Re: traditional vs simplified chinese

From: John Cowan (cowan@mercury.ccil.org)
Date: Fri Feb 14 2003 - 06:27:02 EST

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    Andrew C. West scripsit:

    > Interestingly, the dictionary quotes Zheng Xuan, writing in the 2nd century
    > A.D., as stating that U+4E2A (the modern "simplified" form) is the correct form
    > of the character, and that U+500B (the modern "traditional" form) is a vulgar
    > substitute !

    IIRC this is true of very many simplified characters: the simplification
    process was not so much one of inventing simplified characters, but of
    inventorying the existing repertoire of simplified forms, ancient and
    modern, and deciding which ones were now to be official. 

    -- 
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all.  There
are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language
that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful.
        --_The Hobbit_

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