Deeply rooted in culture, and represented in four elegant Chinese characters, the sayings called Cheng-yu make oblique references to poetry, philosophy, or history. This gorgeous volume features some of the most famous proverbs, including "beat grass warn snake" (give the game away, tip someone off). Each phrase includes an explanation, its literal English translation, what the calligraphic strokes symbolize, and its uses.
Chinese Characters introduces readers to the art and meaning of Hanzi. Each Chinese character is displayed on its own page with its pronunciation, meaning, and a brief explanation of the character. An introduction details the history of Chinese characters and the way it has developed over the years. It even explains how digital technology has affected the use and art of Chinese characters.
Dated to about the fifth century B.C., "The Art of War" is considered the world's oldest treatise on war. Attributed to Sun Tzu of the Zhou dynasty, the book is composed of 13 chapters, each addressing a particular aspect of warfare such as planning offenses, military combat, and the employment of spies. Influential in Eastern civilization for millennia and in Western culture since its first translation in the 18th century, the teachings of this book have been applied to scenarios as varied as office politics, the Vietnam War, and American football. Now this living military heirloom is available as part of the "Word Cloud Classics" series in a chic, affordable edition for readers everywhere.
The elegant pen-strokes and visual harmony of Chinese writing, known as hànzì, have long been admired in the west. Classical Chinese calligraphy is a popular and valuable art form, and with the increasing economic and cultural power of China, its writing is becoming more widely appreciated and understood. In particular, the deep layers of history and symbolism which exist behind even the most everyday character have a strong appeal to those seeking understanding from an alternative philosophy. Chinese The Art of Hànzì features the most interesting of the three to four thousand characters are needed to write modern Chinese. Characters expressing concepts such as love, peace, respect and happiness are reproduced in a large format, enabling the reader to trace, scan or photocopy them for transfer to any other medium. Alongside the character is an accessible and inspiring explanation of how the character developed, what the particular strokes symbolize, and its various different meanings.
The sayings known as Cheng yu are used frequently in Chinese. Chinese Proverbs Illustrated features ovr 75 of the more than 5,000 Cheng yu, reproduced in a large format. Alongside each phrase is an accessible and inspiring explanation, its literal translation in English, and what the particular strokes symbolize.