Between Empiricism and Pragmatism: The “Puzzle Method” for Teaching Hanmun for Beginners

Developed in the context of university teaching in Korean studies for beginners in Classical Chinese hanmun, the puzzle method is used to approach unknown texts with a focus on efficiency, as in an exam where time is limited and the use of electronic devices is prohibited. It synthesizes common practices among readers of Classical Chinese, centered around the concept of a “puzzle.” The metaphor works on multiple levels: the text is the puzzle to be reconstructed, its main lines are the ‘big picture’ that the puzzle represents; the pieces are the words, presenting semantic (image) and syntactic (contours) aspects; the pieces are variously loaded with information to suggest the big picture of the puzzle, so that the search primarily targets the most suggestive Sino-Korean characters hancha in order to be effective. The playful aspect of the puzzle, using information provided by characters already known to learners as a starting point to build a search plan that prioritizes the hancha to be searched for, helps develop beginners’ self-confidence. It develops patience, concentration, and reflection in learners, and dispels the belief that the dictionary is a magic tool that immediately provides the correct solution. The method, developed without the use of AI, is environmentally friendly and does not create dependence on specific technological tools, other than knowledge of how to use indexes to search for hancha in paper dictionaries. It was described in detail in a hanmu teaching textbook published in France in 2025.