# The mystery of how Chinese characters operate - Gina Marie Elia

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430/the-mystery-of-how-chinese-characters-operate-gina-marie-elia
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430/the-mystery-of-how-chinese-characters-operate-gina-marie-elia.md
Podcast: [TED-Ed](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430)
Published: 2026-07-11T13:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG7547875489.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG7547875489.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ted-ed-7859430/episodes/the-mystery-of-how-chinese-characters-operate-gina-marie-elia
Duration seconds: 452

## Resource

Trace the history of Chinese characters, and find out how this writing system has changed and evolved over thousands of years.--According to legend, in the 27th century BCE, the Yellow Emperor of China charged his historian, Cangjie, to develop a system of writing. Sitting alongside a riverbank, Cangjie noted the imagery that surrounded him. From this, he created the first Chinese characters. So, how has Chinese evolved in the last 3,000 years? Gina Marie Elia explores the history of one of the earliest written languages. Lesson by Gina Marie Elia, directed by PeiHsin Cho.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-secret-behind-how-chinese-characters-work-gina-marie-eliaDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-secret-behind-how-chinese-characters-work-gina-marie-elia/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.peihsincho.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, J…

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## Transcript

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