Mnemonics for learning Chinese

[PaoYu]

Hey guys,

Well, the title says it all, really. I've been reading The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci (Jonathan Spence), and it got me thinking about techniques specifically to aid the learning of Chinese. I've also been reading another (more general) book on memory. It has some applicable things for learning Chinese, but I thought I'd come here and see if the pros have any experience with this:wink:

This post is, I suppose, more geared towards perhaps slightly more obscure mnemonics (as opposed to simple rote learning, use of flashcards, etc), but I'd love to hear about effective techniques that you've discovered.

[Nibble]

A common technique for learning hanzi is to either learn the actual reasons for each radical in them, or just make something up that you will remember. For example:

好 - A woman (女) and her child (子) is a good (好) combination.

媽 - Has to do with women (女) and sounds like horse (馬).

[Taibei]

A common technique for learning hanzi is to either learn the actual reasons for each radical in them, or just make something up that you will remember.

Just be careful not to take such things too seriously. When it comes to Chinese characters, it's all too common for people to mistake what are little more than fairy tales for actual etymologies.

For more on how memory techniques might be applied to learning Chinese characters, see "Memorizing Kanji: Lessons from a Pro," by J. Marshall Unger, which can be found online in Schriftfestschrift: Essays in Honor of John DeFrancis on His Eightieth Birthday (15 MB). Or see chapter 5, "How would a magician memorize Chinese characters?", of Unger's Ideogram: Chinese Characters and the Myth of Disembodied Meaning.