HSK 4 · Article · 405 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/character-amnesia-chinese

会打字，不会写字？

Character amnesia: are Chinese people forgetting how to write?

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现在xiànzài很hěn多duō中国zhōngguó人rén每天měitiān都dōu在zài打字dǎzì，用yòng手机shǒujī聊天liáotiān，用yòng电脑diànnǎo工作gōngzuò，却què很hěn少shǎo拿ná笔bǐ写字xiězì。时间shíjiān长cháng了le，一个yígè奇怪qíguài的de问题wèntí出现chūxiàn了le：很hěn多duō字zì，人们rénmen一yí看kàn就jiù认识rènshi，也yě能néng在zài手机shǒujī上shàng打dǎ出来chūlái，可是kěshì拿起náqǐ笔bǐ来lái，却què想不起xiǎngbuqǐ怎么zěnme写xiě。这zhè叫jiào“提笔忘字tíbǐ-wàngzì”。

二零一三年èrlíngyīsānnián，中央电视台zhōngyāngdiànshìtái有yǒu一yí个gè节目jiémù，叫jiào《中国汉字听写大会》。主持人zhǔchírén读dú一yí个gè词cí，选手xuánshǒu把bǎ它tā写xiě出来chūlái。让ràng很hěn多duō观众guānzhòng吃惊chījīng的de是shì，坐zuò在zài观众席guānzhòngxí上shàng一起yìqǐ写xiě的de成年人chéngniánrén，很hěn多duō都dōu写不出来xiěbu-chūlái。

那么nàme，提笔忘字tíbǐ-wàngzì是不是shìbúshì一个yígè大dà问题wèntí呢ne？有人yǒurén觉得juéde是shì，也yě有人yǒurén觉得juéde不是búshì。

担心dānxīn的de人rén说shuō：汉字hànzì是shì中国zhōngguó文化wénhuà的de一部分yíbùfen，每měi一yí个gè字zì都dōu很hěn有意思yǒuyìsi。如果rúguǒ大家dàjiā都dōu不会búhuì写xiě了le，我们wǒmen就jiù离lí自己zìjǐ的de文化wénhuà越来越yuèláiyuè远yuǎn。而且érqiě，手写shóuxiě可以kéyǐ帮助bāngzhù记忆jìyì，写xiě过guò的de字zì，人们rénmen记得jìde更gèng清楚qīngchu。

不bù担心dānxīn的de人rén说shuō：工具gōngjù变biàn了le，生活shēnghuó也yě变biàn了le。以前yǐqián人们rénmen用yòng毛笔máobǐ，后来hòulái用yòng钢笔gāngbǐ，现在xiànzài用yòng手机shǒujī，这zhè很hěn正常zhèngcháng。只要zhǐyào能néng看kàn懂dǒng、能néng用yòng好hǎo，能不能néngbunéng手写shóuxiě并bìng没有méiyǒu那么nàme重要zhòngyào。再说zàishuō，孩子háizi们men在zài学校xuéxiào还是háishi要yào常常chángcháng练字liànzì的de。

两边liǎngbiān说shuō的de都dōu有yǒu道理dàoli。也yě有人yǒurén想xiǎng了le一yí个gè办法bànfǎ：平时píngshí用yòng手机shǒujī打字dǎzì，有空yǒukòng的de时候shíhou拿起náqǐ笔bǐ，抄chāo一yì首shǒu诗shī，写xiě一yì张zhāng卡片kǎpiàn，让ràng手shǒu也yě记住jìzhu汉字hànzì。

学xué中文zhōngwén的de你nǐ，有没有yǒuméiyǒu提笔忘字tíbǐ-wàngzì的de时候shíhou？也许yéxǔ，你nǐ今天jīntiān就jiù可以kéyǐ拿出náchū一yì张zhāng纸zhǐ，把bǎ你nǐ最zuì喜欢xǐhuān的de一yí个gè汉字hànzì写xiě一遍yíbiàn。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
聊天	liáotiān	to chat
奇怪	qíguài	strange; odd; weird
节目	jiémù	program; show (on TV, radio, stage)
担心	dānxīn	to worry; to be anxious
文化	wénhuà	culture
帮助	bāngzhù	to help; to assist; help; assistance
清楚	qīngchu	clear; distinct
变	biàn	to change; to become; change; transformation
生活	shēnghuó	life; to live
以前	yǐqián	before; previously; formerly
后来	hòulái	afterwards; later
用	yòng	to use; use; usefulness

English (for the teacher)

Today many Chinese people type every day, chatting on their phones and working on computers, but rarely pick up a pen. Over time a strange problem has appeared: people recognise many characters at a glance and can type them on their phones, but when they pick up a pen, they can’t remember how to write them. This is called “character amnesia”: picking up the pen and forgetting the character.

In 2013, China Central Television had a show called the Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. The host read out a word, and the contestants wrote it down. What shocked many viewers was that many of the adults writing along in the audience couldn’t write the words.

So is character amnesia a big problem? Some people think it is, and some think it isn’t.

Those who worry say: Chinese characters are part of Chinese culture, and every one of them is fascinating. If nobody can write them any more, we drift further and further from our own culture. Besides, handwriting helps memory: people remember characters they have written more clearly.

Those who don’t worry say: the tools have changed, and so has life. People used brushes, then fountain pens, and now phones, and that’s normal. As long as you can read and use the characters well, whether you can write them by hand isn’t that important. And children still practise writing characters at school all the time.

Both sides have a point. Some people have found a middle way: type on their phones day to day, and when they have time, pick up a pen to copy out a poem or write a card, so their hands remember the characters too.

You’re learning Chinese: have you ever forgotten how to write a character? Maybe today you could take out a sheet of paper and write your favourite character once.