8.4 Use of Chinese: Matching Simplified and Traditional Characters (字詞辨識：簡化字)
Key Takeaways
The CSB says the 字詞辨識 part tests the ability to recognise simplified characters, and its sample asks for the option where a simplified character is wrongly matched to a traditional one.
In the CSB sample, 仆→赴 is the wrong pairing because 仆 is the simplified form of 僕; the pairs 术→術, 丰→豐 and 儿→兒 are correct.
Many simplified characters stand for two or more traditional characters, such as 发 (發, 髮), 干 (干, 乾, 幹), 后 (后, 後) and 历 (歷, 曆), so the correct traditional form depends on the word.
Radical simplification follows regular patterns, such as 言 to 讠, 金 to 钅, 門 to 门, 糸 to 纟, 貝 to 贝 and 車 to 车.
Simplified characters that keep only part of the traditional form, such as 业 (業), 广 (廣), 产 (產) and 乡 (鄉), must be memorised because the missing part cannot be guessed.
8.4 Use of Chinese: Matching Simplified and Traditional Characters (字詞辨識：簡化字)
Quick Answer: Part of the 字詞辨識 section tests whether you can recognise simplified characters (辨認簡化字). The CSB's sample asks you to find the option where a simplified character is wrongly matched to a traditional character. The hardest items use simplified characters that stand for more than one traditional character (发 for 發 or 髮; 干 for 干, 乾 or 幹). Learn these by word, not by single character.
The official sample, explained
請選出下面簡化字錯誤對應繁體字的選項。 A 术→術 B 仆→赴 C 丰→豐 D 儿→兒 答案：B
| Pair | Correct? | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 术→術 | Yes | 技术 = 技術, 术语 = 術語 |
| 仆→赴 | No | 仆 is the simplified form of 僕 (仆人 = 僕人). 赴 (to go to, as in 赴會) is not simplified |
| 丰→豐 | Yes | 丰富 = 豐富, 丰收 = 豐收 |
| 儿→兒 | Yes | 儿童 = 兒童 |
The distractor 赴 has a similar sound, so the item tests whether you actually know the traditional form, not whether two characters sound alike.
Why this matters for civil servants
Hong Kong government documents are written in traditional characters, but officers regularly read material from the Mainland in simplified characters. Misreading a simplified character, especially one that maps to several traditional characters, can change the meaning of a quoted document. That is why the UC paper includes this skill.
Four ways characters were simplified
| Method | How it works | Examples (simplified → traditional) |
|---|---|---|
| Simplified radicals (偏旁類推) | A component is simplified the same way wherever it appears | 语→語, 银→銀, 问→問, 纪→紀, 财→財, 轮→輪, 饭→飯, 页→頁 |
| Part of the original kept (保留部分) | Only a distinctive part of the character remains | 业→業, 广→廣, 产→產, 乡→鄉, 声→聲, 号→號 |
| Cursive or simpler shapes (草書楷化／簡筆) | A handwritten or simpler shape replaces the full form | 书→書, 东→東, 长→長, 为→為, 乐→樂, 专→專 |
| One character for several (同音代替) | One simplified character covers several traditional characters with the same sound | 发→發／髮, 后→后／後, 干→干／乾／幹 |
A further group replaces a complex component with a simple symbol, such as 又 in 观 (觀), 鸡 (雞), 难 (難) and 欢 (歡), or 乂 in 区 (區) and 赵 (趙). Because the symbol replaces different components in different characters, these must be learned individually.
Regular radical patterns
| Traditional radical | Simplified | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 言 | 讠 | 说→說, 认→認, 计→計 |
| 金 | 钅 | 钟→鐘／鍾, 银→銀, 错→錯 |
| 門 | 门 | 问→問, 闲→閒／閑, 间→間 |
| 糸 | 纟 | 线→線, 红→紅, 经→經 |
| 貝 | 贝 | 财→財, 费→費, 贵→貴 |
| 車 | 车 | 轮→輪, 软→軟, 辆→輛 |
| 馬 | 马 | 驾→駕, 验→驗, 骑→騎 |
| 食 | 饣 | 饭→飯, 饮→飲, 馆→館 |
| 見 | 见 | 规→規, 视→視, 览→覽 |
| 頁 | 页 | 顺→順, 题→題, 预→預 |
One simplified character, several traditional characters
These pairs cause most errors. The correct traditional character depends on the word:
| Simplified | Traditional forms by word |
|---|---|
| 发 | 发展→發展; 头发→頭髮 |
| 后 | 以后→以後; 皇后→皇后 |
| 干 | 干涉→干涉; 干部→幹部; 干燥→乾燥 |
| 面 | 面子→面子; 面条→麵條 |
| 历 | 历史→歷史; 日历→日曆 |
| 系 | 系统→系統; 关系→關係; 联系→聯繫 |
| 制 | 制度→制度; 制造→製造 |
| 复 | 恢复→恢復; 复杂→複雜 |
| 斗 | 北斗→北斗; 战斗→戰鬥 |
| 范 | 范 (surname)→范; 模范→模範 |
| 松 | 松树→松樹; 放松→放鬆 |
| 冲 | 冲凉→沖涼; 冲突→衝突 |
| 谷 | 山谷→山谷; 稻谷→稻穀 |
| 云 | 人云亦云→人云亦云; 白云→白雲 |
| 余 | 余 (surname)→余; 多余→多餘 |
| 获 | 获得→獲得; 收获→收穫 |
| 尽 | 尽力→盡力; 尽管→儘管 |
| 汇 | 汇款→匯款; 词汇→詞彙 |
| 钟 | 钟表→鐘錶; 钟情→鍾情 |
| 须 | 必须→必須; 胡须→鬍鬚 |
| 准 | 批准→批准; 标准→標準 |
| 征 | 征服→征服; 特征→特徵 |
| 只 | 只有→只有; 一只→一隻 |
| 台 | 天文台→天文台; 台风→颱風 |
| 表 | 表格→表格; 手表→手錶 |
| 丑 | 小丑→小丑; 丑陋→醜陋 |
| 板 | 木板→木板; 老板→老闆 |
Partial-form characters to memorise
These keep only part of the traditional character, so the missing part cannot be guessed:
| Simplified | Traditional | Simplified | Traditional |
|---|---|---|---|
| 业 | 業 | 广 | 廣 |
| 产 | 產 | 厂 | 廠 |
| 乡 | 鄉 | 习 | 習 |
| 飞 | 飛 | 亏 | 虧 |
| 声 | 聲 | 处 | 處 |
| 开 | 開 | 关 | 關 |
| 灭 | 滅 | 气 | 氣 |
| 云 (in 白云) | 雲 | 电 | 電 |
A checking routine
- Turn the single character into a word. For 后, ask whether it is 以后 (以後) or 皇后 (皇后). For 系, ask whether it is 关系 (關係) or 系统 (系統).
- Check for a one-to-many character. If the simplified character is on the table above, check the word, not the character.
- Watch for sound-alike distractors. Like 赴 in the sample, wrong options often borrow a character with a similar sound.
- Read the stem carefully. Some items ask for the correct pairing, others for the wrong one.
Note
Hong Kong usage sometimes allows two traditional forms of a word, such as 這裏 and 這裡. The CRE items in the CSB sample avoid such borderline cases and test clear pairings, so focus on the unambiguous ones above.
請選出下面簡化字錯誤對應繁體字的選項。
业→業
广→廣
乡→響
产→產
簡化字句子「他们的头发都已干了」轉為繁體字，正確的寫法是：
他們的頭髮都已幹了
他們的頭發都已乾了
他們的頭發都已干了
他們的頭髮都已乾了
下列哪一組簡化詞語與繁體詞語全部對應正確？
以后→以後、关系→關系、制造→制造
特征→特徵、收获→收穫、标准→標準
历史→曆史、复杂→復雜、放松→放松
冲突→沖突、老板→老板、钟表→鍾表
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.