What techniques will make it easier to learn written Chinese?
It is important to model your characters on the hand-written style, not the style used in printed texts. The best way to do this is to use a textbook which provides models for writing characters. If possible ask an educated Chinese friend to help you to get started and give you some feedback in the early stages. Always follow the traditional order and direction of the individual strokes. This will help you to memorise each new character and help you to get the right shape and proportions. At first draw the characters as slowly as you need to in order to produce good shapes and proportions. You will achieve better results in a calm, relaxed frame of mind. It often helps to invent little stories which “explain” how a character came to represent a particular meaning. It is better to think of Chinese characters as little stylised drawings which each fill a standard rectangular frame. In traditional Chinese culture calligraphy and painting are an integrated art form. Be patient. Start with
