Sinography
/sɪˈnɒɡrəfi/noun
The study or representation of Chinese writing, language, or written characters.
Did you know?The “Sino-” element ultimately traces through Greek and Latin names for China to the Qin dynasty, whose name became the ancestor of “China” in many languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gerbh-
“To scratch, carve, or incise—an ancient root associated with marking surfaces.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
gráphein (γράφειν)
“To scratch, draw, or write; the source of the English graph- element.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Sînai (Σίναι)
“A name used for the Chinese people or lands beyond the eastern trade routes.”
Classical Latin
Latin
Sinae
“The Chinese; the source of the international Sino- element.”
19th Century
English
Sino-
“A combining form meaning Chinese, derived through Latin and Greek traditions.”
19th–20th Century
English
sinography
“The study or written representation of Chinese language and characters; formed from Sino- plus -graphy.”