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Decoding Cangjie: Exploring Chinese Writing’s Legacy

(Cangjie, inventor of Chinese writing system. Pékin, 1685 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

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By kevin james jeffery, Kevin James Jeffery

June 13, 2023
4:27 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Horse, cart, fish, eye, mountain. These ancient Chinese glyphs may not seem familiar to you, but you’ve certainly met their descendants. We’ve all seen Chinese characters before, whether on the menu of your local Chinese food restaurant or as a tattoo on an enthusiast who had a “spiritual awakening” on a backpacking trip through Asia. Chinese writings have an undeniable appeal. They are beautifully designed and carry an air of wisdom. However, their significance goes beyond aesthetics; they are rooted in the legend of a cultural hero from Chinese folklore who is credited with inventing the Chinese writing system. His name was Cangjie. He served as the official historian of the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, during the third millennium BCE. The Yellow Emperor asked Cangjie, around 2,700 BCE, to

Horse, cart, fish, eye, mountain. These ancient Chinese glyphs may not seem familiar to you, but you’ve certainly met their descendants.

We’ve all seen Chinese characters before, whether on the menu of your local Chinese food restaurant or as a tattoo on an enthusiast who had a “spiritual awakening” on a backpacking trip through Asia.

Chinese writings have an undeniable appeal. They are beautifully designed and carry an air of wisdom. However, their significance goes beyond aesthetics; they are rooted in the legend of a cultural hero from Chinese folklore who is credited with inventing the Chinese writing system. His name was Cangjie.

The Yellow Emperor. Gan Bozong (Tang period, 618-907) (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

He served as the official historian of the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, during the third millennium BCE. The Yellow Emperor asked Cangjie, around 2,700 BCE, to devise a method for recording important information, as the previous system relied on the cumbersome “rope knot tying” method.

Due to his four eyes, Cangjie is a well-known figure in art. His extra set of eyes allowed him to observe the natural world differently than ordinary people. With his heightened vision, Cangjie is said to have perceived patterns, shapes, and lines that go unnoticed by others.

In preparation for this monumental task of creating a new writing system, Cangjie retreated into the wilderness to seek inspiration. Surrounded by nature, he observed patterns in objects such as trees, animals, stars, planets, and structures. Translating these patterns into logograms, Cangjie created a writing system that would be used throughout the Chinese-speaking world.

Another version of the legend suggests that Cangjie drew inspiration from the lines on a tortoise’s shell. This variation is particularly intriguing to archaeologists because the earliest known Chinese inscriptions are found on turtle shells, including Jiain Symbols, which date back to around 6,000 BCE.

In both versions of the legend, as Cangjie recorded symbols for the earth, sun, moon, and the heavens, the skies and earth quaked, and both gods and ghosts wailed at the power mankind now held. According to legend, the tears of the spirits transformed into grain when Cangjie finished writing the initial characters of the Chinese language, giving humanity an abundance of sustenance.

Cang Jie began to create characters according to the specific characteristics of the objects he found. (Photo: letraschinas)

Cangjie is recognized as a mythological person in China due to his great contribution to the country’s culture. In China, there are several temples dedicated to Cangjie, notably in the provinces of Henan, Shaanxi, and Shandong.

The Cangjie Proto-Dictionary, which dates to 220 BCE, is an ancient Chinese dictionary.

Today, the Cangjie input method, a character input method used on computers, also bears his name, paying homage to his legacy in the digital era. It uses the structural composition of characters to determine their input codes, allowing users to type Chinese characters based on their visual components.

In a fascinating intersection of mythology and modern science, in 2004, the Mars rover Spirit explored the surface of Mars and scientists named one of the rocks it discovered after Cangjie, commemorating his legendary status.

Cangjie’s legacy continues to evolve as new technologies and methods are developed to preserve and utilize the Chinese writing system. His mythical status and the enduring influence of his inventions serve as a reminder of the cultural richness and ingenuity of ancient China.

The history of Cangjie and his role in the creation of the Chinese writing system is a testament to the deep connection between language, culture, and human creativity. The characters we encounter today carry with them centuries of tradition, wisdom, and a profound link to the past. So, the next time you come across a Chinese character, take a moment to appreciate the legacy of Cangjie and the fascinating history they represent.