ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ShaoLan Hsueh - Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Why you should listen

ShaoLan is an entrepreneur, angel investor, geek, writer, traveller and dreamer. She is the founder and creator of Chineasy, which she launched after her TED Talk in Long Beach, California in 2013.

In just over three years, she has built Chineasy into one of the most popular methods of learning Chinese across the Internet with several hundred thousand fellow learners. Her first book, Chineasy, The New Way to Read Chinese, was launched in March 2014 and has been translated into 18 languages. Her next book, Chineasy Everyday, was launched in March 2016.

ShaoLan is a tech entrepreneur with extensive business experience. At the age of 22, while studying for her MBA, she wrote four best-selling books on software in Taiwan, and her books were bundled by Microsoft. She co-founded pAsia, one of the major players on Internet in Asia in 1990’s. After a second masters degree at the University of Cambridge, she began Caravel Capital in 2005 to advise young tech companies.

Chineasy represents a return for ShaoLan to her artistic upbringing and in many ways a design project. This project is the culmination of her life’s journey through the East and West. Her aim is to help people to understand China, Chinese culture, its language and to bridge the gap between East and West. Her next step is to help Chinese children to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of their own language. 

 

More profile about the speaker
ShaoLan Hsueh | Speaker | TED.com
TED2013

ShaoLan: Learn to read Chinese ... with ease!

ШааЛань Сюэ: Вучыцца чытаць па-кітайску... з лёгкасцю!

Filmed:
4,781,742 views

Замежнікам цяжка вучыцца гутарыць па-кітайску. Але вучыцца чытаць прыгожыя, часта комплексныя іерогліфы магчыма значна прасцей. Шаалань распавядае, як суадносіць выявы іерогліфаў з іх значэннем і рушыць ад простых формаў да больш складаных паняццяў. Называйце гэта - Chineasy (кіта-лёгка).
- Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Growing up in Taiwan
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Я расла на Тайване
00:14
as the daughter of a calligrapher,
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ў сям'і каліграфера.
00:16
one of my most treasured memories
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Самым дарагім успамінам дзяцінства
00:18
was my mother showing me the beauty, the shape
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была мая маці, калі яна паказвала прыгажосць,
00:21
and the form of Chinese characters.
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абрысы і форму кітайскіх іерогліфаў.
00:24
Ever since then, I was fascinated
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З таго часу я зачаравана
00:27
by this incredible language.
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гэтай надзвычайнай мовай.
00:29
But to an outsider, it seems to be
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Але для некарыстальнікаў
00:32
as impenetrable as the Great Wall of China.
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яна здаецца непраходнай нібы Кітайская Сцяна.
00:35
Over the past few years, I've been wondering
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Апошнімі гадамі я раздумвала,
00:38
if I can break down this wall,
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як бы зламаць гэтую сцяну,
00:40
so anyone who wants to understand and appreciate
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каб кожны, хто хоча, змог бы ўбачыць
00:42
the beauty of this sophisticated language could do so.
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і зразумець прыгажосць гэтай вытанчанай мовы.
00:46
I started thinking about how a new, fast method
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Я пачала думаць пра новы метад
00:51
of learning Chinese might be useful.
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хуткага вывучэння кітайскай мовы.
00:54
Since the age of five, I started to learn how to draw
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З пяці гадоў я пачала вывучаць як пісаць
00:58
every single stroke for each character
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кожную рысачку для пэўнага іерогліфа
01:01
in the correct sequence.
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ў правільнай паслядоўнасці.
01:03
I learned new characters every day
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Я вывучала новыя іерогліфы штодзённа
01:05
during the course of the next 15 years.
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цягам наступных пятнаццаці гадоў.
01:08
Since we only have five minutes,
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Сёння ў нас толькі пяць хвілін,
01:10
it's better that we have a fast and simpler way.
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лепш было б мець прасцейшы і хутчэйшы спосаб.
01:14
A Chinese scholar would understand 20,000 characters.
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Кітайскі вучоны ведае каля 20 000 іерогліфаў.
01:17
You only need 1,000 to understand the basic literacy.
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Каб валодаць мовай спатрэбіцца толькі 1000.
01:22
The top 200 will allow you to comprehend
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Веданне 200 найбольш ужываных дазволіць вам
01:26
40 percent of basic literature --
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зразумець 40 адсоткаў простай літаратуры -
01:29
enough to read road signs, restaurant menus,
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дастаткова каб зразумець дарожныя знакі, меню ў рэстаране,
01:32
to understand the basic idea of the web pages
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галоўную думку інтэрнэт-старонак
01:35
or the newspapers.
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або газет.
01:37
Today I'm going to start with eight
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Сёння я пакажу як працуе метад
01:39
to show you how the method works.
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на прыкладзе васьмі іерогліфаў.
01:41
You are ready?
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Вы гатовыя?
01:43
Open your mouth as wide as possible
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Адкройце ваш рот як мага шырэй,
01:46
until it's square.
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пакуль ён не зробіцца квадратным.
01:48
You get a mouth.
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И вы атрымліваеце "рот"
01:50
This is a person going for a walk.
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А гэта чалавек, які ідзе шпацыраваць.
01:53
Person.
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"Чалавек".
01:57
If the shape of the fire is a person
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А вось "агонь" - іерогліф падобны да чалавека
01:59
with two arms on both sides,
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з дзвюма рукамі,
02:02
as if she was yelling frantically,
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які быццам бы апантанна крычыць:
02:04
"Help! I'm on fire!" --
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"Ратуйце! Гару!" -
02:07
This symbol actually is originally from the shape of the flame,
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Насамрэч гэты іерогліф паходзіць з формы полымя,
02:11
but I like to think that way. Whichever works for you.
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вы можаце запомніць любы з гэтых спосабаў.
02:15
This is a tree.
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Гэта дрэва.
02:18
Tree.
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"Дрэва".
02:20
This is a mountain.
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Гэта "гара".
02:24
The sun.
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"Сонца".
02:29
The moon.
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"Месяц".
02:34
The symbol of the door
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"Дзверы".
02:36
looks like a pair of saloon doors in the wild west.
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Падобны на дзверы ў салун з вестэрнаў.
02:41
I call these eight characters radicals.
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Я называю гэтыя восем іерогліфаў каранямі.
02:45
They are the building blocks
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З іх дапамогай
02:47
for you to create lots more characters.
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можна пабудаваць яшчэ шмат іерогліфаў.
02:51
A person.
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"Чалавек"
02:53
If someone walks behind, that is "to follow."
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Калі ёсць хтосьці за ім - гэта азначае "ісці следам".
02:57
As the old saying goes,
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Як кажуць,
02:59
two is company, three is a crowd.
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два -кампанія, тры - "натоўп".
03:03
If a person stretched their arms wide,
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А тут быццам чалавек выпрастаў шырока рукі
03:06
this person is saying, "It was this big."
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і кажа "вось такі быў вялікі".
03:10
The person inside the mouth, the person is trapped.
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Калі чалавек у роце - ён "у пастцы".
03:14
He's a prisoner, just like Jonah inside the whale.
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Ён у турме, як Ёна ў кіце.
03:20
One tree is a tree. Two trees together, we have the woods.
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Адно дрэва - гэта проста "дрэва". Два дрэвы побач - "лес".
03:24
Three trees together, we create the forest.
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Тры дрэвы - і атрымоўваецца "пушча".
03:27
Put a plank underneath the tree, we have the foundation.
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Пакладзі дашку пад дрэва - і будзе "падмурак".
03:31
Put a mouth on the top of the tree, that's "idiot." (Laughter)
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А рот над дрэвам - "дурань". (Смех)
03:35
Easy to remember,
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Лёгка запомніць,
03:37
since a talking tree is pretty idiotic.
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бо дрэва, якое размаўляе - гэта неяк па-дурацку.
03:42
Remember fire?
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Памятаеце агонь?
03:44
Two fires together, I get really hot.
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Два агні побач - і будзе "спякотна".
03:47
Three fires together, that's a lot of flames.
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Тры агні - "полымя"
03:50
Set the fire underneath the two trees, it's burning.
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Намалюй агонь пад двума дрэвамі і атрымаеш "гарэнне".
03:54
For us, the sun is the source of prosperity.
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Для нас сонца - гэта крыніца дабрабыту.
03:58
Two suns together, prosperous.
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Два сонцы разам - "заможні".
04:00
Three together, that's sparkles.
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Тры сонцы - "бліскаўкі".
04:02
Put the sun and the moon shining together,
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Сонца і месяц побач азначае
04:04
it's brightness.
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"яркасць".
04:05
It also means tomorrow, after a day and a night.
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Таксама гэта азначае "заўтра" - пасля дня і ночы.
04:10
The sun is coming up above the horizon. Sunrise.
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Сонца ўздымаецца над гарызонтам. "Світанак".
04:14
A door. Put a plank inside the door,
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"Дзверы". Дашка ў дзвярах -
04:17
it's a door bolt.
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"засаўка".
04:19
Put a mouth inside the door, asking questions.
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Рот у дзвярах "пытацца".
04:22
Knock knock. Is anyone home?
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Тук-тук. Ці ёсць хто дома?
04:26
This person is sneaking out of a door,
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Чалавек, які крадзецца ўздоўж дзвярэй -
04:28
escaping, evading.
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спрабуе "уцякаць", "знікаць".
04:31
On the left, we have a woman.
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Злева - "жанчына".
04:33
Two women together, they have an argument.
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Дзве жанчыны разам і будзе "спрэчка".
04:36
(Laughter)
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(Смех)
04:38
Three women together, be careful, it's adultery.
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Тры жанчыны - асцярожна, гэта "блудадзейства".
04:44
So we have gone through almost 30 characters.
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Цяпер мы ведаем амаль 30 іерогліфаў.
04:48
By using this method, the first eight radicals
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Дзякуючы гэтаму метаду, выкарыстоўваючы восемь каранёў
04:51
will allow you to build 32.
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можна пабудаваць 32 іерогліфа.
04:53
The next group of eight characters
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З наступных васьмі іерогліфаў -
04:55
will build an extra 32.
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яшчэ 32.
04:57
So with very little effort,
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Даволі лёгка
04:59
you will be able to learn a couple hundred characters,
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вы можаце вывучыць некалькі соцен іерогліфаў,
05:02
which is the same as a Chinese eight-year-old.
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што на ўзроўні васьмігадовага кітайца.
05:04
So after we know the characters, we start building phrases.
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Пасля таго, як мы вывучылі іерогліфы, мы можам пачаць будаваць фразы.
05:08
For example, the mountain and the fire together,
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Напрыклад, гара і агонь побач -
05:10
we have fire mountain. It's a volcano.
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вогненная гара. "Вулкан".
05:13
We know Japan is the land of the rising sun.
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Вядома, што Японія - краіна ўзыходзячага сонца.
05:17
This is a sun placed with the origin,
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Тут сонца на падмурку зямлі,
05:20
because Japan lies to the east of China.
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таму што Японія знаходзіцца на ўсходзе ад Кітая.
05:23
So a sun, origin together, we build Japan.
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Такім чынам, сонца разам з падмуркам - "Японія".
05:27
A person behind Japan, what do we get?
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Чалавек каля Японіі -
05:30
A Japanese person.
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японец.
05:33
The character on the left is two mountains
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Іерогліф злева - дзве гары,
05:36
stacked on top of each other.
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адна на адной.
05:38
In ancient China, that means in exile,
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У старадаўнім Кітаі гэта азначала "выгнанне",
05:41
because Chinese emperors, they put their political enemies
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таму што кітайскія імператары высылалі сваіх ворагаў
05:44
in exile beyond mountains.
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у выгнанне за горы.
05:46
Nowadays, exile has turned into getting out.
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У нашы дні, "выгнанне" ператварылася ў "выходзіць".
05:51
A mouth which tells you where to get out
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Рот, які кажа вам выходзіць -
05:54
is an exit.
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гэта "выхад".
05:56
This is a slide to remind me that I should stop talking
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Гэты слайд нагадвае мне, што хопіць балбатаць
05:59
and get off of the stage. Thank you.
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і пара сыходзіць са сцэны. Дзякую.
06:01
(Applause)
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(Апладэсменты)
Translated by Ihar Kudrautsau
Reviewed by Alena Zhaliazniak

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ShaoLan Hsueh - Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Why you should listen

ShaoLan is an entrepreneur, angel investor, geek, writer, traveller and dreamer. She is the founder and creator of Chineasy, which she launched after her TED Talk in Long Beach, California in 2013.

In just over three years, she has built Chineasy into one of the most popular methods of learning Chinese across the Internet with several hundred thousand fellow learners. Her first book, Chineasy, The New Way to Read Chinese, was launched in March 2014 and has been translated into 18 languages. Her next book, Chineasy Everyday, was launched in March 2016.

ShaoLan is a tech entrepreneur with extensive business experience. At the age of 22, while studying for her MBA, she wrote four best-selling books on software in Taiwan, and her books were bundled by Microsoft. She co-founded pAsia, one of the major players on Internet in Asia in 1990’s. After a second masters degree at the University of Cambridge, she began Caravel Capital in 2005 to advise young tech companies.

Chineasy represents a return for ShaoLan to her artistic upbringing and in many ways a design project. This project is the culmination of her life’s journey through the East and West. Her aim is to help people to understand China, Chinese culture, its language and to bridge the gap between East and West. Her next step is to help Chinese children to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of their own language. 

 

More profile about the speaker
ShaoLan Hsueh | Speaker | TED.com