Abstract

This article deals with traditional Chinese characters, discusses their historical development and transformation, discloses aesthetic and communication aspects of Chinese characters. Historical and mythological versions of appearing and development of Chinese Characters are presented and compared. Etymology of iconographical, semantic-phonetic and other components of traditional Chinese characters are analyzed. The author discloses and analyzes historical evolution and aesthetical transformations of Chinese characters from the very oldest characters depicted on ceramics, turtle shells, seal script, clerical style, regular script. Thus particularity of communicational and aesthetic aspects of spontaneous running and cursive styles is highlighted. Review and analysis of various calligraphic styles brings to the conclusion that communication which is mediated through Chinese characters has much stronger visual background than communication via traditional Western phonetic script.