한자 교육의 실태와 방향

Abstract

We know that the effective Chinese characters' education was not accomplished because of the valueless discussion on the exclusive use of Hangeul and the use Hangeul together with Chinese characters for the half a century of the past. A language and a character is different things. The language has the strong racial characteristics. But the character can be borrowed without limit.

The Chinese characters are not the character for only china today. The Chinese

characters are character to have been used through several countries and peoples of the Oriental culture circle from old times. The Chinese characters are character to have history and tradition that have played an important role in our language life and character life before King Sejong made Hangeul. We will do good language life and character life when Hangeul, phonetic is harmonious with Chinese characters, ideogram

European and American scholars foretold that English culture circle will compete against Chinese characters' culture circle in field of politics, economy, culture and so on if we will reach at the middle of 21 century. We have to recognize the change of the world circumstance. We think that the education of Chinese characters has to be strengthened from the viewpoint of national competive power.

The education basically transmit the social tradition and present the social development direction to the younger generation. The education can not be separated from the social tradition or actuality. The correct Korean life and the succession development of our racial culture will be difficult without comprehension of Chinese characters because more than 50% of Korean vocabulary is Chinese characters and the majority of classical literature is connected with Chinese characters and a word written in Chinese characters.

We have to systematize the Chinese characters' education to be helped to correct Korean life and our cultural development. The scholars of Hangeul exclusive use and the scholars of Hangeul together with Chinese characters have to do our best to find the agreement in the direction of benefit in the future of nation and race.