Love for Chinese characters
From a young age, I loved Chinese characters, even when I didn't know a single one. I liked the unique style of writing with its strokes that were both strong and graceful, and how, whether few or many, they always fit within a square block. My house was full of books written in Chinese characters, and I remember most vividly the collection of Chinese poems by Nguyễn Trãi. I patiently traced each character without needing to understand its meaning. On Tet (Vietnamese New Year), I even enthusiastically painted the words "nghênh xuân" (welcoming spring) on the wall with lime because I heard they meant welcoming the New Year.
My father, a native of the ancient Gia Lam region on the outskirts of Hanoi, was deeply rooted in the traditional village culture, rooted in Confucianism. He hoped I would study Classical Chinese and Vietnamese script, and I fulfilled his wish by passing the entrance exam for the Classical Chinese and Vietnamese script department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in the 2001-2005 academic year.
However, that same year, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities launched its first high-quality training program for several majors, excluding classical Chinese and Vietnamese script. I qualified for this program, but choosing it meant I had to switch to studying literature. For a poor student from a rural province coming to Hanoi , free dormitory accommodation, a stable monthly scholarship, and a better training program were opportunities I couldn't pass up. I decided to study literature, but deep down, classical Chinese remained an inseparable part of my life.
In my second year of university, the biggest tragedy of my life struck: my parents fell seriously ill and passed away within the same year, just six months apart. I became an orphaned student at the age of 20, struggling to make ends meet in the capital. Years of hardship passed, and I haven't had the opportunity to return to my passion, but deep down, I know my love for Chinese characters still smolders.
It's never too late to learn.
It wasn't until 19 years after graduation, when my family and career were stable, that I felt calm enough to pursue my unfinished dream. In my early 40s, exactly 20 years after my father's death, I passed the entrance exam for the Han-Nom translation training course at Hue Quang Monastery in Ho Chi Minh City, beginning my four-year journey of diligent study. The demanding schedule for a full-time worker was a significant challenge, but I didn't feel tired at all. On the contrary, each time I sat down, carefully crafting each character and contemplating its layers of meaning, I felt a sense of lightness, as if I had returned to myself.
Confucius's saying, "Learning through knowledge is not as good as learning through enjoyment, and learning through enjoyment is not as good as learning with joy," is truer for me than ever. Every day now is a day of "learning with joy and enjoyment." I learn as if to make up for lost time, learning through experience, through the wisdom of someone who has lived for over 40 years.
Like Vietnamese, Chinese is the culmination of a long-standing culture. To understand it deeply and learn it correctly, learners cannot separate the language from its cultural roots. And I am aware that the treasure trove of Vietnamese and Chinese culture and ancient texts can only be fully explored if one knows Chinese characters.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/duyen-no-cung-chu-han-3322572.html
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