Suzhou Set of Characters for Numerals in Chinese

Abstract

The article considers an ancient Chinese set of numerals — the Suzhou numerals — which have almost been lost. It tells the history of the numerals, analyzes the reasons for their loss. The paper analyzes the graphic layout of these ancient commercial numerals which date back to rod numerals. Straight strokes and sharp angles are the distinctive features of these characters. The layout of Suzhou numerals also reflects the quinary notation. The work describes one of the graphical problems i.e. the discrepancy between the general style of writing and the layout of “five” and “nine” number characters. An additional point is that the article considers the problem of possible mutual influence between the graphic representations of number “ten” in Suzhou set of numerals and the regular set of numerals. The article also discusses the origin of the character representing “zero” in China: it analyses the theories asserting the Suzhou origin as well as the explanations maintaining the borrowed nature of the character. A distinctive feature of the Suzhou set of numerals is that it has special characters representing numbers “twenty”, “thirty”, and “forty”. The article also pays attention to their graphical presentation: they could be written both horizontally and vertically because of their positional notation. The Suzhou numerals are almost absent in the lexicographical literature. The analysis of the factual basis has shown that there are only eleven phrases in the Chinese language using Suzhou numerals.

Keywords:

Chinese language, Chinese numerals, Suzhou numerals, sets of numerals, character, character numeral