pete102 Posted January 14, 2011 at 09:26 PM Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 at 09:26 PM Hi I read the first part of the sentence 汉字中蕴含着人是原因的伟大思想 as to say "Chinese characters that contains ( the character for ) a person ..." but how is the last part of the sentence to be translated. Could it be "..causes great thoughts" or maybe "...is a great causal idea." Maybe this forum can help. For context please see below. Regards, Peter Native language: Danish Context/From the book 汉字字源 1.研究汉字形义来源的意义。 汉字是世界文明古国所产生的原发性文字中惟一现在还在使用 的文字。汉字是世界上惟一高度发达的表意文字体系。汉字为中华 文明的发展做出了卓越的贡献。汉字是中华文明的显著标志，也是 源远流长的中华文明的历史见证。汉字是理性精神的结晶，它蕴含 着中华文化的理性精神。汉字中蕴含着人是原因的伟大思想。 “因”字由“口”和“大”构成。“口”字表示周围环境，“大” 字是一个人四肢活动的示意图，整个字的意思是人的行动是周围环 境变化的原因，由此产生原因的含义。在它的造字原理中包含着人................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanglu Posted January 14, 2011 at 10:23 PM Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 at 10:23 PM I'm not totally sure, but I understand this to mean: Chinese characters contain (汉字中蕴含着) the overarching idea (的伟大思想) that humanity is the cause [of phenomena] (人是原因). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted January 15, 2011 at 12:25 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 at 12:25 AM Who wrote that? The first 6 sentences all start with 漢字. I find them repetitive and tiring. Wouldn't 人是原因 be better expressed as 以人為本? Someting like people-oriented or human-oriented? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete102 Posted January 15, 2011 at 12:26 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 at 12:26 AM Oh I see. Your reading makes good sense to me and has been of great help.Thanks. Regards, Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semantic nuance Posted January 15, 2011 at 12:36 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 at 12:36 AM 人是原因, literally, man is the cause. In the context, it explains the word 因 is constitued by 口 and 大. There is a 人 in the word 大, and 大 signifies a man who moves with his limbs and whose action causes the change of the environment. That's the whole sentence about. Therefore, 汉字中蕴含着人是原因的伟大思想 tries to say that 漢字 contains great thinking that man is the reason to make the world change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gato Posted January 15, 2011 at 01:12 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 at 01:12 AM The author should probably put “人是原因” in quotes to make it more readable. Don't know who wrote it, but sounds like a Communist Party tract, by the way, because only the Party uses words like "伟大思想". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete102 Posted January 15, 2011 at 01:54 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 at 01:54 AM 作者: 窦文宇 窦勇 I don't know who they are but it is a very interesting book treating a great number of characters. Extracts from it is used on the website for the online dictionary 汉典 zdic.net. Regards，Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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