The languages of China - English and Chinese

You might find that Chinese characters are difficult and very complex and so Chinese characters are often criticized for being too complex compared to other writing systems. One cannot find any letter in Chinese as one dose in English but strokes, and in some characters there are so many strokes.

Strokes are traditionally classified into eight basic forms, each appearing in the character 永(eternal). The eight forms of strokes are listed below according to their contemporary names. Though somewhat arbitrary, this system has remained popular for nearly two millennia.

1. Dian –A simple dot.
   永 寸 江 太
2. Heng –Horizontal stroke, left to right.
   永 一 大 干
3. Shu –Vertical strike, top to bottom.
   永 王 木 十
4. Gou –Hook appended to other strokes.
   永 小 心 丁
5. Ti –Diagonal stroke, rising from left to right.
   永 打 地 功
6. Pie –Diagonal stroke, falling from right to left.
   永 人 女 千
7. Duan Pie –Short diagonal stroke, falling from right to left.
   永 血 火 牛
8. Na –Horizontal stroke, falling from left to right.
   永 人 又 木

There basic strokes are sometimes combined without the pen leaving the paper. In the above example of 永, strokes 2, 3 and 4 are written as one continuous stroke, as are strokes 5 and 6.

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