Q: Can you provide translations of other languages as
well?
A: Yes. With a great success of Chinese (Mandarin and
Cantonese; traditional and simplified) language services, we
also provide Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay,
Indonesian, Tagalog, etc., Stonebridge has a network of
more than 100 linguists all over the world, providing services
of all Asian languages into/from English.
Q: My company will need Chinese-English interpreting
in both the UK and at our operations in Asia. Can you
help?
A: Of course, we can. The interpreters of Stonebridge is
trained to facilitate interpreting in all its aspects, including the
use of audio systems for conferences.
Asked Questions
well?
A: Yes. With a great success of Chinese (Mandarin and
Cantonese; traditional and simplified) language services, we
also provide Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay,
Indonesian, Tagalog, etc., Stonebridge has a network of
more than 100 linguists all over the world, providing services
of all Asian languages into/from English.
Q: My company will need Chinese-English interpreting
in both the UK and at our operations in Asia. Can you
help?
A: Of course, we can. The interpreters of Stonebridge is
trained to facilitate interpreting in all its aspects, including the
use of audio systems for conferences.
Asked Questions
Q: I'm a person of Chinese origin, but the language
remains vague to me. How can I acquire more
fluency?
A: Schedule a visit to one of our language classes, and
you'll see what a pleasure it is to hear and speak this
beautiful language. Then you'll have a choice of group or
private instruction.
Q: My organisation is studying the potential that
China may have in regard to our products. But we're
uncertain about the measure of risk to reward. Can
you give us some answers?
A: Stonebridge can research your prospective business
and develop a report covering the costs, risks and rewards
of investing in China.
remains vague to me. How can I acquire more
fluency?
A: Schedule a visit to one of our language classes, and
you'll see what a pleasure it is to hear and speak this
beautiful language. Then you'll have a choice of group or
private instruction.
Q: My organisation is studying the potential that
China may have in regard to our products. But we're
uncertain about the measure of risk to reward. Can
you give us some answers?
A: Stonebridge can research your prospective business
and develop a report covering the costs, risks and rewards
of investing in China.
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Resources: A cultural journey to China |
The Chinese Language
What is usually referred to as Chinese is in fact the language of China's
largest nationality, the Hans. It is the main language spoken in China and
one of the world's major languages, ranking among the official as well as
working languages at the United Nations and other international organs.
The Chinese language is one of the oldest languages in the world, its
earliest written records going as far back as more than 3,000 years ago.
During this long period of time, Chinese has been constant development,
but its grammar, vocabulary and writing system have in the main retained
their basic features.
What is known as "the common speech" is the kind of modern Chinese
with "the Beijing speech sounds as the standard sounds, the Northern
dialect as the basic dialect and modern classic works written in the
vernacular as its grammatical models".
Chinese Characters
Chinese, which is formed of characters, is among the world's oldest
written languages. Generally speaking, each character stands for a
meaningful syllable. The total number of Chinese characters is estimated
at more than 50,000 of which only 5,000-8,000 are in common use. Of
these merely 3,000 are used for everyday purposes.
The Chinese characters in use today developed from the pictographs cut
on oracle bones dating from over 3,000 years ago and the pictographs
found on ancient bronze vessels dating a little later. In the course of their
history of development, Chinese characters evolved from pictographs into
characters formed of strokes, with their structures very much simpler.
Most of the present-day Chinese characters are known as pictophonetic
characters, each formed of two elements, with one indicating the meaning
and the other the sound.
Chinese characters have made great contributions to the long history of
the Chinese nation and Chinese culture, and Chinese calligraphy is a
highly developed art. But Chinese characters have serious drawbacks. It is
very difficult to learn, to read and to write and still more difficult to
memorize. Reforms should be carried out to make the Characters easier.
Scheme For the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet
"The Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet", which was adopted at
the First Plenary Session of the First National People's Congress of the
People's Republic of China on the 21st of February 1958, is a set of
symbols used to transliterate Chinese characters and combine the speech
sounds of the common speech into syllables. The scheme makes use of
the Latin alphabet, modified to meet the needs of the Chinese language.
The scheme, which will form the foundation for the creation of a Chinese
alphabetic system of writing, is being used throughout the country to
facilitate the learning of Chinese characters, help unify pronunciation and
popularize the common speech. The scheme has for years been used
among foreign learners of Chinese as well and has been found much useful
and helpful.
China's Dialect Areas
The Chinese language has eight major dialects. The eight dialect areas are:
North China (for the Northern Dialect), Jiangsu-Zhejiang (for the Wu
dialect), Huan (for the Hunan Dialect), Jiangxi (for the Jiangxi dialect),
Kejia (for the Kejia dialect, a form of Chinese spoken by descendants of
northerners who moved to Guangdong and nearby provinces centuries
ago), northern Fujian (for the northern Fujian dialect), southern Fujian (for
the southern Fujian dialect) and Guangdong (for the Yue, another name of
Guangdong Province, dialect). Of all the Chinese-speaking population,
about 70% speak the Northern dialect, which is the reason why it has
been made the basis of the common speech.
The vocabulary and grammar are basically the same in all the dialects, the
chief difference being in pronunciation. In order to remove barriers caused
by dialectal differences and to facilitate and bring about a further political,
cultural and economic development, a nation-wide campaign has been
started to popularize the common speech.
The Complex and Simplified Forms of Chinese Characters
The ultimate aim of the reform being carried out in the Chinese writing
system is to gradually replace the ideograms with a phonetic writing
system. Before this can be done, the characters should first of all be
simplified and the number of strokes of the characters reduced so as to
relieve much of the burden of both users and learners of Chinese. The
simplification of Chinese characters is twofolded: reduction of the number
of the characters (mainly through the elimination of the complex variants)
and reduction of the number of the strokes of which a complex character is
composed (by the popularization of the simplified characters).
This simplification conforms entirely to the general tendency of
development of the Chinese characters towards greater simplicity. The
simplified forms, as compared with their complex equivalents, are much
easier to learn, to memorize, to read and to write.
China's Minority Nationalities and Their Languages
China is a country of many nationalities, with 94% of her population
belonging to the Han nationality. Apart from the Hans, there are more
than 50 other nationalities such as the Monggols (Mongolians), the Huis,
the Zangs (Tibetans), the Uygurs (Uighurs), the Miaos, the Yis, the
Zhuangs, the Buyis, the Koreans, the Mans (Manchus) and the Gaoshans.
All of China's minority nationalities have languages of their own (some
have their own written languages) with the exception only of the Hui,
Man and She nationalities who use Chinese or the language of the Hans.
The Chinese Constitution stipulates that all the nationalities of China
have the freedom to use and further develop their spoken and written
languages. In order to rapidly develop the culture and education of the
minority nationalities, the government has helped the Zhuang, Miao,
Jingpo and other minority nationalities to devise their own languages
based on the Latin alphabet or to improve their existing writing system.
Note: If you want more information about Chinese language and culture,
or if you have any comments, please send your requests to
culture@s-c-s-uk.com.
What is usually referred to as Chinese is in fact the language of China's
largest nationality, the Hans. It is the main language spoken in China and
one of the world's major languages, ranking among the official as well as
working languages at the United Nations and other international organs.
The Chinese language is one of the oldest languages in the world, its
earliest written records going as far back as more than 3,000 years ago.
During this long period of time, Chinese has been constant development,
but its grammar, vocabulary and writing system have in the main retained
their basic features.
What is known as "the common speech" is the kind of modern Chinese
with "the Beijing speech sounds as the standard sounds, the Northern
dialect as the basic dialect and modern classic works written in the
vernacular as its grammatical models".
Chinese Characters
Chinese, which is formed of characters, is among the world's oldest
written languages. Generally speaking, each character stands for a
meaningful syllable. The total number of Chinese characters is estimated
at more than 50,000 of which only 5,000-8,000 are in common use. Of
these merely 3,000 are used for everyday purposes.
The Chinese characters in use today developed from the pictographs cut
on oracle bones dating from over 3,000 years ago and the pictographs
found on ancient bronze vessels dating a little later. In the course of their
history of development, Chinese characters evolved from pictographs into
characters formed of strokes, with their structures very much simpler.
Most of the present-day Chinese characters are known as pictophonetic
characters, each formed of two elements, with one indicating the meaning
and the other the sound.
Chinese characters have made great contributions to the long history of
the Chinese nation and Chinese culture, and Chinese calligraphy is a
highly developed art. But Chinese characters have serious drawbacks. It is
very difficult to learn, to read and to write and still more difficult to
memorize. Reforms should be carried out to make the Characters easier.
Scheme For the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet
"The Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet", which was adopted at
the First Plenary Session of the First National People's Congress of the
People's Republic of China on the 21st of February 1958, is a set of
symbols used to transliterate Chinese characters and combine the speech
sounds of the common speech into syllables. The scheme makes use of
the Latin alphabet, modified to meet the needs of the Chinese language.
The scheme, which will form the foundation for the creation of a Chinese
alphabetic system of writing, is being used throughout the country to
facilitate the learning of Chinese characters, help unify pronunciation and
popularize the common speech. The scheme has for years been used
among foreign learners of Chinese as well and has been found much useful
and helpful.
China's Dialect Areas
The Chinese language has eight major dialects. The eight dialect areas are:
North China (for the Northern Dialect), Jiangsu-Zhejiang (for the Wu
dialect), Huan (for the Hunan Dialect), Jiangxi (for the Jiangxi dialect),
Kejia (for the Kejia dialect, a form of Chinese spoken by descendants of
northerners who moved to Guangdong and nearby provinces centuries
ago), northern Fujian (for the northern Fujian dialect), southern Fujian (for
the southern Fujian dialect) and Guangdong (for the Yue, another name of
Guangdong Province, dialect). Of all the Chinese-speaking population,
about 70% speak the Northern dialect, which is the reason why it has
been made the basis of the common speech.
The vocabulary and grammar are basically the same in all the dialects, the
chief difference being in pronunciation. In order to remove barriers caused
by dialectal differences and to facilitate and bring about a further political,
cultural and economic development, a nation-wide campaign has been
started to popularize the common speech.
The Complex and Simplified Forms of Chinese Characters
The ultimate aim of the reform being carried out in the Chinese writing
system is to gradually replace the ideograms with a phonetic writing
system. Before this can be done, the characters should first of all be
simplified and the number of strokes of the characters reduced so as to
relieve much of the burden of both users and learners of Chinese. The
simplification of Chinese characters is twofolded: reduction of the number
of the characters (mainly through the elimination of the complex variants)
and reduction of the number of the strokes of which a complex character is
composed (by the popularization of the simplified characters).
This simplification conforms entirely to the general tendency of
development of the Chinese characters towards greater simplicity. The
simplified forms, as compared with their complex equivalents, are much
easier to learn, to memorize, to read and to write.
China's Minority Nationalities and Their Languages
China is a country of many nationalities, with 94% of her population
belonging to the Han nationality. Apart from the Hans, there are more
than 50 other nationalities such as the Monggols (Mongolians), the Huis,
the Zangs (Tibetans), the Uygurs (Uighurs), the Miaos, the Yis, the
Zhuangs, the Buyis, the Koreans, the Mans (Manchus) and the Gaoshans.
All of China's minority nationalities have languages of their own (some
have their own written languages) with the exception only of the Hui,
Man and She nationalities who use Chinese or the language of the Hans.
The Chinese Constitution stipulates that all the nationalities of China
have the freedom to use and further develop their spoken and written
languages. In order to rapidly develop the culture and education of the
minority nationalities, the government has helped the Zhuang, Miao,
Jingpo and other minority nationalities to devise their own languages
based on the Latin alphabet or to improve their existing writing system.
Note: If you want more information about Chinese language and culture,
or if you have any comments, please send your requests to
culture@s-c-s-uk.com.
Personal Names in China
The name of a Chinese (of the Han nationality or of some of China's
minority nationalities) is made up of two elements, the surname and the
given name, with the former always preceding the latter. Surname or
family names are usually monosyllabic characters, such as Ding, Wang,
Li and Jin. Only a few Chinese surnames, such as Ouyang and Sima are
disyllabic. Given names consist sometimes of only one, such as Yun. In
present-day China, women retain their own surnames after marriage.
Traditionally children have the same surname as their father though there
are occasional cases of children using their mother's surname.
Education in China
China's education is divided into three stages: primary school, secondary
or middle school and college or university. According to China's present
educational system, the length of schooling is six years for primary
school, six years for secondary or middle school (three years for junior
middle school and three years for senior middle school). There are also
secondary vocational or technical schools (usually three years) and
technical colleges (usually two or three years). China has universities
such as Beijing University and Fudan University. China also has
institutions of higher learning specialized in one subject or study known
as colleges or institutes such as Beijing Engineering Institute, Beijing
Foreign Languages Institute.
Beijing Opera
Beijing Opera is a form of traditional Chinese drama with a history of
about 160 years. It took shape in Beijing and became popular
throughout the country. It is a comprehensive expression of the
traditional Chinese drama, music, dance, boxing and fencing, and it has
always been loved by the Chinese people.
Beijing opera is characterized by its symbolic actions, giving full play to
the various artistic mediums of singing, acting, recitation and acrobatics
accompanied by the rhythmic beats of gongs and drums. It has thus
formed a perfect artistic system of its own.
Chinese Tea
In many languages the word for "tea" originated from Chinese, for China
is the home of tea shrubs and one of the oldest tea growing and
producing countries in the world; China is well-known for her great
varieties of tea and their fine quality. Chinese tea falls into different
kinds because of the different methods by which tea leaves are
processed. There are mainly five kinds: black tea (e.g. Keemun black tea,
produced in Qiman County, Anhui Province), green tea (e.g. Lung Jing
Tea, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province), scented tea, Oolong tea,
white tea and other kinds.
Tea is the favourite drink of the Chinese people. Visitors to a Chinese
home are invariably served with tea as well as with candies and cookies.
The Chinese usually make their tea by pouring boiling hot water into a
tea-pot with tea leaves in it, and putting the lid back on, and the tea is
ready for drinking in a few minutes. Most Chinese prefer green tea or
scented tea, usually with no sugar or lemon in it.
China's Lunar Calendar and Main Holidays
China's lunar or Xia calendar, which is said to have come into existence
as early as the Xia Dynasty (about 2,100-1,600 B.C.), has been in use
for several thousand years and is still in common use today. According
to the lunar calendar China's main holidays are as follows:
The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first lunar month. It is
the most important festival in China, usually celebrated with great
pomp, feasting and merry making.
The Clear and Bright Day falls on the early days of the 3rd lunar month.
On this day people in China visit the graves of their dead to pay them
homage.
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month,
the traditional day set aside to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great poet and
patriot of the ancient Chinese State of Chu.
The Middle-autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar
month. On the night of this day in China people eat a special kind of
pastry called moon-cakes and enjoy looking at the full moon which is
particularly clear and bright at the time of the year.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the
Gregorian calendar, called the "solar calendar" in China, was adopted.
According to the "solar calendar", the main holidays are as follows:
The New Year Day (January 1)
The International Working Women's Day (March 8)
The International Labour Day or May Day (May 1)
The Chinese Youth Day (May 4)
The International Children's Day (June 1)
The Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China
(July 1)
The Army Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation
Army) (August 1)
The National Day (October 1)
China's Well-known Classical Novels
Most of China's classical novels were produced in the Ming and Qing
Dynasties dated from the 14th to 18th centuries. The best-known are
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guangzhong and teh
"Water Margin" by Shi Naian, both produced in the 14th century,
"Pilgrimage to the West" by Wu Chengen and "Jin Ping Mei" by Xiao
Xiao Sheng of Lanling, both produced in the 16th century, and "The
Scholars" by Wu Jingzhi, produced in the 18th century.
"The Dream of the Red Chamber" written by Cao Xueqin, a great
realistic writer of the 18th century, marks the hight of China's classical
fiction. It occupies an outstanding place in the history of both China's
and the world's literature.
The name of a Chinese (of the Han nationality or of some of China's
minority nationalities) is made up of two elements, the surname and the
given name, with the former always preceding the latter. Surname or
family names are usually monosyllabic characters, such as Ding, Wang,
Li and Jin. Only a few Chinese surnames, such as Ouyang and Sima are
disyllabic. Given names consist sometimes of only one, such as Yun. In
present-day China, women retain their own surnames after marriage.
Traditionally children have the same surname as their father though there
are occasional cases of children using their mother's surname.
Education in China
China's education is divided into three stages: primary school, secondary
or middle school and college or university. According to China's present
educational system, the length of schooling is six years for primary
school, six years for secondary or middle school (three years for junior
middle school and three years for senior middle school). There are also
secondary vocational or technical schools (usually three years) and
technical colleges (usually two or three years). China has universities
such as Beijing University and Fudan University. China also has
institutions of higher learning specialized in one subject or study known
as colleges or institutes such as Beijing Engineering Institute, Beijing
Foreign Languages Institute.
Beijing Opera
Beijing Opera is a form of traditional Chinese drama with a history of
about 160 years. It took shape in Beijing and became popular
throughout the country. It is a comprehensive expression of the
traditional Chinese drama, music, dance, boxing and fencing, and it has
always been loved by the Chinese people.
Beijing opera is characterized by its symbolic actions, giving full play to
the various artistic mediums of singing, acting, recitation and acrobatics
accompanied by the rhythmic beats of gongs and drums. It has thus
formed a perfect artistic system of its own.
Chinese Tea
In many languages the word for "tea" originated from Chinese, for China
is the home of tea shrubs and one of the oldest tea growing and
producing countries in the world; China is well-known for her great
varieties of tea and their fine quality. Chinese tea falls into different
kinds because of the different methods by which tea leaves are
processed. There are mainly five kinds: black tea (e.g. Keemun black tea,
produced in Qiman County, Anhui Province), green tea (e.g. Lung Jing
Tea, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province), scented tea, Oolong tea,
white tea and other kinds.
Tea is the favourite drink of the Chinese people. Visitors to a Chinese
home are invariably served with tea as well as with candies and cookies.
The Chinese usually make their tea by pouring boiling hot water into a
tea-pot with tea leaves in it, and putting the lid back on, and the tea is
ready for drinking in a few minutes. Most Chinese prefer green tea or
scented tea, usually with no sugar or lemon in it.
China's Lunar Calendar and Main Holidays
China's lunar or Xia calendar, which is said to have come into existence
as early as the Xia Dynasty (about 2,100-1,600 B.C.), has been in use
for several thousand years and is still in common use today. According
to the lunar calendar China's main holidays are as follows:
The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first lunar month. It is
the most important festival in China, usually celebrated with great
pomp, feasting and merry making.
The Clear and Bright Day falls on the early days of the 3rd lunar month.
On this day people in China visit the graves of their dead to pay them
homage.
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month,
the traditional day set aside to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great poet and
patriot of the ancient Chinese State of Chu.
The Middle-autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar
month. On the night of this day in China people eat a special kind of
pastry called moon-cakes and enjoy looking at the full moon which is
particularly clear and bright at the time of the year.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the
Gregorian calendar, called the "solar calendar" in China, was adopted.
According to the "solar calendar", the main holidays are as follows:
The New Year Day (January 1)
The International Working Women's Day (March 8)
The International Labour Day or May Day (May 1)
The Chinese Youth Day (May 4)
The International Children's Day (June 1)
The Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China
(July 1)
The Army Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation
Army) (August 1)
The National Day (October 1)
China's Well-known Classical Novels
Most of China's classical novels were produced in the Ming and Qing
Dynasties dated from the 14th to 18th centuries. The best-known are
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guangzhong and teh
"Water Margin" by Shi Naian, both produced in the 14th century,
"Pilgrimage to the West" by Wu Chengen and "Jin Ping Mei" by Xiao
Xiao Sheng of Lanling, both produced in the 16th century, and "The
Scholars" by Wu Jingzhi, produced in the 18th century.
"The Dream of the Red Chamber" written by Cao Xueqin, a great
realistic writer of the 18th century, marks the hight of China's classical
fiction. It occupies an outstanding place in the history of both China's
and the world's literature.
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Company Registration: 05257797 VAT No.: 870 6702 19 ©2008 Stonebridge Chinese Services Ltd.