# The secret behind how Chinese characters work

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Gina Marie Elia
- Year: 2024
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: History, Languages and linguistics, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/gina_marie_elia_the_secret_behind_how_chinese_characters_work)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

According to legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China charged his historian, Cangjie, to develop a system of writing. Sitting alongside a riverbank, Cangjie noted the imagery that surrounded him. From this, he created the first Chinese characters. So, how has Chinese evolved in the last 3,000 years? Gina Marie Elia explores the history of one of the earliest written languages. \[Directed by PeiHsin Cho, narrated by Pen-Pen Chen, music by Zing Audio\].

## Lectures

1. [The secret behind how Chinese characters work](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/gina_marie_elia_the_secret_behind_how_chinese_characters_work/1f187c31a9b3), 5 min (TED's player)