(a) Yes, they are (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Chinese_character_classification#Pictograms" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Chinese_character_classificati...</a>).<p>(b) So why&#x27;d the Egyptians stop using them?  What makes them right for today&#x27;s needs?