Preface by the Translators

Chinese Characters and Human Body is a book about the mysteriously charming origin，formation，evolution，meaning and usages of Chinese characters related to different parts of human body．We hope this unique book can open a window for readers to have a closer look at the over 3，000year-old oriental language of Chinese．The arrangement of this book takes the following format．Firstly，the character and its forms in oracles，bronze inscriptions and seal scripts are represented and for some characters，the ancient script forms and small seal scripts from Shuo Wen are provided．Secondly，the explanation to the characters by Xu Shen is quoted and commented．Thirdly，the analysis of forms，the original meaning，extended meaning or loan meaning of these characters are provided．Fourthly，examples from Chinese ancient literature are given to illustrate the original and extended meanings of the characters．

When we were entrusted with the translation project of this unique book of Chinese Characters and Human Body ，we were excited and stressed at the same time．We were excited because it is a great chance for us to do something significant for introducing our brilliant Chinese language to the world and we were stressed for the challenging mission to put the exquisite features of Chinese characters into another language．The Chinese language writing system is unique and distinctive of all the languages for its pictograph nature．A single Chinese character can be a complex combination with picto-elements，ideographs and／or phonetic components．And because of the long history of evolution，Chinese characters have changed greatly from their original forms．Besides，since the author of the book cites plenty of examples from ancient Chinese poems，proses and novels to illustrate the meaning and usage，it adds to the difficulty for translators．We，therefore，have put in great efforts in collecting resources，exploring the meaning of the ancient verses and explaining clearly how the characters were formed，evolved and used throughout Chinese history．In the process of the translation，we often feel amazed at the history，culture and beauty of Chinese characters，as well as stories behind them．We hope，with our efforts，we can present the charm of this over 3，000-year-old oriental written language system to all readers over the world．

The division of work in this translation version is as follows．

Preface，Chapter 1 and 2 are translated by Chen Jia．

Chapter 3，4 and 7 are translated by Hao Jingjie．

Chapter 5 and 6 are translated by Huang Ruiqiong．

Chen Jia and Huang Ruiqiong have done the formatting and revision of the drafts．We also acknowledge the work done by Zhou Dongyu，Luo Yaqun and Ding Yinhan for the collection of images for the ancient oracle scripts，bronze inscription scripts，small seal scripts and other forms of the Chinese characters．Without their kind help，it would have been difficult for us to accomplish this task．

In spite of the team's efforts，the profoundness and delicacy of the Chinese language is sometimes beyond translation．And for such a pity in translation，we pray for the readers'understanding and forgiveness．

Chen Jia
Octomber 10 ^th ，2019