[English]英汉语言特性比较

To accurately convey information through language (limited to written expression), Chinese characters have a high information entropy, which requires certain competencies from language users (including readers and writers). Conversely, if the reader does not meet these requirements, they may misinterpret the author's intended meaning.

Information entropy is a concept that measures information: the higher the entropy, the more information can be transmitted; the lower the entropy, the less information is transmitted. There is a conclusion on Zhihu that Chinese is one of the most efficient languages.

Da Lao Li: Is Chinese the Most Efficient Language? -- A Brief Discussion on Information Entropy

In this context, efficiency is evaluated only by information entropy, but the process of information transmission involves not only text but also the users of the text. The premise of computer communication is that each computer fully understands the rules of encoding and decoding. However, in human communication, no individual completely masters these "rules," which refer not only to grammatical rules but also to common knowledge and domain-specific knowledge. In other words, the higher the information entropy of the text, the higher the requirement for users to master these "rules." This means that text with high information entropy contains a large amount of information and uncertainty, requiring readers to work harder to eliminate uncertainty and understand the author's intent.

Conversely, text with lower information entropy requires less mastery of these "rules" from users. For example, compared to Chinese, English words have much lower information entropy than Chinese characters. Text with low information entropy contains less information, requiring more words to convey the same amount of information. The meanings expressed by such text are limited and singular. This means that text with low information entropy is more certain, making it easier for readers to eliminate uncertainty and understand the author's intent.

The above analysis is from the perspective of modern information science. From a historical materialist viewpoint, the use of Chinese characters in ancient times was a privilege, representing feudal remnants. Literacy rates were extremely low in feudal society. On one hand, education was never a universal benefit but a tool of the ruling class and a privilege of the few in a deeply hierarchical society. On the other hand, ancient Chinese characters were complex, with structures much more complicated than modern simplified characters, making them costly to learn. Despite the simplification of Chinese characters and the introduction of the Pinyin system to improve education, the historical burden of the writing system remains significant, hindering educational learning to some extent.