It's easy to Read - but hard to Write

I have just finished my second book in school, so this week I have gone through hard tests to see which level I have reached. In two days I have been standing at the "black board" and written 500 random selected Chinese characters. I did 90% correct which actually is very good. I am definitely satisfied with my self. It is easy to forget the word that is not daily used.

One thing that not so many people outside the Chinese language educated group have reflected over is the gigantic difference in complexity between read a Chinese character compared to also be able to write it. It's easy to believe that it have similar complicity level, which is NOT the case.

Think about how many daily seen symbols, example logotypes, that you can recognize compared how many you can write or describe in detail without see them. For example the logotype of United Nations, Motorola or The Beijing Olympics. Can you draw them? Or describe them in details? It is very easy to recognize them when you see them, but a bit harder to remember how they look if somebody ask you.

This symbol example above is describing the difference between being able to read and write Chinese characters. "Easy" to read, but much harder to write. A big part of the Chinese language students select a level to "only" be able to read, and some even dont.

This is how happy I was after finished 90% of the Chinese characters in my test. As I maybe(!) indicated, I belong to the group that have easy to write Chinese.

Chinese - The language without Yes and No

The Chinese language is very big. From time to time I become a bit depressed when I just learned a Chinese word for something, and then find out that it is a long row of alternative to say the same thing. Or if you look up a word in a dictionary and find 25 different proposal. Which one to choose? And which one is relevant to learn?

A funny paradox is that there are no clear translation for "Yes" and "No" in the Chinese language - words that is usually very clear defined in other language. In general the Chinese language is so different from for example English, that many phrases dont have any direct translation. Many Chinese sentences can have many translation, and need to be put into a situation to become understandable. It is funny to look in different "fast-guide-to-Chinese" that of course need to have translations of Yes and No. There are always different proposal, just because there are no exact translation available.

So - How to express Yes and No in Chinese?

There are a lot of different "Yes saying" and "Denying" phrases that express the meaning of Yes and No. Some example of words that can act as a "Yes"

好, hăo - OK (good)

行, xíng - OK

是, shì - To be

对, duì - Correct

可以, kěyǐ - Possible, Allowed

有, yǒu - Available, Have

To make corresponding phrases Denying - "No", you often add 不, bù or 没, méi before the phrases above.

不是, bùshì - Is not

没有, méiyǒu - Have not