This book includes 300 Chinese characters from the Elementary Level 1 Character List specified in the Grading Standards. The characters are arranged in phonetic order, and each character is elaborated from five aspects: etymological rationale, definition with examples, evolution of character form, structure and writing, and extended learning. In terms of the etymological rationale, starting from the etymology and illustrations of Chinese characters, it explains the etymological rationale (meaning of character components), emphasizing accuracy and scientificity. In terms of definition with examples, based on the Grading Standards, the meanings of characters are selected from words where the character plays a key role in defining the word, highlighting the hierarchical nature of definitions and the targeted use of characters. In terms of evolution of character form, it provides illustrations of the evolution of character forms from ancient scripts to modern regular scripts, allowing learners to understand the evolution of Chinese characters and establish connections between ancient scripts and modern regular scripts, emphasizing the systematicness and interest of Chinese character learning. In terms of structure and writing, it presents diagrams of character structure types, as well as strokes, stroke order (stroke posture and sequence), and variant structures in stroke movement, highlighting the analysis of character structure and the imitative nature of writing. In terms of extended learning, it focuses on heuristic introduction to the association and expansion of character families related to the character, as well as relevant Chinese culture, emphasizing the systematicness of Chinese character learning.

This book can not only serve as a Chinese character textbook for front-line Chinese teachers in character teaching and character resource development, but also be used as a reference book for Chinese learners to conduct independent learning and look up characters. 

Fu Yanbai, the senior editor, serves as Deputy Director (in charge of work) of the International Chinese Education Division at Beijing Language and Culture University Press (BLCUP), and is a National Young Talent in Publicity, Ideology and Culture.

Picture-based Approach: It integrates Chinese character formation methods and adopts a “picture-based approach” to establish a connection between pictures and ancient characters.

Thinking Orientation: It guides learners to explore the rationale behind ancient Chinese character formation, and helps learners build cognitive associations between character forms and meanings.

Interconnected Learning: It emphasizes a “character-to-character, character-to-word, character-to-sentence” linkage for holistic understanding.

Digital Empowerment: It includes dynamic stroke-order writing videos, animated character evolution clips, and related cultural videos.

It is recommended to learn one character per day or use for lookup and reference.