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Furthermore, another linguist, Professor Xian Li, has pointed out the
limit of the simplified characters: “simplified radicals cannot be
deduced and applied to all,” “symbols replacing radicals have no
established rules,” “independently simplified radicals cannot be
deduced,” “the use of homophonic characters in a different contexts
complicates the whole character system,” “exceptions always found
whenever simplification rules are applied,” and “arbitrary simplifica-
tions destroy the logic of Chinese characters.”

The intricate implications of learning simplified Chinese characters
result in an inevitable imbroglio of academic research and linguistic
application, jeopardizing related sciences such as paleography, histori-
cal geography and historiography.

Due to current practical need and global trend, the proportion of
traditional characters users has considerably declined compared to that
of simplified characters users. Yet learning traditional characters is
nevertheless meaningful, important and necessary, if taken into account
the following perspectives: pedagogical efficiency, cultural creativity,
better understanding of Chinese traditional culture and history, cultural
links to East Asian civilizations, involvement in a global cultural
outlook, and an aesthetic appreciation of inherent beauty of Chinese
characters.

It is our hope that by consolidating the learning of traditional charac-
ters, while providing simultaneously a comparison table scoping
simplified characters, we can pragmatically provide useful teaching
methodology to the overseas communities. By encouraging the study of
traditional characters as a vector, and then comparing them with
simplified characters in textbooks, we are convinced that this approach
will create the ideal environment for the transmission of Chinese
culture abroad, where both types of characters are currently prevalent.