The Chinese character cultural circle specifically refers to China, the birthplace of Chinese characters, and the surrounding Vietnam, North Korea, Ryukyu, and Japan. These areas are mainly farming peoples, and there is a canonization system. Historically, Chinese characters have been used exclusively or mixed with their own native characters. In ancient times, officials and intellectuals mostly used classical Chinese (called "Chinese" in Japan and South Korea) as their written language. In addition, some nomadic peoples, such as the Mongols and Tibetans, although they are located in the Chinese character cultural circle area, do not use Chinese characters. Now, more than 60% of Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese vocabulary are composed of Chinese characters derived from ancient Chinese.
Countries in the Chinese character cultural circle have used Chinese characters in history, and their own languages ??have borrowed a large number of ancient Chinese vocabulary. They are located in East Asia. They are characterized by being deeply influenced by Confucianism. There are many Buddhists among the people. Historically, or Nowadays, Chinese characters are used as the carrier of language and culture. These regions are mainly China, Japan, North Korea/South Korea, and Vietnam.
Selection of name terms
The Chinese cultural circle can be called the East Asian cultural circle geographically. It is jokingly called the rice cultural circle, chopstick cultural circle, ceramic cultural circle, and silk utensils. Cultural circle, etc., are culturally called Confucian cultural circle (Confucian cultural circle).
Region
Greater China (part)
Han Chinese inhabited areas in mainland China
Some ethnic minority areas in mainland China, Such as Miao, Zhuang, ***, Manchu, Bai, Naxi, etc.
Hong Kong
Macau
Taiwan
Korean Peninsula< /p>
North Korea
South Korea
Japan
Vietnam
Ryukyu (Okinawa)
Southeast Asia Chinese-inhabited areas
Singapore (sometimes also included in Greater China)
Chinese-inhabited areas in Malaysia (such as Penang)
Chinese-inhabited areas in Indonesia
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Areas inhabited by Chinese in Thailand
History
Xia·Shang·Zhou
Since the formation of the three generations of civilization, Chinese culture has continued to spread and influence all around. .
Qin·Han
The Chinese are more confident and superior to their own culture, believing that backward areas will be attracted to China and come to pay tribute. Chinese culture can continue to expand and reach the ideal state of "One World".
North Korea/South Korea
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, four counties were established: Lelang, Lintun, Zhenfan, and Xuantu, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula was included in the territory of China. With Lelang County as a transportation channel, the cultural east was an important town: during the four hundred years before and after the Han Dynasty, Lelang County played a very important role. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos and Goguryeo emerged.
Vietnam
Qin Shihuang established Xiang County and included northern Vietnam into his territory for the first time. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established "Jiaozhi County, Jiuzhen County, and Rinan County".
Jin·Northern and Southern Dynasties
North Korea/South Korea
Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla were formed. The northern part of the peninsula - Goguryeo: After the Yongjia Rebellion, Goguryeo occupied Lelang and Daifang counties, transformed from a landlocked country to a coastal country, and maintained good relations with the divided northern countries of China. At the beginning of the fifth century AD, Goguryeo in its heyday formed an alliance with the Eastern Jin Dynasty, forming diplomatic relations with southern and northern China. In 429, Goguryeo moved its capital to Lelang County and became a true peninsula country. The southern part of the peninsula—Baekje and Silla: Baekje is located in the southwest of the peninsula, close to the Bohai Bay. It had been an enemy of Goguryeo for a long time, and was closely related to the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties. Silla is located in the southeast of the peninsula, facing the Sea of ??Japan. In the early days, it absorbed Chinese culture through Goguryeo and had a closer relationship with Northern China. After the sixth century, with the rise of Silla, the situation on the Korean Peninsula changed. Goguryeo united with Baekje to suppress Silla, and Silla turned closer to the Central Plains. In 372, Goguryeo established the Imperial Academy, introduced Buddhism, and promulgated laws and regulations (in the early days, Goguryeo was the most prosperous). In 384, Baekje established the Imperial Academy and issued laws and regulations.
Japan
established tributary relations with the Southern Dynasties. According to records in the history books of the Southern Dynasties, the Japanese state was the third country to establish tributary relations with the Southern Dynasties in the fifth century after Baekje and Goguryeo. Buddhism was introduced from Baekje in 538 AD.
At the same time, Chinese Confucianism, Yixue, calendar, and medicine were also introduced from Baekje.
Sui·Tang·Song
North Korea/South Korea
For the first time, a unified kingdom appeared on the Korean Peninsula. With the help of the Sui and Tang Empires' repeated military use of troops against Goguryeo, Silla successively Baekje and Goguryeo were destroyed, and the unified kingdom of Silla appeared on the Korean Peninsula for the first time. In 668 AD, the Tang Dynasty established the Andong Protectorate in Pyongyang. In 583 AD, laws and regulations were issued to allow the spread of Buddhism. The political and economic systems were all imitated in the Tang Dynasty. Culturally
Silla created the "Liduwen" which uses Chinese characters to mark the pronunciation. The prescribed books for the imperial examination are Confucian classics. Taixue sent a large number of overseas students to Chang'an, such as Cui Zhiyuan, a high school student who passed the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty, and Gan Jing He Mo, who was highly regarded by the people after returning to China.
Japan
From the seventh to ninth centuries AD, when China entered the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Japan gradually entered a period of actively and directly absorbing Chinese culture. It was the period in history when it absorbed the most and fastest Chinese culture. . From the first "Sui envoy" sent to China in 607 AD, envoys continued to be sent to China for the next 250 years. Through the foreign students and learned monks who came to China as envoys, a large amount of Tang Dynasty culture was introduced to Japan. The name of the emperor, the establishment of the national title of "Japan", the central system, local systems, examination system, land and land tax system, etc., Japan is mostly modeled on the Tang system. Nara and Kyoto were deeply influenced by Tang-style culture. The architecture of these two capitals was imitated from Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. Kibi Mabe borrowed kanji radicals to invent "katakana"; Kukai invented "hiragana" based on kanji cursive script. During the Nara period, Chinese teachings such as Chengshi, Sanlun, Dharmaxiang, Kusha, Huayan and Vinaya were introduced to Japan. During the Kyoto period, after the introduction of Tiantai and Shingon (esoteric Buddhism), the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to the East was completed. In terms of art and entertainment, various arts and entertainments from the Tang Dynasty were introduced to Japan, such as Go, sumo wrestling, calligraphy, music, dance, etc. After digestion and transformation, they have become part of Japanese culture.
Vietnam
The Tang Dynasty established the Annan Protectorate. At the end of the Five Dynasties, the Wu Dynasty of Vietnam became independent.
After the Ming Dynasty
Since the restoration of the "canonization system" in the Ming Dynasty, the countries (and regions) that can be included in the cultural circle of Chinese characters have been basically established and continue to this day. Lee's Korea, Ryukyu, Dai Viet (later Vietnam) and Japan all met the conditions. At that time, Japan not only broke away from the "canonization system", but the legal system had also been formalized. The corresponding development of the imperial examination bureaucracy showed that the four major points listed by Nishikazu were no longer necessary conditions. The first distinctive cultural element to be enumerated is the writing system. The introduction of classical Chinese (i.e., Chinese) promoted the development of using Chinese characters to express one's own language. Japanese kana, Korean oral formulas, official readings, and proverbs are not directly derived from Chinese characters, but the characteristics of their syllabic characters are obviously influenced by Chinese characters. influence. In addition, linguist Tatsuo Nishida pointed out that the invention of our own writing may also have been inspired by Khitan writing. The Vietnamese character Nom is an independent script derived from Chinese characters. As a result, each country gradually established its own national document system. However, it was not until modern times that these national document systems gradually replaced classical Chinese (i.e., Chinese) and were used in official documents. Religiously, localized Buddhism and Taoism, with regional shades and confusions (syncreti ***), are popular among the people. Because Confucianism matches political thought, it has formed a relatively stable general thinking framework in the circle. The use of chopsticks for eating, the habit of drinking tea, and the use of tiles in buildings are also the unique characteristics of the Chinese character culture circle.
It is distributed with China as the center.
The survival and reform of Chinese characters in various countries in the modern Chinese character culture circle
Frog, calf, duck, parrot, fox, gray wolf, postgraduate entrance examination, fugitive, ancient Xuanwumen