在「簡繁之爭」中，如何讓孩子真正愛上漢字？ | 老師專欄

繁體藴含字源智慧，簡體便於書寫傳播；比字形之爭更重要的，是讓孩子先愛上漢字。Traditional characters carry the wisdom of their origins; simplified ones are quicker to write and to spread. What matters more than the argument is helping children love the characters in the first place.

This article was originally written in Traditional Chinese. The English translation is provided for reference only.

近日，香港兩所官立小學在考試中接受學生使用簡體字作答的安排，經媒體報道後引發了社會各界的廣泛關注與討論。News that two government primary schools in Hong Kong will accept answers written in simplified characters in their examinations has, since being reported in the media, drawn wide public attention and debate.

教育局隨後説明，香港學校一直以「繁簡並重、以繁為主」的原則實施教學，同時會採取多元化策略照顧不同學生的學習需要。The Education Bureau subsequently explained that Hong Kong schools have always taught on the principle of giving weight to both scripts while keeping traditional characters as the main one, and that a range of strategies is used to meet the learning needs of different students.

事件核心What is actually at issue

爭議的焦點在於考試評價方式的調整。根據瞭解，相關學校允許學生在校內測驗及考試中，使用符合國家語言文字規範的簡體字作答，但同時強調，若學生已掌握繁體字則無需刻意轉用簡體。這一安排迅速引發了多元反響。The point of contention is a change in how work is assessed. As we understand it, the schools concerned allow students to answer internal tests and examinations in simplified characters that conform to the national language standard, while stressing that students who have already mastered traditional characters have no need to switch. Reaction to the arrangement was immediate and varied.

繁體字The case for traditional characters

一部分人堅定地支持維護繁體字的教育主體地位。支持者們認為，繁體字是中華傳統文化的重要載體，其字形結構中藴含着深厚的字源與智慧。學習和書寫繁體字，本身就是對文化深度的一種聯結與傳承，對於保持文化獨特性至關重要。One camp argues firmly for keeping traditional characters at the centre of teaching. In their view, traditional forms are an important vessel of Chinese culture, and their structures hold a deep etymology and wisdom. To learn and write them is in itself a way of connecting with that cultural depth and passing it on, and it is essential to preserving a distinctive cultural identity.

例如，繁體「愛」字中包含「心」，若簡化為「爱」，則彷彿「無心怎算愛」？The stock example is the character for love: the traditional 愛 contains 心, the heart, while the simplified 爱 does not. How, the argument runs, can there be love with the heart taken out?

簡體字The case for simplified characters

另一部分人則對簡體字的實用性表示理解或支持。支持者們認為簡體字筆畫簡潔，更利於快速書寫和廣泛傳播，能降低認知負擔。特別是，簡體字系統通過「一簡對多繁」的方式，消除了同音異形字帶來的混淆，使學習與應用更加直接高效。Others are sympathetic to the practical case for simplified characters, which have fewer strokes, are quicker to write, travel more easily and place a lighter cognitive load on the learner. In particular, by mapping several traditional characters onto a single simplified one, the system does away with the confusion of characters that sound alike but are written differently, making learning and everyday use more direct and efficient.

例如，繁體中表示「皇后」的「后」與表示「前後」的「後」，在簡體中統一為「后」。For example, the traditional 后 of 皇后 (empress) and the 後 of 前後 (before and after) are both written 后 in the simplified script.

漢源有妙招The Han Yuan approach

超越爭議本身，我們更應關注的是問題的核心：在多元文化交匯的香港，如何幫助所有背景的孩子建立扎實的中文基礎，培養真正的語言能力？Looking past the argument itself, the real question is this: in a Hong Kong where many cultures meet, how do we help children of every background build a solid foundation in Chinese and develop genuine language ability?

無論是簡體字還是繁體字，都是中文表達的載體，承載着相同的文化精髓。對於學習者而言，比字形選擇更重要的是掌握語言的規律、培養閲讀的興趣和建立表達的自信。Simplified or traditional, both are vehicles for the same language and carry the same cultural essence. For a learner, what matters more than the choice of script is grasping how the language works, developing an appetite for reading, and building the confidence to express oneself.

在漢源，我們深信，最有效的學習始於興趣。我們的幼兒教學部歷經近二十年實踐驗證的「綜合高效識字法」核心理念，將專業的識字教學轉化為孩子每日期待的遊戲時光。At Han Yuan we believe that the most effective learning begins with interest. The core idea behind our early childhood department's Integrated Efficient Literacy Method (綜合高效識字法), tested over nearly twenty years of classroom practice, is to turn rigorous character teaching into playtime that children look forward to every day.

部件拼字Building characters from components

將漢字拆解為「部件」卡片，像玩拼圖一樣拆分組合。幫助孩子提升字形結構認知、邏輯思維、想像力。Characters are broken down into component cards that children take apart and put back together like a jigsaw. It sharpens their grasp of how characters are structured, along with their logical thinking and their imagination.

生活尋字Hunting for characters in daily life

將識字融入真實生活場景，如製作購物清單、辨認路牌、閲讀食品包裝。增強孩子的實用認讀能力、生活關聯、主動學習意識。Character learning is folded into real situations: writing a shopping list, reading street signs, looking at food packaging. This builds practical reading ability, ties learning to everyday life, and encourages children to take the initiative themselves.

兒歌韻律Rhyme and rhythm

選取富含目標字詞的兒歌，通過歌唱、律動、圈字等方式，建立音、形、義的聯結。有效提升孩子的語音敏感性、韻律感、整體記憶。We choose nursery rhymes rich in the target words and use singing, movement and circling characters on the page to link sound, shape and meaning, which strengthens children's ear for the language, their sense of rhythm and their overall recall.

除了課堂上的親身體驗，漢源還為學子們獨家推出「源聲道」有聲系列，彙集幼兒詩歌童謠與中小學經典美文。用温暖的聲線和優美的韻律，在孩子心中播下熱愛中文的種子，感受中文之美，愛上中國文化。Beyond what happens in the classroom, Han Yuan has also produced its own audio series, 源聲道, bringing together poems and nursery rhymes for young children and classic prose for primary and secondary students. Read in a warm voice and carried along by fine rhythms, it plants the seed of a love of Chinese in a child's heart, so that they feel the beauty of the language and grow to love Chinese culture.

從課堂到舞台：2026全港兒童識字比賽From the classroom to the stage: the 2026 Hong Kong Children's Character Recognition Competition

2026全港兒童識字比賽正式拉開帷幕。The 2026 Hong Kong Children's Character Recognition Competition is now officially under way.

本屆比賽旨在加強兒童對語文的實際運用能力，培養對語言的興趣，從而全面提升其語言素養。This year's competition sets out to strengthen children's practical command of the language and to nurture an interest in it, and so to raise their overall language literacy.

本次比賽設有粵語認字與普通話認字兩大項目，按年齡分組進行，注重考察孩子的實際認讀能力和語言理解水平。There are two main sections, character recognition in Cantonese and in Putonghua, with entrants grouped by age. The focus is on how well children actually recognise characters and how well they understand what they read.

我們期待所有熱愛中文的孩子參與其中，不論他們習慣使用哪種字體，都能在這個舞台上自信展示自己的學習成果，感受中文的豐富與美麗。通過賽事，孩子們不僅能檢驗自己的學習成果，還能在交流互動中發現中文學習的更多樂趣。We hope every child who loves Chinese will take part. Whichever script they are used to writing, this is a stage on which they can show what they have learned with confidence and feel the richness and beauty of the language. The competition is a chance not only to take stock of their progress but to discover, in the company of others, how much more enjoyment there is in learning Chinese.

結語In closing

中文是聯結我們的文化紐帶，無論字形如何演變，其內在的文化精髓與表達智慧始終如一。讓我們共同關注如何為孩子打下堅實的中文基礎，培養他們駕馭這一寶貴工具的能力，在未來的學習和生活中自信前行。Chinese is the cultural tie that binds us, and however the written forms may evolve, the cultural essence and the wisdom of expression within them remain the same. Let us turn our attention together to giving children a firm foundation in the language and the ability to wield this precious tool, so that they can go forward with confidence in their studies and in their lives.

在「簡繁之爭」中，如何讓孩子真正愛上漢字？Beyond the Simplified-versus-Traditional Debate: How Do We Help Children Truly Love Chinese Characters?