The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
S4-E39 - Traditional VS. Simplified Chinese Characters – 繁體字或簡體字?
Jan 16, 2025
Dive into the intriguing debate over traditional and simplified Chinese characters. Explore their historical significance and the political narratives entwined with their evolution. Discover the complexities of learning these characters, with personal anecdotes that highlight technological impacts. The discussion also touches on the cultural implications of potentially replacing traditional characters with a Roman-based alphabet. Plus, reflect on the legacy of Lu Xun and the paradox of technological progress framed by political ideologies.
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Chinese Characters and Radicals
- Chinese characters are phonetic, not just pictures.
- Radicals, 214 puzzle pieces, form the base of characters, but combining them isn't simple.
Simplified "Tai"
- The character for "Tai" in Taiwan was simplified before the communists.
- It originally had 14 strokes but now has five.
Early Simplification Attempts
- After the Qing dynasty, some Republic of China members wanted to simplify characters.
- They believed too many characters and variants caused illiteracy.