Introduction#
⬆️Image source Zhihu
In the context of the mainland Chinese internet, the traditional Chinese characters used in Taiwan are referred to as so-called "正体字" (zhèng tǐ zì).
Let's discuss this issue from the perspective of Chinese characters themselves, without discussing the political issue of whether it is correct or not.
Let's start with a few definitions:#
正体字 / 规范字 (zhèng tǐ zì/guī fàn zì)#
In a certain region, the officially established and used standard Chinese character forms are referred to as "正体字" or "规范汉字" (guī fàn hàn zì). The corresponding concept is "俗体字 / 异体字" (sú tǐ zì/yì tǐ zì). For example, in mainland China, the simplified character "为" and its corresponding traditional character "爲" are considered standard characters, while "為" is considered a variant character.
Yes, mainland China has not completely abolished traditional characters and has also established a set of standards for traditional characters, but few people actually know about it.
繁体字 / 传承字 (fán tǐ zì/chuán chéng zì)#
In a broad sense, "繁体字" refers to the set of character forms that correspond to simplified characters used in mainland China, such as "Hong Kong Traditional Chinese." In a narrow sense, "繁体字" refers to the original character forms that have been simplified, such as "漢" for "汉." Characters that have not been simplified, i.e., characters with the same form in simplified and traditional Chinese, are referred to as "传承字" (chuán chéng zì), such as "字" (zì).
Therefore, the conclusion is#
The Taiwan authorities use the "National Standard Character Set" as the standard and refer to it as "正体字" (zhèng tǐ zì). For the people of Taiwan, the traditional characters used in Taiwan are the officially designated and commonly used character forms, which they consider to be their "正体字" (zhèng tǐ zì) or "Taiwan Traditional Chinese," which is understandable. After all, they do not use simplified characters, and some of the simplified characters used in mainland China are considered variant characters there (and vice versa).
Similarly, for the people in mainland China, the simplified/traditional characters we use every day are considered "正体字" (zhèng tǐ zì) or "standard Chinese characters." The Taiwanese character forms are considered variant characters by some and are considered the same as those used in mainland China by others.
As for the terminology, commonly used terms such as "台标繁体" (tái biāo fán tǐ) or "台湾繁体" (tái wān fán tǐ) are acceptable. The term "正体" (zhèng tǐ) is not commonly used in mainland China.
Is it correct? Yes, it is.#
Now we can discuss the issue of so-called orthodoxy. If there are people on the other side who use the term "残体字 / 邪体字" (cán tǐ zì/xié tǐ zì), you can respond to them, otherwise, you can skip this part. It's getting a bit emotional.
The Taiwanese character forms themselves also have simplified parts for convenience. If we strictly follow the Kangxi Dictionary as the standard:
"爲" -> "為"
"裏" -> "裡"
"衆" -> "眾"
and so on...
The degree of preservation is not as high as the standard character forms in Hong Kong, but they are still called "香港繁体" (xiāng gǎng fán tǐ). The so-called tradition is not very traditional, and even some simplified characters are actually a simplification of ancient characters, such as "從" -> "从."
The evolution of Chinese characters itself is an inevitable trend in response to the development of the times. The current simplified character scheme does have some parts that were rushed, but overall, it has played a quite positive role.
⬆️Image source Douban
The Nanjing National Government issued the "First Batch of Simplified Character List" in 1935, which clearly stated:
- Simplified characters are characters that have been simplified in stroke count, making them easier to recognize and write. They are different from standard characters and can be used instead of traditional characters.
- The simplified characters listed in this table include common characters, ancient characters, and cursive script characters. Common characters such as "体" (tǐ), "宝" (bǎo), "岩" (yán), "蚕" (cán), ancient characters such as "气" (qì), "无" (wú), "処" (chù), "广" (guǎng), and cursive script characters such as "时" (shí), "实" (shí), "为" (wéi), "会" (huì) are all characters that already exist and are commonly used.
Although this standard has not been preserved, it is enough to show the support for the simplification of Chinese characters among modern intellectuals.
⬆️Image source Wikimedia
Is it aesthetically pleasing? Not necessarily. At least when I write by hand, I usually use the standard character forms used in mainland China or Hong Kong, or even the new character forms used in Japan (especially the way the "月肉" radical is written, which does not match my personal aesthetic preferences, but this is subjective).
Finally, Disclaimer#
Most of the definitions come from Wikipedia, including the term "正体字" itself. I am not a professional, just a Chinese character enthusiast. I welcome discussions and different opinions.