the reader to trace them for transfer to any other medium. Alongside the character is an accessible and inspiring explanation of how the character developed, what the particular strokes symbolize, and its various different meanings.

About the Author:

James Trapp is the author of Chinese Characters: The Art and Meaning of Hanzi, Chinese Proverbs and also has translated a new edition of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. A Chinese language graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he teaches Mandarin and is an Education Officer on the China Collection at the British Museum.