Four Corner Method

[kiwi]

境 : Why is this 4011? Instead of 4311?

盛 : Why is this 5310? Shouldn't it be 7310?

获 : Why is this 4428? Shouldn't it be 4423? Especially since 犬 is 4303 therefore the bottom right should be 3.

So far using the Four Corner method to look up characters is a 90% miss for me.

[trien27]

境 : Why is this 4011? Instead of 4311?

盛 : Why is this 5310? Shouldn't it be 7310?

获 : Why is this 4428? Shouldn't it be 4423? Especially since 犬 is 4303 therefore the bottom right should be 3.

So far using the Four Corner method to look up characters is a 90% miss for me.

I don't really use this method [All you really need to know is how the first stroke is written, then look up the index in the dictionary minus the first stroke for the remain stroke counts]. I think it's cumbersome. I'm sorry, but since I'm not a foreigner learning Chinese, I do not know what those numbers mean [i'm actually Chinese]. Mostly I'd just find the radical and add up the strokes of what's remaining of the whole character, which might or might not be a character on its own. I use the bopomofo/Zhuyin method, pinyin method and the counting of strokes after the radical is found. I'd look for the radicals that I know by heart and match it to the character I don't know. If the original character isn't found, I'd use variants like "three dots water" instead of the water character itself, etc...

Most of the time, the radical is easily found on either: the top, the left-hand side of the character or the bottom of the character, but rarely, a character won't have the radical you think is correct, but rather it has become another radical over time.

[zhwj]

I don't use this method myself, but according to its descriptions, the "proper" codes for the first two at least seem justifiable:

境 : Why is this 4011? Instead of 4311?

0 represents a dot over a horizontal line.

盛 : Why is this 5310? Shouldn't it be 7310?

成 has 戈 as its upper portion, which is 53

A former classmate of mine studied history and was taught this method, but I haven't met anyone else who uses it.

[Qhanzi]

> 境 : Why is this 4011? Instead of 4311?

 

亠 is 0. 宀 is 3 because only the top part counts.

> 盛 : Why is this 5310? Shouldn't it be 7310?

 

It seems the uppermost part wins here. See the attached diagram.

> 获 : Why is this 4428? Shouldn't it be 4423? Especially since 犬 is 4303 therefore the bottom right should be 3.

 

This may be an error in the data. 4428 gives me 荻 as well as  蕨, 蕷, and 蘋 (this is using the Japanese kanjidic data). It seems possible someone made a mistake in confusing the very similar characters 荻 and 获. The Unihan database has 4428 for this too: http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=%E8%8E%B7

 

I think it's an error though, that should not be 8 but 3 as you say.

 

The four corner system is pretty confusing.

 

[BahasaChina Guru]

I will answer this:

>> 获 : Why is this 4428? Shouldn't it be 4423? Especially since 犬 is 4303 therefore the bottom right should be 3.jian

 

Old version of Siajiao Haoma Zidian (FourCorner Dictionary) rules: 大=4003 but new version rules every with 人- shape at corner C (bottom-left) and D (bottom-right) must be assigned xx80.

For example:  火 9080； 大 is not 4003 anymore but now 4080; an so many more. Some data at UNICODE is still using the old version. 

 

Comment: this new rule make easier for people with no chinese writing capability, but a little confusion for chinese-writing-able people since there is rule that

strokes (or line) already taken for a number must be excluded from consideration at other corners. But you can practise your fourcorner skill by using softwares. 

Many others fourcorner codes are also a little bit tricky, so practicing is the best way to manage it fully.

[Jan Finster]

Did you realise you necroed a thread from 2010-2014?

 

Still interesting to read the first post and have absolutely no clue what it is about.... 

[Tomsima]

I was also pretty interested to see there have been people here using and discussing this method. It was originally used for telegraphing in the first half of the 20th century, and apparently is still used today by people with eyesight difficulties (as the system only requires you to identify the outer 'corners' of a character, without needing to know the exact stroke composition. You should check out the wiki if you're interested.

[BahasaChina Guru]

I don't realize that this posting consists posts with interval each to other of several year and my posting is six years away from last posting.

No problem at all I thinks.

You see the title is : Home>Forums>Learning Chinese>Reading and Writing Skills>Four Corner Method.

So the topic here is Four Corner Method.

 

What is Four Corner Method?

A method for recognizing a Hanzi/Chinese-Character by its corners' shape.

If you are capable at this method you can recognized that each Hanzi has its "internal" code of 4 number, "the FourCorner". '

They are code for its A. TopLeft Corner B. TopRight C. BottomLeft and D. BottomRight.

 

For example: 木 has "internal" code of 4090; 一 has "internal" code of 1000; 言 has "internal code" of 0060.

No, this method is still active in use. We still have newly updated chinese dictionary using this method called "Sijiao Haoma Xin Cidian".

With active practice, this method is learnable and will be very useful for finding a Hanzi in dictionary that has index by this search method.

There also android application we can download to practice this method: SijiaoHaoma.apk and SijiaoHSK1.apk to SijiaoHSK6.apk.

You can find it by google with this keyword "sijiaohaoma apk".