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[0:41] Analysis of Traditional Chinese Writing Styles and Vertical & Horizontal Reading Techniques

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This article analyzes traditional Chinese writing styles, including vertical and horizontal reading techniques, and combines them with beginner English reading exercises to help readers improve their reading and listening skills.

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Learn English easily in just 1 minute a day! This website provides short English readings suitable for beginners, each with audio and text. The content is interesting and moderately challenging. By reading one article a day, you can develop a sense of language and improve your reading and listening skills. Start your English learning journey now! Here is a collection of beginner English reading exercises from Qicai.com, offering daily short passages with listening practice.

In China, traditional Chinese writing followed a vertical, right-to-left order. This style was common in classical texts and official documents. The vertical arrangement required readers to start from the top of the column and read downward, moving from the rightmost column to the left. This method emphasized structure and flow, making the reading experience different from modern horizontal writing. Many traditional scrolls, calligraphy works, and ancient literature followed this vertical layout, preserving cultural aesthetics and historical conventions.

While vertical writing applied to classical texts, reading spring festival couplets often involves horizontal scrolls where characters go from right to left. These couplets are displayed during celebrations and require a different approach to reading. Observing the horizontal order allows the reader to understand the intended meaning and maintain the cultural significance of the couplets. The shift from vertical to horizontal demonstrates flexibility in traditional writing practices.

Reading side scrolls also follows a right-to-left direction. This consistency helps maintain clarity across different types of writing formats. The horizontal scrolls, often seen in decorations and public displays, integrate with traditional aesthetics while adapting to modern presentation. Understanding both vertical and horizontal formats provides insight into the evolution of Chinese writing and reading habits over time.

That concludes the beginner English reading listening content collected by Qicai.com editor Xiao Wu. We hope you gain something from listening!

Listening Comprehension

vertical
noun
1. a vertical structural member as a post or stake
e.g. the ball sailed between the uprights
Synonym: upright
2. something that is oriented vertically
direction
noun
1. the act of setting and holding a course
e.g. a new council was installed under the direction of the king
Synonym: steeringguidance
2. the act of managing something
e.g. he was given overall management of the program
is the direction of the economy a function of government?
Synonym: management
3. the concentration of attention or energy on something
e.g. the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology
he had no direction in his life
Synonym: focusfocusingfocussingfocal pointcentering
4. a general course along which something has a tendency to develop
e.g. I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts
his ideals determined the direction of his career
they proposed a new direction for the firm
5. something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
Synonym: guidancecounselcounselingcounselling
6. a message describing how something is to be done
e.g. he gave directions faster than she could follow them
Synonym: instruction
7. a formal statement of a command or injunction to do something
e.g. the judge's charge to the jury
Synonym: commissioncharge
8. a line leading to a place or point
e.g. he looked the other direction
didn't know the way home
Synonym: way
9. the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves
e.g. he checked the direction and velocity of the wind
horizontal
noun
1. something that is oriented horizontally
scroll
noun
1. a document that can be rolled up (as for storage)
Synonym: roll
2. a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
Synonym: coilwhorlrollcurlcurlicueringletgyre