{"id":6068,"date":"2015-10-01T13:44:12","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T13:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=6068"},"modified":"2024-07-25T12:26:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T12:26:18","slug":"cool-chinese-character-memorization-methods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/cool-chinese-character-memorization-methods.html","title":{"rendered":"Cool Chinese Character Memorization Methods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It seems like every day a new app comes out that promises to help you learn Chinese characters easily<\/a>. With a growing pool of research in memory and memory competitions on the rise, this article will be a quick round-up of some of these learning methodologies and some of my thoughts on how you can use them to learn characters quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n

Mnemonic<\/h2>\n\n\n

A mnemonic (RpE: \/n\u0259\u02c8m\u0252n\u0268k\/, AmE: \/n\u025b\u02c8m\u0251\u02d0n\u026ak\/ the first “m” is silent), mnemonic device, or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention in the human memory. Mnemonics aim to translate information into a form that the brain can retain better than its original form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnemonics that can be used for character memorization can come in the form of Acronyms, and mental imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is an example of each:<\/p>\n\n\n

Acronym<\/h3>\n\n\n

To remember the names of the American \u201cGreat Lakes\u201d, we can use HOMES as an acronym. I.E. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To remember the names of the American \u201cGreat Lakes\u201d, we can use HOMES as an acronym. I.E. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This method is very beneficial because it allows our brain to narrow down possibilities in passive knowledge by giving us prompts in the form of letters. For example, if I said, think of a cartoon character with the initials M.M. it would be pretty easy for you to guess Mickey Mouse. Over time using this technique will help us transfer those possibilities to our active knowledge center, improving recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to employ Acronyms while trying to learn Chengyu or 2\/4 character couplings. One of my favorite \u6210\u8bed\uff08ch\u00e9ngy\u01d4\uff09,  \u7834\u91dc\u6c89\u821f \u2013 (p\u00f2 f\u01d4 ch\u00e9n zh\u014du) (Eliminate all options for retreat, No turning back. Loosely translated.) could be called PFCZ for example.<\/p>\n\n\n

Visual Imagery \/ Word Pictures<\/h3>\n\n\n

The most popular mnemonic for learning Characters is creating a visual image out of the character.\u00a0The character for Large\/Big \u5927(d\u00e0) can be taken as an example.\u00a0Imagine a man holding his arms out and telling you \u201cIt was this big!!!\u201d while using his arms as a way to demonstrate size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Or how about \u65e5(r\u00ec), the character for Sun.\u00a0Imagine it as a window, with a blue sky in the background and a Sun on the upper pane. \u53e3(k\u01d2u), the character for Mouth can be imagined as someone yawning.\u00a0You can put teeth inside the square and a tongue and it will be easily remembered as mouth.\u00a0These characters are quite simple.\u00a0 But one way to do this is to use a building block approach by assigning radicals mental imagery and then coding your characters into these mental images. For example, to return, \u56de(hu\u00ed) Could be a mouth within a mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The more vivid the mental imagery the better.\u00a0Some memory researchers have also found that adding mental imagery that is dangerous or sexual can evoke a heightened response and create a more lasting imprint. Other ways to do this would be to make something non-congruent. All that means is that it wouldn\u2019t make sense in reality.\u00a0So for example a man floating defies the laws of gravity so it would be memorable as a story because your brain would closely examine it logically on a subconscious level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To extend your understanding of this method, you need to know more about the main types of Chinese characters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

Memory Palace<\/h3>\n\n\n

From Wikipedia: <\/strong>The method of loci (loci being Latin for \u201cplaces\u201d), also called the memory palace or mind palace technique, is a mnemonic device adopted in ancient Roman and Greek rhetorical treatises. In basic terms, it is a method of memory enhancement that uses visualization to organize and recall information. A lot of memory contest champions claim to use this technique to recall faces, digits, and lists of words. These champions\u2019 successes have little to do with brain structure or intelligence, but more to do with their technique of using regions of their brain that have to do with spatial learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever moved to a new apartment? How quickly could you remember how to find your way home from work? Human beings are excellent locational memorizers. Our brains are built in a way that remembers things effortlessly based on location. A memory palace is a way to exploit this. Combined with a visual image, it can be an extremely powerful technique that can cut down hours of learning time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a memory palace is easy\u2026 pick a place that you know very well, such as your childhood home, or your office. Then, create a visual story in each room of the well-known location, walking through the location in your mind. For example, if I wanted to learn the character for \u201cLarge\u201d from earlier, I would put a man on my front porch with his arms out holding two oversized pencils, and it would be very easy for me to remember the character’s meaning. Then after I entered the front door of the house, I would create a visual image for the second character I wanted to learn. After I had filled all of the rooms of the house with word stories, I would walk back through the house and look at all of the character stories that I created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these methods are fun to try and can be applied in different areas. Do you have a tactic or technique that you particularly enjoy? Leave a comment and let me know how you memorize characters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems like every day a new app comes out that promises to help you learn Chinese characters easily. With a growing pool of research in memory and memory competitions on the rise, this article will be a quick round-up of some of these learning methodologies and some of my thoughts on how you can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":6070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178,1],"tags":[86,80,89],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-6068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-characters","category-learn-mandarin-online","tag-chinese-characters","tag-self-study","tag-tips-and-suggestions","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nCool Chinese Character Memorization Methods<\/title>\n <meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=index-15.html \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cool Chinese Character Memorization Methods\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It seems like every day a new app comes out that promises to help you learn Chinese characters easily. 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