Sir

The Words essay by Alan L. Mackay (Nature 410, 19; 2001) illustrates the challenges that the Chinese language faces in the new millennium. As a native speaker, I would like to offer a different, perhaps more accurate interpretation of the etymology of the character (shang), which means 'entropy'.

The translation of entropy into is a perfect example of the adaptive nature of the Chinese language. It reflects the equation S = H/T, where S is entropy, H is enthalpy ( — han), and T is the absolute temperature. The left half, (fire), hints that the character has something to do with heat or temperature, and the right half, , means 'quotient' instead of Mackay's interpretation of 'merchant'.

This difference is understandable, as an English speaker who knows the Greek word-root trope, which denotes turning and changing, would naturally associate the character with 'merchant'. But an educated Chinese speaker does not readily associate a scientific character such as with a merchant. In the traditional Chinese value system, merchants were considered not quite highbrow. The association with quotient is much more spontaneous, as a difficult character such as confers an implicit sense of being about learned matter.

The translation of enthalpy to is equally exquisite. The left part of the character means 'fire' as in entropy; the right part, , means 'content'.

These are just two examples of how new Chinese characters were coined as the need arose. None of the new characters that I know of was created de novo, in keeping both with the long tradition of the language, and with its creativeness and adaptability.