The Origins of Traditional and Simplified Versions of Chinese Characters
For HUNG Keung, the development of traditional Chinese has been evolutionary, whereas simplified Chinese is revolutionary.
From this perspective, the two versions have arisen in history in entirely different contexts and for entirely different reasons.
First of all, what are traditional and simplified Chinese characters?
The word ‘love’ ( , ai) in traditional and simplified Chinese (visualization by the author).
The traditional Chinese character for ‘love’ includes the traditional Chinese character for ‘heart’: (xin) (visualization by the author).
Traditional Chinese characters are referred to by several different names within the Chinese- speaking world. The government of Taiwan officially calls traditional Chinese characters ‘Standard characters’ (正體字 , Zheng ti zi); Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Chinese communities, and also users of simplified Chinese characters, call them ‘Complex / Traditional characters’ ( 繁體字, Fan ti zi); and some people refer to traditional characters simply as ‘proper characters’ ( 正字, Zheng zi). Simplified Chinese characters are officially known as ‘Simplified Chinese’ (簡化字 , Jian hua zi) or ( 簡 體字, Jian ti zi). The reason for this naming rested with Chairman Mao who started the simplification movement, arguing that the process of simplification should embody both structural simplifications of character forms and substantial reductions in the total number of standardized Chinese characters. The government of the People’s Republic of China in Mainland China has promoted simplified Chinese characters for use in printing since the 1950s and 1960s in an attempt to increase literacy. Simplified Chinese characters are now officially used in the People’s Republic of China and Singapore. Viewed under the aspect of the relationship between culture, mentality, and character- design, the differences between traditional and simplified Chinese characters are significant. Professor Jao Tsung-I (饒宗頤) has observed that all old languages in the world evolve from pictographs to alphabet letters (Jao 1998, p. 174). Chinese characters seem to have evolved even further, extending their function to art and literature and elsewhere. In other words, Chinese characters have long been a core element of Chinese culture. But this cultural function has not been carried over into the new system. This can be illustrated by means of example, the character for ‘love’. The traditional Chinese character for ‘love’ ( 愛, [ai]) includes the traditional Chinese character for ‘heart’ (心 , [xin]), and this inclusion visually indicates the close relationship between one’s heart and the sentiment of love. However, simplified Chinese has removed the traditional Chinese character for ‘heart’ from the traditional Chinese character for ‘love’, leaving behind a new, simplified character for ‘love’. This embrace of simplification has profoundly damaged the spirit of Chinese characters.