this document outlines a mnemonic method for chinese character learning that utilizes spatial positioning in a circle.
traditional indexing (alphabetical ordering, tone categorization) relies solely on linguistic abstraction. introducing a spatial dimension (directional arrows) provides a supplementary, intuitive retrieval cue. although this adds another indexing layer, its value lies in engaging spatial memory, making it a worthy augmentation for efficient character recall.
恰↙ 亶↗ 擅↓ 矛← 柔↙ 串↗ 患↑ 剑↖ 篇↙ 汗↑ 牺↘ 阶↖ 割↑ 拔→ 酸↓ 叶↘ 歇↘ 亿↘ 趟↓ 扭← 稣↓ 胶↖ 裸← 眠← 融↙ 仿↑ 抬↓ 臂→ 潮↗ 赋↑
the alphabetic syllables are mapped beginning at radian 0, corresponding to the rightmost point of the circle. this choice aligns with standard mathematical conventions: in the cartesian plane, angles are measured counter-clockwise from the positive x-axis, with 0 radians pointing rightward. cosine and sine functions, as well as the unit circle definition in complex analysis, are all grounded in this orientation. maintaining radian 0 as the start preserves consistency with these fundamental structures, ensuring mathematical coherence within the method. although starting at π radians would visually align better with left-to-right reading habits, preserving the deeper mathematical logic was prioritized.
syllable and initial labels are dynamically rotated to optimize left-to-right readability. at each position on the circle, the label is oriented so that the text remains upright and naturally readable. labels positioned on the left half of the circle are rotated by 180 degrees and anchored to the right, preventing upside-down or inward-facing text. this choice prioritizes visual clarity without compromising the spatial mapping.
if angle > π/2 or angle < -π/2: rotate = angle + π align = "end" else: rotate = angle align = "start"
coffeescript
syllables = """ a ai an ang ao ba bai ban bang bao bei ben beng bi bian biang biao bie bin bing bo bu ca cai can cang cao ce cei cen ceng cha chai chan chang chao che chen cheng chi chong chou chu chua chuai chuan chuang chui chun chuo ci cong cou cu cuan cui cun cuo da dai dan dang dao de dei den deng di dian diao die ding diu dong dou du duan dui dun duo e ei en eng er fa fan fang fei fen feng fo fou fu ga gai gan gang gao ge gei gen geng gong gou gu gua guai guan guang gui gun guo ha hai han hang hao he hei hen heng hong hou hu hua huai huan huang hui hun huo ji jia jian jiang jiao jie jin jing jiong jiu ju juan jue jun ka kai kan kang kao ke kei ken keng kong kou ku kua kuai kuan kuang kui kun kuo la lai lan lang lao le lei leng li lia lian liang liao lie lin ling liu lo long lou lu luan lun luo lü lüe ma mai man mang mao me mei men meng mi mian miao mie min ming miu mo mou mu na nai nan nang nao ne nei nen neng ni nian niang niao nie nin ning niu nong nou nu nuan nuo nü nüe o ou pa pai pan pang pao pei pen peng pi pian piao pie pin ping po pou pu qi qia qian qiang qiao qie qin qing qiong qiu qu quan que qun ran rang rao re ren reng ri rong rou ru rua ruan rui run ruo sa sai san sang sao se sen seng sha shai shan shang shao she shei shen sheng shi shou shu shua shuai shuan shuang shui shun shuo si song sou su suan sui sun suo ta tai tan tang tao te teng ti tian tiao tie ting tong tou tu tuan tui tun tuo wa wai wan wang wei wen weng wo wu xi xia xian xiang xiao xie xin xing xiong xiu xu xuan xue xun ya yan yang yao ye yi yin ying yong you yu yuan yue yun za zai zan zang zao ze zei zen zeng zha zhai zhan zhang zhao zhe zhei zhen zheng zhi zhong zhou zhu zhua zhuai zhuan zhuang zhui zhun zhuo zi zong zou zu zuan zui zun zuo """.split " " arrows = ["→","↗","↑","↖","←","↙","↓","↘"] get_syllable_circle_arrow = (s) -> s = s.replace /[0-5]$/, "" i = syllables.indexOf s arrows[(Math.round(8 * i / syllables.length)) % 8] # usage get_syllable_circle_arrow "bing"