汉字叔叔：一个美国人的汉字情缘
Uncle Hanzi: An American's Love of Chinese Characters
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The story of Richard Sears, an American who devoted his life to studying Chinese characters.
31 new words
情缘qíngyuánpredestined love, sentimental bond
理查德·西尔斯和汉字的情缘，起初来自学习中文时的好奇。
Richard Sears's connection with Chinese characters began with curiosity while learning Chinese.
逻辑luójílogic
他发现，靠死记硬背很难记住复杂的字；若能看见字形怎样演变，理解其中的逻辑，学习会更有意思。
He found that complex characters are hard to remember through rote learning alone.
硬yìngrigidly, mechanically
他发现，靠死记硬背很难记住复杂的字；若能看见字形怎样演变，理解其中的逻辑，学习会更有意思。
He found that complex characters are hard to remember through rote learning alone.
死记硬背sǐjì-yìngbèito memorize mechanically without understanding
他发现，靠死记硬背很难记住复杂的字；若能看见字形怎样演变，理解其中的逻辑，学习会更有意思。
He found that complex characters are hard to remember through rote learning alone.
偶然ǒuránaccidental; by chance
偶然读到古文字资料以后，一个念头渐渐成形：能不能把分散在经典和字典里的材料收集起来？
After accidentally reading materials on ancient scripts, he began to wonder whether scattered material in classics and dictionaries could be collected.
演变yǎnbiànto change, to evolve
他发现，靠死记硬背很难记住复杂的字；若能看见字形怎样演变，理解其中的逻辑，学习会更有意思。
He found that complex characters are hard to remember through rote learning alone.
遗憾yíhànregretful; deep regret
字形并非一成不变，它会随时代、书写工具和社会需要改变；了解变化，能让学习者少走一些弯路，也少留一些遗憾。
心脏xīnzàngheart
面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。
Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
思考sīkǎoto think deeply, to ponder
这也使他不断思考学习的方法。
If one can see how a character form evolved and understand its logic, learning becomes more interesting.
抓紧zhuājǐnto firmly grasp
他抓紧业余时间，把一个个字输入个人收藏库。
He used spare time to enter characters one by one into his own database.
尽快jǐnkuàias soon as possible
面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。
Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
经典jīngdiǎnclassic
偶然读到古文字资料以后，一个念头渐渐成形：能不能把分散在经典和字典里的材料收集起来？
After accidentally reading materials on ancient scripts, he began to wonder whether scattered material in classics and dictionaries could be collected.
库kùstorehouse, bank
他抓紧业余时间，把一个个字输入个人收藏库。
He used spare time to enter characters one by one into his own database.
输入shūrùto input
他抓紧业余时间，把一个个字输入个人收藏库。
He used spare time to enter characters one by one into his own database.
元旦YuándànNew Year's Day
每逢元旦，网站都会发布年度更新，也常收到新留言：有人问一个字为什么这样写，有人分享家里长辈的说法。
疾病jíbìngdisease, illness
面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。
Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
创chuàngto establish, to set up
因此，研究者的价值不只在于创出一个工具，还在于把知识交给更多人。
A researcher's value therefore lies not only in creating a tool, but also in giving knowledge to more people.
公开gōngkāito make known to the public; open
后来，他把许多成果公开在网上，让各地学习者都能查找。
Later, he made many results public online so learners everywhere could search them.
最初zuìchūfirst, earliest
最初这只是个人计划，却很快变成长期工作。
At first this was only a personal plan, but it soon became long-term work.
痛苦tòngkǔpainful, suffering
面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。
Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
微博wēibómicroblog
有人在微博上称赞这项工作，也有人提出问题。
Some praised the work on Weibo, while others raised questions.
时期shíqīperiod
这个库包含甲骨文、金文等不同时期的字形，列出繁体字、简体字，还记下少量方言的用法。
呼hūto call, to address; (of wind)
有人称呼他“汉字叔叔”。
克服kèfúto overcome, to conquer
面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。
Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
收集shōujíto collect, to gather
偶然读到古文字资料以后，一个念头渐渐成形：能不能把分散在经典和字典里的材料收集起来？
After accidentally reading materials on ancient scripts, he began to wonder whether scattered material in classics and dictionaries could be collected.
包含bāohánto contain, to include
这个库包含甲骨文、金文等不同时期的字形，列出繁体字、简体字，还记下少量方言的用法。
繁体（字）fántǐ (zì)complex form, traditional Chinese characters
简体（字）jiǎntǐ (zì)simplified form, simplified Chinese characters
方言fāngyándialect
这个库包含甲骨文、金文等不同时期的字形，列出繁体字、简体字，还记下少量方言的用法。
称赞chēngzànto praise, to commend
有人在微博上称赞这项工作，也有人提出问题。
Some praised the work on Weibo, while others raised questions.
真相zhēnxiàngtruth, fact
对他来说，欢迎不同意见比得到一句表扬更重要，因为真相需要不断核对。
To him, welcoming different views mattered more than receiving a compliment, because truth needs continual checking.
Listen to the text
理查德·西尔斯和汉字的情缘，起初来自学习中文时的好奇。他发现，靠死记硬背很难记住复杂的字；若能看见字形怎样演变，理解其中的逻辑，学习会更有意思。这也使他不断思考学习的方法。
lǐ chá dé· xī ěr sī hé hàn zì de qíngyuán， qǐ chū lái zì xué xí zhōng wén shí de hǎo qí。 tā fā xiàn， kào sǐjì-yìngbèi hěn nán jì zhù fù zá de zì； ruò néng kàn jiàn zì xíng zěn yàng yǎnbiàn， lǐ jiě qí zhōng de luójí， xué xí huì gèng yǒu yì sī。 zhè yě shǐ tā bù duàn sīkǎo xué xí de fāng fǎ。
Richard Sears's connection with Chinese characters began with curiosity while learning Chinese. He found that complex characters are hard to remember through rote learning alone. If one can see how a character form evolved and understand its logic, learning becomes more interesting.
偶然读到古文字资料以后，一个念头渐渐成形：能不能把分散在经典和字典里的材料收集起来？最初这只是个人计划，却很快变成长期工作。他抓紧业余时间，把一个个字输入个人收藏库。
ǒurán dú dào gǔ wén zì zī liào yǐ hòu， yī gè niàn tóu jiàn jiàn chéng xíng： néng bù néng bǎ fēn sàn zài jīngdiǎn hé zì diǎn lǐ de cái liào shōují qǐ lái？ zuìchū zhè zhǐ shì gè rén jì huà， què hěn kuài biàn chéng zhǎng qī gōng zuò。 tā zhuājǐn yè yú shí jiān， bǎ yī gè gè zì shūrù gè rén shōu cáng kù。
After accidentally reading materials on ancient scripts, he began to wonder whether scattered material in classics and dictionaries could be collected. At first this was only a personal plan, but it soon became long-term work. He used spare time to enter characters one by one into his own database.
这个库包含甲骨文、金文等不同时期的字形，列出繁体字、简体字，还记下少量方言的用法。字形并非一成不变，它会随时代、书写工具和社会需要改变；了解变化，能让学习者少走一些弯路，也少留一些遗憾。
zhè gè kù bāohán jiǎ gǔ wén、 jīn wén děng bù tóng shíqī de zì xíng， liè chū fántǐ zì、 jiǎntǐ zì， hái jì xià shǎo liàng fāngyán de yòng fǎ。 zì xíng bìng fēi yī chéng bù biàn， tā huì suí shí dài、 shū xiě gōng jù hé shè huì xū yào gǎi biàn； le jiě biàn huà， néng ràng xué xí zhě shǎo zǒu yī xiē wān lù， yě shǎo liú yī xiē yíhàn。
The collection includes character forms from oracle bones, bronze inscriptions, and other periods, lists traditional and simplified characters, and records some dialect uses. Character forms are not fixed forever: they change with time, writing tools, and social needs. Understanding those changes helps learners take fewer wrong turns and leave fewer regrets.
整理材料并不轻松。资料有时难找，有时彼此矛盾，他不得不反复确认来源。面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。
zhěng lǐ cái liào bìng bù qīng sōng。 zī liào yǒu shí nán zhǎo， yǒu shí bǐ cǐ máo dùn， tā bù dé bù fǎn fù què rèn lái yuán。 miàn duì jíbìng hé xīnzàng wèn tí dài lái de tòngkǔ， tā réng xī wàng jǐnkuài wán chéng gèng duō nèi róng， bìng shè fǎ kèfú jì shù shàng de kùn nán。
Organising material was not easy. Sources were sometimes hard to find and sometimes contradicted one another, so he had to confirm them repeatedly. Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
后来，他把许多成果公开在网上，让各地学习者都能查找。有人在微博上称赞这项工作，也有人提出问题。对他来说，欢迎不同意见比得到一句表扬更重要，因为真相需要不断核对。
hòu lái， tā bǎ xǔ duō chéng guǒ gōngkāi zài wǎng shàng， ràng gè dì xué xí zhě dōu néng chá zhǎo。 yǒu rén zài wēibó shàng chēngzàn zhè xiàng gōng zuò， yě yǒu rén tí chū wèn tí。 duì tā lái shuō， huān yíng bù tóng yì jiàn bǐ dé dào yī jù biǎo yáng gèng zhòng yào， yīn wèi zhēnxiàng xū yào bù duàn hé duì。
Later, he made many results public online so learners everywhere could search them. Some praised the work on Weibo, while others raised questions. To him, welcoming different views mattered more than receiving a compliment, because truth needs continual checking.
每逢元旦，网站都会发布年度更新，也常收到新留言：有人问一个字为什么这样写，有人分享家里长辈的说法。有人称呼他“汉字叔叔”。这些交流说明，汉字不只是考试材料，也是人与历史、家庭和文化相连的线索。
měi féng Yuándàn， wǎng zhàn dōu huì fā bù nián dù gèng xīn， yě cháng shōu dào xīn liú yán： yǒu rén wèn yī gè zì wèi shén me zhè yàng xiě， yǒu rén fēn xiǎng jiā lǐ zhǎng bèi de shuō fǎ。 yǒu rén chēng hū tā“ hàn zì shū shū”。 zhè xiē jiāo liú shuō míng， hàn zì bù zhǐ shì kǎo shì cái liào， yě shì rén yǔ lì shǐ、 jiā tíng hé wén huà xiāng lián de xiàn suǒ。
Each New Year's Day, the website publishes an annual update and often receives new messages. Some people ask why a character is written in a certain way; others share an elder's explanation from home. Some call him 'Uncle Hanzi'. These exchanges show that Chinese characters are not only exam material but also links connecting people with history, family, and culture.
西尔斯的经历并没有把汉字变成简单答案。相反，它提醒我们，学习语言要有耐心，也要有证据。一个字的来处可能很长，但每一次认真查证都会让理解更接近事实。
xī ěr sī de jīng lì bìng méi yǒu bǎ hàn zì biàn chéng jiǎn dān dá àn。 xiāng fǎn， tā tí xǐng wǒ men， xué xí yǔ yán yào yǒu nài xīn， yě yào yǒu zhèng jù。 yī gè zì de lái chù kě néng hěn zhǎng， dàn měi yī cì rèn zhēn chá zhèng dōu huì ràng lǐ jiě gèng jiē jìn shì shí。
Sears's experience does not turn Chinese characters into simple answers. Instead, it reminds us that language study needs patience and evidence. The history of one character may be long, but every careful verification brings understanding closer to fact.
因此，研究者的价值不只在于创出一个工具，还在于把知识交给更多人。那些被保存、解释和讨论的文字，会继续帮助后来者提出新的问题。
yīn cǐ， yán jiū zhě de jià zhí bù zhǐ zài yú chuàng chū yī gè gōng jù， hái zài yú bǎ zhī shí jiāo gěi gèng duō rén。 nà xiē bèi bǎo cún、 jiě shì hé tǎo lùn de wén zì， huì jì xù bāng zhù hòu lái zhě tí chū xīn de wèn tí。
A researcher's value therefore lies not only in creating a tool, but also in giving knowledge to more people. Characters that are preserved, explained, and discussed will keep helping later learners ask new questions.
Tap a marked word for its meaning. Tap a line to see the English.
Grammar
他发现，靠死记硬背很难记住复杂的字；若能看见字形怎样演变，理解其中的逻辑，学习会更有意思。He found that complex characters are hard to remember through rote learning alone.
死记硬背+(Object)
死记硬背. This idiom means to memorize something by rote, without understanding. It's often used negatively to describe an ineffective learning method.
汉字的一笔一画没有任何逻辑，只能死记硬背。
Hànzì de yì bǐ yí huà méiyǒu rènhé luójí, zhǐnéng sǐjì-yìngbèi.
The strokes of Chinese characters have no logic, they can only be memorized by rote.
偶然读到古文字资料以后，一个念头渐渐成形：能不能把分散在经典和字典里的材料收集起来？After accidentally reading materials on ancient scripts, he began to wonder whether scattered material in classics and dictionaries could be collected.
偶然+ Verb/偶然的+ Noun
偶然. '偶然' can function as an adjective meaning 'accidental' or as an adverb meaning 'by chance'. It indicates something unexpected.
一个偶然的机会，他发现了解汉字的来源和演变过程很有帮助。
Yí ge ǒurán de jīhuì, tā fāxiàn liǎojiě Hànzì de láiyuán hé yǎnbiàn guòchéng hěn yǒu bāngzhù.
By chance, he discovered that understanding the origin and evolution of Chinese characters is very helpful.
面对疾病和心脏问题带来的痛苦，他仍希望尽快完成更多内容，并设法克服技术上的困难。Faced with illness and the pain of heart problems, he still hoped to complete more content as quickly as possible and worked to overcome technical difficulty.
尽快+ Verb
尽快. '尽快' is an adverb meaning 'as soon as possible' or 'as quickly as possible'. It emphasizes speed and urgency.
我要尽快完成这个项目。
Wǒ yào jǐnkuài wánchéng zhège xiàngmù.
I want to complete this project as soon as possible.
Which word means “New Year's Day”?
Culture
汉字的演变 - Evolution of Chinese Characters
Chinese characters have gone through a long process of change. Early writing was closely related to pictures, and later character forms gradually became stable and simple for writing and communication. The materials and writing tools of different dynasties also affected the appearance of scripts. The characters used today keep traces of history while adapting to modern printing and online communication. Learning characters is not only remembering strokes; it can also mean understanding the meaning and culture behind their forms. In this way, people can discover that every character is like a clue linking the past and the present.
Write the new characters
0 of 11 written
缘 from 情缘 · predestined love, sentimental bond
Practice
8 questions · about 4 minutes
Pick the meaningListenFill the gapMatchWord order
Finish
Finish the practice to complete this lesson.