Recently，a Weibo entry which laments that nowadays many Chinese cannot read traditional Chinese characters stirred up another round of debate over the use of the traditional versus the simplified characters. There is a view that simplified characters are more convenient and easier, so they are better suited for spreading knowledge; at the same time there are also opposing opinions according to which traditional characters are more idiographic and more suited for passing down traditional culture. CSST reporter interviewed various linguists to gain their views on this issue.

Simplified Chinese characters are not interrupting cultural transmission

Jiang Lansheng, a CASS(the Chinese Academy of Social Science) Member, told the reporter that Jianhuazi(simplified Chinese characters) are in fact standardized characters promulgated by government authorities after being collected and improved by experts.

One argument has it that simplified characters have eliminated the rich content of traditional Chinese culture, and cannot replace the role of traditional characters in passing down this culture. Cheng Rong, a researcher from the Institute of Linguistics, CASS, states that in ancient times, a character had both a simplified form and a traditional form. After the Peoples Republic of China was founded in 1949, over 2,200 simplified characters were created, derived from their ancient equivalents. Therefore, there is no difference in value between these two forms of Chinese script.

According to Jiang Lansheng, “simplified characters are mostly derived from past dynasties and have a conventional historical basis. They are an intrinsic outcome of Chinese culture.” Jiang added that although traditional characters on the whole better reflect the principles of character formation and the cultural psychology of the Chinese people. The existing simplified characters were also created by the masses based on their ancient equivalents. Some of them borrowed forms from Chinese calligraphy like cursive script or semi-cursive script. Therefore simplified characters cannot be said to have interrupted the transmission of China’s cultural inheritance.

Li Xingjian, a researcher with the Institute of Applied Linguistics affiliated to the Ministry of Education and editor-in-chief of Xiandai Hanyu Cidian (also known as the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary), told the reporter that traditional characters and simplified characters are contemporary variants of Chinese characters in different regions, and there is a strict consistence between the two sets of scripts. When it comes to linguistic structure, the denotation of the traditional and simplified Chinese orthographies is the same, and the simplification of the traditional characters does not hinder the understanding of both the ancient and modern Chinese languages. He holds that script and language are two separate concepts. A master of traditional characters who lacks knowledge of the ancient Chinese language cannot read ancient literature. In this respect, there is not much difference between the traditional and simplified Chinese orthographies in terms of passing down traditional culture.

According to Dong Kun, a researcher from the Institute of Linguistics, CASS, from the perspective of contemporary linguistics and semiotics, the Chinese writing system is a gigantic semiotic system whose major functions are to carry semantic information, express ideas and enable communication. It has the property of transcending time and its functions are independent of the evolution of the writing form. The idea that simplified characters are not capable of or have limitations in their ability to pass on traditional culture is not only biased but does not coincide with objective facts.

The simplification of the Chinese characters meets the needs of society’s development

Scholars who support simplified Chinese point out that the Chinese characters, by surmounting geographic and dialect barriers, represent a strong bond for the national unity of the Chinese people. The psychological identification with Chinese characters is an important cultural tie for the Chinese. Chinese characters have made indelible contributions to the continuity of Chinese civilization.

Jiang Lansheng suggests that during its three –to four thousand year history starting with the Oracle bone script and the Jinwen (chin: 金文) of the Shang dynasty in the capital of Yin, Chinese characters have kept up a state of both change and relative stability on the whole. There have been both simplifications and complications of the characters throughout history, but the main trend has always been towards simplification, namely from being graphic to being more linear and semiotic, and the simplification of common characters has been even more obvious. Cheng Rong claims that with the general development of society, Chinese characters will develop towards being simpler, clearer and faster as the vocabulary becomes more diversified, the content which needs to be written down increases, and the user population expands. The simplification of Chinese characters therefore meets the needs of social development.

According to Jiang Lansheng, the average number of strokes of the 2,200 simplified characters in Xiandai Hanyu Cidian is 10.3, which is 5.8 strokes less than their equivalents in the traditional Chinese writing system. Simplification thus improves writing efficiency and complies with people’s needs, something which represents a great progress.

Strengthen communication and eliminate obstacles

Currently, cross-strait exchanges are becoming increasingly frequent, which poses the problem of how to eliminate obstacles to communication brought about by differences in the two sets of Chinese characters. Dong believes that strengthening communication through the written Chinese language is undoubtedly the right direction to proceed in.

The Liangan Changyong Cidian (List of Commonly Used Characters in the Mainland and Taiwan) was published in 2012, to promote exchange and cooperation between Taiwan and the mainland in the fields of language and script, economy, trade and culture. Li Xingjian, the editor-in-chief, says he feels that this dictionary adapts well to the new trends in cross-straits relations. It integrates the languages and scripts of both sides and has become a bridge for resolving ambiguities and for smooth communication, which will in turn promote deeper contacts and cooperation.

Jiang believes that to strengthen linguistic exchanges between the cross-strait regions, the mainland Chinese should be able to read and understand traditional characters while using simplified characters and the Taiwanese should be able to read and understand simplified characters while using traditional characters.

Sheng Yulin, a professor from the School of Literature & Journalism of Shandong University, explained that Shandong University has conducted an investigation on the reorganization and usage of the simplified and traditional Chinese characters in mainland China, and the results show that people in the mainland are quite open and inclusive toward this issue. He also told the reporter that according to friends in Taiwan, the Taiwanese have the same attitude toward simplified characters: ATMs and signboards at scenic spots have included simplified characters to welcome tourists from the mainland, and many students are learning simplified characters to enhance their competitiveness.

Translated by Du Mei

Revised by Gabriele Corsetti