Chinese – Page 2 – Outlier Linguistics

Chinese

Liùshū and Categorical Thinking

by John Renfroe

Liùshū and Categorical Thinking

By John Renfroe A common piece of advice to learners of Chinese is that you need to know which of the traditional six categories [六書, Liùshū; the ...

The Benefits of Learning Chinese Characters the Outlier Way

by Ash Henson

The Benefits of Learning Chinese Characters the Outlier Way

Claim Learning Chinese characters the Outlier way, i.e., by way of understanding their functional components and how those functional components re...

What is Etymology and Is it Useful for Learning Chinese Characters? (Part 2)

by Ash Henson

What is Etymology and Is it Useful for Learning Chinese Characters? (Part 2)

What is Etymology and Is it Useful for Learning Chinese Characters? (Part 2) By Ash Henson In the previous post, I went over the first three aspect...

What is Etymology, and Is it Useful for Learning Chinese Characters? Part 1

by Ash Henson

What is Etymology, and Is it Useful for Learning Chinese Characters? Part 1

What is Etymology and Is it Useful for Learning Chinese Characters? (Part 1) By Ash Henson So, what is Chinese character etymology? It’s usually de...

Understanding Corruption in Chinese Characters (Part 2)

by Ash Henson

Understanding Corruption in Chinese Characters (Part 2)

Understanding Corruption in Chinese Characters, Part 2 by Ash Henson Note: Before we get started here, I'd like to mention our motivation for m...

Understanding Corruption in Chinese Characters (part 1)

by Ash Henson

Understanding Corruption in Chinese Characters (part 1)

Understanding Corruption in Chinese Characters (part 1) by Looking at the Etymologies for 面, 友 and 匯 By Ash Henson This is the first of several pos...

Getting Radical About Radicals

by John Renfroe

Getting Radical About Radicals

There’s a huge misconception about how characters work. You see this sort of advice all the time: “Characters are made up of radicals, so you should learn the radicals first,” or “Make sure you learn the radicals. They’re the building blocks of characters.” This is not true. People who say this are well-intentioned but ill-informed about the nature of the Chinese writing system.

Three Attributes, Three Functions

by John Renfroe

Three Attributes, Three Functions

So, how do Chinese characters actually work?

It’s fairly simple, believe it or not. Most characters are made up of components, and those components can play different roles within the character.

Essentials Edition Release

by John Renfroe

Essentials Edition Release

Essentials Edition Release So it took longer than we expected (you've heard that before!), but the Essentials Edition v1.0 is finally released, ...

Essentials Release Announcement

by John Renfroe

Essentials Release Announcement

The Essentials Edition, Mini v1.2 and new Expert Information! Overview We’re thrilled to announce that we’re officially releasing an early versi...

How to use the Mini Edition

by John Renfroe

How to use the Mini Edition

Motivation: Everyone learning Chinese wants to make the most effective use of their time. And, as we all know: wasted time = wasted money. So, w...

Three Editions of the Outlier Dictionary

by John Renfroe

Three Editions of the Outlier Dictionary

The Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters comes in three “flavors”: - The Mini Edition - The Essentials Edition - The Expert Edition So what ...