The Spirit of the Chinese Character: Gifts from the Heart

From the fluid strokes in the characters denoting 'grace, ''enlightenment, ' and 'tranquility' to the complex meanings inherent in the words for 'honor, ''love, ' and 'wisdom, ' the richness and depth of the Chinese language come alive in this compact, elegant volume of 40 beautifully rendered ideograms. Every character is accompanied by a simple chart showing its physical composition, stroke by stroke, as well as an informative text describing the myriad linguistic components from which its meaning is derived. As a result, the reader can grasp each character's significance and connection to centuries of Chinese philosophy and, ultimately, gain an understanding of the language beyond a mere familiarity with linguistic symbols. Complete with two-color printed end-papers and a charming full-color bookmark, "The Spirit of the Chinese Character" makes a lovely gift or keepsake volume, sure to inspire a fascination with the complexity of an incomparably beautiful and evocative language.