Chinese Language Characters as Pictographs

Chinese Language Characters as Pictographs   A common misconception about Chinese characters is that they are pictures. I have met many people who dont study Chinese who think that the writing system works much like rebuses where pictures represent concepts and meaning is communicated by listing many such pictures next to each other. This is partly correct, there are a number of Chinese characters that are actually drawn from just looking at the world; these are called pictographs. The reason I say that its a misconception is that these characters make up a very small portion of the total number of characters (perhaps as little as 5%). Since they are so basic and easy to understand, some teachers give their students the false impression that this is the way characters are normally formed, which is not true. This makes Chinese feel much easier, but any learning or teaching method built on this will be limited. For other, more common ways of forming Chinese characters, please read this article. Still, it is important to know how pictographs work because they are the most basic kind of Chinese character and they appear frequently in compounds. Learning pictographs is relatively easy if you know what they represent. Drawing a Picture of Reality Pictographs were originally pictures of phenomena in the natural world. Over the centuries, some of these pictures have morphed beyond recognition, but some are still clear. Here are some examples: Ã¥ ­  child (zÇ ) mouth (kÇ’u)æÅ"ˆ moon (yuà ¨) mountain (shÄ n)æÅ" ¨ tree (mà ¹)ç” ° field (tin) While it might be hard to guess what these characters mean the first time you see them, its relatively easy to recognize the drawn objects once you know which they are. This makes them easier to remember as well. If you want to see how some common pictographs have evolved, please check the pictures here. The Importance of Knowing Pictographs Even though its true that only a small proportion of Chinese characters are pictographs, that doesnt mean that they arent important. First, they represent some very basic concepts that students need to learn early on. They arent necessarily the most common characters (those are usually grammatical in nature), but they are still common. Second, and more importantly, pictographs are very common as components of other characters. If you want to learn to read and write Chinese, you have to break characters down and understand both the structure and the components themselves. Just to give you a few examples, the character Ã¥  £ (kÇ’u) mouth appears in hundreds of characters related to speaking or sounds of different kinds! Not knowing what this character means would make learning all those characters much harder. Likewise, the character æÅ" ¨ (mà ¹) tree above is used in characters that represent plants and trees, so if you see this character in a compound next to (usually to the left) of a character you have never seen before, you can be reasonably sure that its a plant of some sort. To get a more complete picture of how Chinese characters work, though, pictographs arent enough, you need to understand how they are combined in different ways: Character type 1: PictographsCharacter type 2: Simple ideogramsCharacter type 3: Combined ideographsCharacter type 4: Semantic-phonetic compounds

About The Deadly Tangshan Earthquake

About The Deadly Tangshan Earthquake At 3:42 a.m. on July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the sleeping city of Tangshan, in northeastern China. The very large earthquake, striking an area where it was totally unexpected, obliterated the city of Tangshan and killed over 240,000 people - making it the deadliest earthquake of the twentieth century. Fireballs and Animals Give Warning Though scientific earthquake prediction is in its nascent stages, nature often gives some advance warning of an impending earthquake. In a village outside of Tangshan, well water reportedly rose and fell three times the day before the earthquake. In another village, gas began to spout out the water well on July 12 and then increased on July 25th and 26th. Other wells throughout the area showed signs of cracking. Animals also gave a warning that something was about to happen. One thousand chickens in Baiguantuan refused to eat and ran around excitedly chirping. Mice and yellow weasels were seen running around looking for a place to hide. In one household in the city of Tangshan, a goldfish began jumping wildly in its bowl. At 2 a.m. on July 28, shortly before the earthquake struck, the goldfish jumped out of its bowl. Once its owner had returned him to his bowl, the goldfish continued to jump out of its bowl until the earthquake hit.1 Strange? Indeed. These were isolated incidents, spread across a city of a million people and a countryside scattered with villages. But nature gave additional warnings. The night preceding the earthquake, July 27-28, many people reported seeing strange lights as well as loud sounds. The lights were seen in a multitude of hues. Some people saw flashes of light; others witnessed fireballs flying across the sky. Loud, roaring noises followed the lights and fireballs. Workers at the Tangshan airport described the noises as louder than that of an airplane.2 The Earthquake Strikes When the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Tangshan at 3:42 a.m. on July 28, over a million people lay sleeping, unaware of the disaster that was to befall them. As the earth began to shake, a few people who were awake had the forethought to dive under a table or other heavy piece of furniture, but most were asleep and did not have time. The entire earthquake lasted approximately 14 to 16 seconds. Once the quake was over, the people who could, scrambled out into the open, only to see the entire city levelled. After an initial period of shock, the survivors began to dig through debris to answer the muffled calls for help as well as find loved ones still under rubble. As injured people were saved from under the rubble, they were lain on the side of the road. Many of the medical personnel were also trapped under debris or killed by the earthquake. The medical centers were destroyed as well as the roads to get there. Survivors were faced with no water, no food, and no electricity. All but one of the roads into Tangshan was undrivable. Unfortunately, relief workers accidentally clogged the one remaining road, leaving them and their supplies stuck for hours in the traffic jam. People needed help immediately; survivors could not wait for help to arrive. Survivors formed groups to dig for others. They set up medical areas where emergency procedures were conducted with the minimum of supplies. They searched for food and set up temporary shelters. Though 80 percent of the people trapped under rubble were saved, a 7.1 magnitude aftershock that hit in the afternoon of July 28 sealed the fate for many who had been waiting under the rubble for help. After the earthquake hit, 242,419 people lay dead or dying, along with another 164,581 people who were severely injured. In 7,218 households, all members of the family were killed by the earthquake. Corpses were buried quickly, usually close to the residences in which they perished. This later caused health problems, especially after it rained and the bodies were again exposed. Workers had to find these impromptu graves, dig up the bodies, and then move and rebury the corpses outside of the city.3 Damage and Recovery Before the 1976 earthquake, scientists didnt think Tangshan was susceptible to a large earthquake; thus, the area was zoned an intensity level of VI on the Chinese intensity scale (similar to the Mercalli scale). The 7.8 earthquake that hit Tangshan was given an intensity level of XI (out of XII). The buildings in Tangshan were not built to withstand such a large earthquake. Ninety-three percent of residential buildings and 78 percent of industrial buildings were completely destroyed. Eighty percent of the water pumping stations were seriously damaged and the water pipes were damaged throughout the city. Fourteen percent of the sewage pipes were severely damaged. The foundations of bridges gave way, causing the bridges to collapse. Railroad lines bent. Roads were covered with debris as well as riddled with fissures. With so much damage, recovery was not easy. Food was a high priority. Some food was parachuted in, but the distribution was uneven. Water, even just for drinking, was extremely scarce. Many people drank out of pools or other locations that had become contaminated during the earthquake. Relief workers eventually got water trucks and others to transport clean drinking water into the affected areas. After the emergency care was given, the rebuilding of Tangshan began almost immediately. Though it took time, the entire city was rebuilt and is again home to over a million people, earning Tangshan the name Brave City of China. Notes 1. Chen Yong, et al, The Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976: An Anatomy of Disaster (New York: Pergamon Press, 1988) 53.2. Yong, Great Tangshan 53.3. Yong, Great Tangshan 70. Bibliography Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything, 1999. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 1998. Yong, Chen, et al. The Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976: An Anatomy of Disaster. New York: Pergamon Press, 1988.

International Investment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Investment Law - Essay Example Relevant facts of the dispute This case arises from the privatization program implemented by the Argentine Republic in the early 1990s, including the guarantees they offered to investors buying assets in the electricity sector and the decisions by the respondent in reducing the impact of the Argentine economic crisis in 2001-20021. Prior to the privatization, the electricity assets of the respondent were operated by three companies which were later restructured for privatization based on Decree 634/91 and Law 26,065. Based on these laws, the electricity generation and related matters belonging to the three companies were to be divided into individual units2. The Claimant in this case argued that the impact of the Reform Law destroyed the investments in Transener and declared that the company has already incurred losses due to this law. National Grid later agreed to sell its shares to Dolphin Management in order to mitigate its losses3. Claimant National Grid notified respondent in 20 02 of the investment dispute and sought for the application of Article 3 of the Treaty; they also claimed the benefit of the application of Article 7(2) of the Treaty between the US and Argentina for the protection of their investment and for international arbitration without referral to the Argentina courts. Respondent proposed the suspension of negotiations as their public service contracts were being processed. The claimant declined the proposal to suspend negotiations; the claimant however agreed to meet with authorities for negotiations4. The claimant again expressed its willingness to explore a settlement of the issue; without any response from the respondent, the claimant submitted the case for arbitration. The parties consented. The respondent agreed to the arbitration and claimed its case under the terms of the Treaty which allows the option to settle disputes which may arise with investors who may be nationals of the other State party5. The Claimant submitted to arbitratio n through its notice of arbitration. Based on Article 3.2 of the UNCITRAL Rules, the arbitration started on the date when the Notice of Arbitration was received by the respondent. Findings The tribunal decided that there was no direct or indirect expropriation as National Grid has not been deprived of title to its property and the methods of Argentina in handling the crisis were not equivalent to expropriation6. However, the tribunal ruled that the practice of fair and equitable treatment was violated by Argentina when it did the following: it changed the legal framework which was used as basis by National Grid in its investment; it did not negotiate with National Grid in the implementation of its measures and disposal of its investments; and when it requested for National Grid to abandon its legal remedies in relation to the renegotiation of its investment7. The tribunal also decided that economic difficulties which Argentina found itself in had to be considered. The tribunal then decided that the violation of the fair and equitable standard only happened from the time National Grid asked to renounce its rights, and not from the time the emergency measures were implemented by Argentina8. This made Argentina accountable for the losses of National Grid during the first six months of the crisis. Analysis of the Arbitral Award First of all, the jurisdiction of the Tribunal is based on the instruments of the parties submitting to

Care study for operating department practitoner(odp) Essay

Care study for operating department practitoner(odp) - Essay Example Silvestre, to theatre for a minor operation under local and is being checked into the department, she remained restless throughout the entire period of admission process. My mentor, Dr. Hughes, supervised me as I took Mary and Mrs. Silvestre through the theater admission procedures. After sometime, Mrs. Hughes decides to quickly nip to the toilet during the process in order to get back ready to transfer the patient into theatre. He leaves me behind to complete the remaining procedures and prepare the patient for admission. It is during this time that I observed that the consent form has been signed by Mary and a comment added to the notes that Mary thinks she may be pregnant. I proceed to confirm this comment setting Mary free for theater admission after completing all required procedures. After transferring Mary into theatre my mentor attempted to insert a cannula into the dorsum of Mary’s hand. To my utter amazement, Mary is startled by the sharp pain inflicted upon her by the inserted cannula. She immediately withdraws her hand resulting in the cannula becoming dislodged with some blood spillage. I privately ask Dr. Hughes, my mentor, why such a unique occurrence is taking place and she quickly confesses that she has not really attempted a cannulation procedure unsupervised before. I concluded that she must have forgotten to follow certain necessary procedures resulting into the pain experienced by the patient and consequently, the blood spillage upon withdrawal. Despite all these, however, Dr. Hughes decided to have another go on the patient in order to save time. Nursing practitioners have a huge role to play in seeing forth the liberation of patients from the anguish of various diseases. The situations to which nursing practitioners are often exposed as health care professionals are sometimes so complex and demanding including serious issues of health and well being of various patients. It is for this reason that nursing practitioners have to be well

Creating a Robotic Garbage Truck with Lego Mindstorm :: Robotics

Includes Source Code Robotic Garbage Truck Abstract For my final project I decided to build a robot garbage truck that can drive by itself on a ?road? and pick up garbage. This garbage truck would also be able to distinguish from trashcans and anything else that might be in its place. This robot is a one-of-its-kind creation that has to my knowledge never been tried before. So I could replicate a real garbage truck as much as possible, I researched how garbage trucks work and how they have changed in the past 85 years of existence. I decided to create an arm unlike any garbage truck so far only because regular garbage truck arms need to be placed in a very small area to be able to lift up the trashcans. In seven days of work I was unable to finish creating my robot. I was only able to completely build the robot and partially program it. I believe that I made tremendous progress in building this robot in the time that I worked on it. This project has taught me so much on how to build a vehicle that replicates something useful for manki nd. Background Robotic Garbage Truck Garbage trucks have been around since the early 1920?s and are getting more and more advanced each year. But even now in the 21st century the same basic principle of how garbage trucks are run has remained the same. They still require 1-2 sanitary engineers to operate a garbage truck, and they still have to take the trash from your home to landfills. Advancements could be made and an event has proven that robotic vehicles can drive on their own. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grand challenge is hosted a first of its kind all robotics race through the Mojave Desert from Barstow, California to Las Vegas, Nevada. Two hours before the race the contestants are given the route at which their robots will have to take in order to win the race. Once the race starts human intervention will result in disqualification. The prize for finishing in the fastest time is one million dollars. So far no one has ever finished the race the farthest robot going just over seven miles, but they have made tremendous progress. Imagine this cutting edge technology incorporated into garbage trucks. This would eliminate the need for humans to transport garbage from your home to a landfill. Garbage companies like Waste Management would save millions of dollars because they wouldn?

Lord of the rings

Favorite book Book of choice: Lord of the rings Why one should read the Lord of the Rings The Lord of the rings was written in by Mr.. Jar Tolkien between year 1937 and 1949 and is said to be one of the greatest fantasy novels ever written. Using a combination of lore depth and beautiful language the novel has become one of the most popular books ever to be published, selling over 150 million copies worldwide.There are many reasons why this particular novel is said to one, if not the best epic fantasy evolve ever written, one of these reasons is the vivid world in which Tolkien has put so much effort and detail. Tolkien manages to create as well as bring the reader into an amazing fantasy world so vivid, and detailed that it leaves the reader with a feeling of having been there themselves. Tolkien carefully describes landscapes, characters and situations in a way that makes the universe of Middle earth seem almost likely to exist.Another great factor to the success of the Novel could be the many languages. Tolkien manages to create specific languages which suit the different races of middle earth, such as the beautiful eleven language which has several dialects and accents which also different in a varied grade. The eleven language gives depth and mystery to these ancestral beings, It is complex yet equally beautiful. Likewise the â€Å"dark tongue of mirror† or black speech as It Is often referred to sets the proper dark mood and feeling of those whom would dare speak It.Nevertheless the main function these languages carry is the depth it brings to the culture and existence of the races and characters. Few works of art can be said to match Lord of the rings when It comes to he detailed history and cultures he describes In The Lord of the Rings, except perhaps by other works by J. R. R Tolkien himself. The history Is both quite exciting as well as meaningful, with no shortages of surprises and exciting turns along the way. Furthermore there Is little Con sidering this there Is little doubt why this novel has become one of the most legendary novels of all time.The amazingly written novel explains a vivid world filled with history, lore and beauty as well as an Imminent threat. Likewise the beautiful languages, as well as the way the story Is written brings specific dimension and â€Å"feeling† to the Journey of the mall characters. One could also mention the dramatic character developments, as well as deep messages which come forth throughout the novel, but perhaps It Is best to leave that to possible future readers to figure out by themselves. Hose ancestral beings, it is complex yet equally beautiful. Likewise the â€Å"dark tongue of mirror† or black speech as it is often referred to sets the proper dark mood and feeling of those whom would dare speak it. Nevertheless the main function these characters. Few works of art can be said to match Lord of the rings when it comes to he detailed history and cultures he descri bes in The Lord of the Rings, except perhaps by other works by J. R. R Tolkien himself.The history is both quite exciting as Furthermore there is little Considering this there is little doubt why this novel has explains a vivid world filled with history, lore and beauty as well as an imminent threat. Likewise the beautiful languages, as well as the way the story is written brings a specific dimension and â€Å"feeling† to the Journey of the main characters. One could come forth throughout the novel, but perhaps it is best to leave that to possible future readers to figure out by themselves.

Online Casino Bonus Or Free Bet Casino Bonuses - 1699 Words

Blog 31 – Free bet casino bonuses explained Even the most hardcore of online casino players can’t resist a freebie or a giveaway. Thankfully, online casino bonuses are more regularly available then they have ever been before thanks to the introduction and promotion of online casino portals. In fact, it can even be argued that such bonuses go hand in hand with how the industry works nowadays. Given that they are free and can even be obtained under no deposit terms, it is no shock to see that millions head to the web to seek them out every month. But it must be said that the bonuses you hear and read about are by no means basic to understand. This is because they come in not only a myriad of different forms, but with a whole host of different terms and conditions. If players really want to make the most of any online casino bonus or free bet they receive, they need to understand the premise fully. Help is on hand in such matter, as the following explains the ins and outs of free bet casino bonuses in great detail. Welcome Bonuses (aka. Registration Bonuses, Sign Up Bonuses) Leading the charge on the bonus front is the Welcome Bonus, which may also be listed under the names ‘Sign Up Bonus’ and ‘Registration Bonus’. In all likelihood this is the bonus format that online casino players will encounter most often. The whole purpose of this form of bonus is to entice players is to both register and subsequently spend big at an online casino. While a Welcome Bonus maybe presentedShow MoreRelatedOnline Casino Bonuses? Then Keep Reading !1732 Words   |  7 PagesBlog 22 – Want to know more about online casino bonuses? Then keep reading! Not a day goes by when speculation about the online casino gaming industry isn’t running rampant. Every player is looking for the next loophole to exploit in order to make his or her playing efforts more profitable. 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If casino managers had it their way, it would be impossible to win, which means more money for the casino and hardly a penny for the hard working players of the world. This approach would be useless in business; however, as it is the slim chance of winning that attracts gamblers in the first place and subsequently keeps them coming backRead MoreArticle On Online Casino Bonuses1862 Words   |  8 PagesArticle 13 – Your casino bonus questions answered Odds are you’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t come across at least one casino bonus advertisement as of late. They are sold to players as free money and the perfect tool to start gambling online with. While they can be that when used properly, in some instances online casino bonuses can be a little confusing, especially to new players. The following answers those regularly asked questions and explains casino bonuses in more detail. How