The Teaching Of The Similar Chinese Characters In TCSL

As a peculiar phenomenon in the forming and developing progress of the Chinese Characters, theSimilar Chinese Characters are a group of characters that are similar in their structure. The concept of theSimilar Chinese Characters involve with the comparison in groups of characters, which each group has atleast two Characters. Without comparative, there is no such thing as similar in shape. The Similar ChineseCharacters only refer to the ones that are similar in shape, the pronunciation and the meaning of thesecharacters have no direct link.These Characters can be partition into simple characters and compound characters according as theSimilar Chinese Characters can be divided into components or not. In order to differentiate and analyzesimple characters, we should start with the similar strokes and stroke combinations. In order to discriminatecompound characters, we should start with similar components and components combinations. If one groupof similar characters have both simple characters and compound characters, we should consider the simplecharacters as one component, then to compare with the components of the compound characters.In addition to discriminate these similar characters, we can also use the pronunciation and the meaningof these characters to assist the discrimination. Through discriminate their pronunciation, the students canmaster the spell and pronunciation of syllable more accurately, and develop their abilities of dictation.Through the discrimination of the characters’ meaning, the students can also know well about the meaningthat these characters implied. The teachers could relate to the cultural implication of the characters, withoutincrease the burden of comprehension and memorization of students.Through the purposeful and strategic teaching of these Similar Chinese Characters, the students canmaster these characters despite the similarity in their shape and the confusion of learning and using them,and can also master the writing of strokes, components and even the entire characters through thediscrimination. The students can not only have a clearly notion about the structure of Chinese Characters,but also analogize the pronunciation and meaning of new characters with known components.This paper introduces the conception, the inscape of the Similar Chinese Characters, analyzes theobjective and subjective reason that would lead to misuse these similar characters, and analyzes the contentand aims of the teaching of Chinese Similar Characters, then points out some specific ways and several problems that are relative to the the teaching of the similar characters in five different chapters.