Chin Poetry 2024

Welcome to our course website Chin_Poetry_2024!

Session 1: Organizational issues FRI Mar 1, 8:00-9:30 s. 400, WORD CLASSES

FRI (8:00-9:30 s. 400) 9:45-11:15 SIN III s. 424 中國文學-詩歌 Język chiński klasyczny – proza lub poezja Chin Poetry 2024 1.3.-7.6.2024 (S1 1.3., S2 8.3., S3 15.3., S4 22.3., S5 29.3., S6 5.4., S7 12.4., S8 19.4., S9 26.4., S10 3.5., S11 10.5., S12 17.5., S13 24.5., S14 31.5., S15 7.6.)

What we learn in this class

• We learn to differentiate between classical/premodern and modern Chinese.
• We learn to differentiate between traditional and simplified characters.
• We learn grammatical rules of classical/premodern Chinese including word classes, sentence structures etc.
• We learn classical/premodern vocabulary.
• We learn motifs and social-historical backgrounds in classical/premodern Chinese poems.

At the end of this semester, we will read, understand and translate some classical/premodern Chinese poems, especially the seemingly best ones in world literature, Tang and Song poems (premodern).

The course to learn to read classical Japanese for beginners is an example that we do not need to start from the quotation and explain grammar and vocabulary while we are working through the quotation, but instead we can first ignore the texts and start to learn the basics and get a basic understanding of wenyanwen.

So we are not going to start with the texts, but first will lay a foundation of understanding classical/premodern Chinese including grammar, vocabulary, images used in poems etc.

In order to plan a diverse semester with different sorts of explanations and exercises, we first will have a look at existing concepts for learning wenyanwen for beginners. This ensures to also incorporate the newest learning material and media forms.

Preliminary course schedule and topics for this semester

Praktyczna nauka języka chińskiego – kompozycja tekstu SIN II MGR

Sessions Fridays (if not otherwise indicated) in s. 400/424

1. Sess1 Mar 1 8:00-9:30
2. Sess2 Mar 1 9:45-11:15
3. Sess3 Mar 22, 8:00-9:30
4. Sess4 Mar 22, 9:45-11:15
5. Sess5 Apr 5, 8:00-9:30
6. Sess6 Apr 5, 9:45-11:15
7. Sess7 Apr 26 8:00-9:30
8. Sess8 Apr 26, 9:45-11:15
9. Sess9 May 10, 8:00-9:30
10. Sess10 May 10, 9:45-11:15
11. Sess11 June 14, 8:00-9:30
12. Sess12 June 14, 9:45-11:15
13. Sess13 TUE Jun 18, 8:00-9:30
14. Sess14 TUE Jun 18, 9:45-11:15
15. Sess15 Jun 21, 8:00-9:30
16. Final Exam Jun 21, 9:45-11:15

Suggested changes for this semester

Teacher provides explanation, systematic approach with tables to classical Chinese grammar and vocabulary. Students need to memorize the word classes in the tables and the usage of the word classes (pronouns, verbs etc.).

Typological overview

Cf.: English, German and Chinese Introduction to classical Chinese grammar on Wikipedia.

Classical Chinese has long been noted for the absence of inflectional morphology: nouns and adjectives do not inflect for case, definiteness, gender, specificity or number; neither do verbs inflect for person, number, tense, aspect, telicity, valency, evidentiality or voice. However, in terms of derivational morphology, it makes use of compounding, reduplication and perhaps affixation, although not in a productive way. (See Peyraube 2008, p. 995; Schuessler 2007, p. 16). Most of the affixes in Old Chinese also have counterparts in Tibeto-Burman languages; they are therefore of Sino-Tibetan heritage. Most are unproductive in Old Chinese. There is also an extensive use of zero-derivation.

The basic constituent order of Classical Chinese is subject-verb-object (SVO) (Peyraube 2008, p. 997–998), but is not fully consistent: there are particular situations where the VS and OV word orders appear. Topic-and-comment constructions are often used. Neither a topic, nor the subject nor objects are mandatory, being often dropped when their meaning is understood (so called Pro-drop language (pragmatically inferable)), and copular sentences often do not have a verb.

Within a noun phrase, demonstratives, quantifying determiners, adjectives, possessors and relative clauses precede the head noun, while cardinal numbers can appear before or after the noun they modify. Within a verb phrase, adverbs usually appear before a verb. The language, as analyzed in this article, uses coverbs (in a serial verb construction) and postpositions. Classical Chinese makes heavy use of parataxis where English would use a dependent clause (Pulleyblank 1995, p. 148). However, there are means to form dependent clauses, some of which appear before the main clause while others appear after. There are also a number of sentence-final particles.

Two simple coordinated nouns can be joined with a conjunction, but this is not always the case. This, combined with the fact that two nouns in a possessor-possessed construction are not always marked for their functions either, can lead to ambiguity: 山林 shān lín (literally: "mountain forest") could mean either "mountains and forests" or "the forest of a mountain". (Barnes, Starr, Ormerod 2009, p. 9).

With the absence of inflectional morphology, Classical Chinese is largely a zero-marking language, except that possessors and relative clauses are usually dependent-marked with a grammatical particle.

Negation is achieved by placing a negative particle before the verb. Yes-no questions are marked with a sentence-final particle, while wh-questions are marked with in-situ interrogative pronouns. There are a number of passive constructions, but passives are sometimes not marked differently from active constructions, at least when written. (Aldridge 2013).

The lexicon of Classical Chinese has been traditionally divided into two large categories: content words (實字 shí zì, literally: "substantial words") and function words (虛字 xū zì, literally: "empty words"). (Peyraube 2008, p. 999). Scholars of Classical Chinese grammar notably disagree on how to further divide these two categories exactly, but a classification using word classes similar to those of Latin (noun, adjective, verb, pronoun, etc.) has been common. (Zádrapa 2011, p. 2). However, this remains debated, as many words can be used as multiple parts of speech. Examples shown below.

Word class flexibility

• adjective used as noun: 聖益聖 shèng yì shèng; lit: wise increase wise, actually means: a wise person becomes wiser
• adjective used as verb: 勝地不常 shèngdì bù cháng; lit: a good place not constant, actually means: a good place will not last forever
• adjective used as adverb: 白費 báifèi; lit vain cost, i.e. vainly cost (subject) ...
• noun used as verb: 順流而東也 shùnliú ér dōng yě; lit: along the river East, actually means: rowing down the river to the East
• noun used as adverbial: 犬坐於前 quǎn zuò yú qián; lit: (a wolf) dog sit in the front, actually means: (a wolf) is sitting in the front like a dog
• verb used as noun (rare case): 乘奔御風 chéng bēn yùfēng; lit: ride gallop or wind, actually means: ride a galloping horse or wind
• verb used as adverb (rare case): 爭割地 zhēng gēdì; lit: compete cede territory, actually means: "cede territory spontaneously and actively"

Session 2 FRI Mar 1, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III: PRONOUNS

Pronouns can be separated into the following groups:

• Personal, e.g. 汝 rǔ 'you'
• Demonstrative: 此 cǐ, 斯 sī, 兹 zī 'this, these'; 彼 bǐ, 夫 fú 'that, those'; 之 zhī, 是 shì (anaphoric) 'this, that'
• Reciprocal: 彼此 bǐcǐ 'each other'
• Reflexive: 己 jǐ, 身 shēn 'oneself, themselves'
• Interrogative, e.g. 誰 shéi 'who'
• Indefinite: 他 tuō 'another, others', 某 mǒu 'someone, so-and-so', 人 rén 'someone', 人人 rénrén 'everyone', 諸 zhū 'all'

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns

1st person singular and plural	吾 wú, 我 wǒ, 余 yú, 予 yú, 朕 zhèn. Humble term: 臣 chén ('servant')
2nd person	汝/女 rǔ, 而 ér, 若 ruò, 爾 ěr (friend/child). Terms: 公 gōng (Duke), 卿 qīng (friend, subordinate or minister), 汝曹 rǔ cáo (plural (!): friends/servants/soldiers)
3rd person	in object position: 之 zhī (accusative), 其 qí (genitive). In subject position: distal demonstrative 彼 bǐ 'that, those', anaphoric demonstrative 是 shì. Terms: 子 zǐ (Master), 君子 jūnzǐ (Noble man),

Classical Chinese did not distinguish number in some of its pronouns, for example, 我 wǒ could mean either 'I, me' or 'we, us'. There was no 3rd-person personal pronoun form that could be used in subject position, but the distal demonstrative 彼 bǐ 'that, those' and the anaphoric demonstrative 是 shì frequently take that role. (Dawson 1984, p. 36, n. 5).

The use of some nouns as pronoun-like terms is also attested. Common examples in texts are the humble 臣 chén 'servant' in the 1st person, and 子 zǐ 'son; master' in the 2nd person.

Ways to address "you" in 文言文 Classical Chinese

子 (zǐ): This is a respectful way to address someone who is equal or superior to the speaker, such as a friend, a teacher, or a ruler. For example, “子曰：學而時習之，不亦說乎？” (zǐ yuē: xué ér shí xí zhī, bù yì yuè hū?) This means "The Master said: Is it not a joy to learn and practice what one has learned in due time?"

君 (jūn): This is a way to address someone who is the lord, the king, or the sovereign of the speaker, such as a ruler or a feudal lord. For example, “君子不器。” (jūnzǐ bù qì.) This means "The gentleman is not a vessel."

汝 (rǔ): This is a way to address someone who is equal or inferior to the speaker, such as a friend, a servant, or a child. For example, “汝何故遲也？” (rǔ hé gù chí yě?) This means "Why are you late?"

公 (gōng): This is a way to address someone who is a noble, a prince, or a high-ranking official, such as a duke or a minister. For example, “公之於國也。” (gōng zhī yú guó yě.) This means "Your contribution to the state."

卿 (qīng): This is a way to address someone who is a close friend, a lover, or a subordinate, such as a general or a minister. For example, “卿可謂善吏乎？” (qīng kě wèi shàn lì hū?) This means "Can you be called a good official?"

爾 (ěr): This is a way to address someone who is equal or inferior to the speaker, such as a friend, a servant, or a child. For example, “爾其學之。” (ěr qí xué zhī.) This means "You should learn it."

汝曹 (rǔ cáo): This is a way to address a group of people who are equal or inferior to the speaker, such as friends, servants, or soldiers. For example, “汝曹聽我令。” (rǔ cáo tīng wǒ lìng.) This means “You all listen to my command.”

Interrogative Pronouns

Classical Chinese interrogative pronouns and adverbs are notably polysemic, many of them bearing multiple meanings.

Interrogative pronouns and adverbs, Pulleyblank 1995:91–97

Classical Chinese	Translation
誰 shéi	who
孰 shú	which
何 hé	what, why, how
何故 hégù	why, for what reason?
曷 hé	when, what
奚 xī, 胡 hú	where, how, why
安 ān, 焉 yān	where, how
盍 hé	why not
惡/烏 wū	where, in what

An example where this polysemy is exploited is found in a tale in the Zhuangzi, chapter 17. Zhuangzi is asked "how do you know this?" (with the interrogative 安 ān), but being unable to answer the question, intentionally misinterprets it as "where did you (get to) know this?". (https://web.archive.org/web/20220724025954/https://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/chin/LaoJuang/JoyOfFish.html)

Homework until Session 3

Please memorize the types of pronouns, the personal and interrogative pronouns in the two tables. We will later use them to create sentences according to classical Chinese grammar.

Past exam papers and feedback questionnaire

hand back exam papers from last semester, please read comments/corrections Clarify difficult points.

Teaching feedback questionnaire: classic 2023/24 SZ.

Session 2 FRI Mar 1, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III: VERBS

The next word class we need to learn in order to build sentences in classical Chinese is the (Latin) class of the verb. Here, we can differentiate different usages of the verbs.

While an English sentence can be divided into active voice or passive voice depending on the form of the verb within the sentence, the verbs in classical Chinese have several usages based on the relationship between the verb and the object. These are separated into yìdòng 意動 (original meaning), shǐdòng usage 使動, wèidòng usage 為動, and bèidòng 被動 "passive" usage. Moreover, a verb does not change its form at different situations, with the exception of the beidong usage of verbs. Within the examples shown below, the words located within parentheses do not appear in the original Chinese sentence.

Yidong usage (used in the original meaning)

In classical Chinese, it is common for nouns or adjectives to be used as verbs or adjectives, and most of these cases involve a yidong usage of verbs.

One peculiarity is that a word that is originally a verb does not share the same usage. In addition, there are slight differences in meaning between the noun and the adjective in the usage.

For a noun, it becomes an action done by the subject which indicates the subjects opinion about the object in the form "consider (object) as + (the noun)". 父利{其然也} fù lì {qí rán yě} [Zhongyong's] father profit {the thing} (that he be invited): The father considered the thing as profitable.

For an adjective, it becomes an observation in the form of "consider (object) (the adjective)". 漁人甚異之 yú rén shèn yì zhī, fish man very strange {the thing} (that there was a beautiful land): The fisherman considers the thing very strange.

Shidong usage

In this case, nouns, verbs and adjectives share usage, but with different meanings.

For a noun, it means "make ... + (the noun)". For instance:

• 先破秦入咸陽者王之

xiān pò qín rù Xiányáng zhě wàng zhī, first break Qin enter Xianyang (particle) king it: He who defeated Qin and entered Xianyang would be crowned.

Literal translation: (Fulfilling the agreement that) the person who defeated the Qin dynasty and entered Xianyang first, [people] would king him. (Note: Such scenarios are rare, though historical cases exist in ancient China. The translation of the sentence is rather controversial; the interpretation provided above represents the most widespread consensus.) cf. 書、書者

For a verb, it could mean "make... + do/done/to do", depending on the sentence. For instance:

• 泣孤舟之嫠婦

Literal translation: (The music was so sad that) cry the widow in a lonely boat; Semantic translation: (The music was so sad that it) made the widow in a lonely boat cry.

For an adjective, it means "make... + (the adjective)". For instance:

• 既來之，則安之

Literal translation: Since you have been here, then calm yourself here; Semantic translation: Since you have been here, make yourself calm here.

Weidong usage

The following examples demonstrate weidong usage of verbs. Such usage may occur:

• to express a motion that is based on a purpose. For instance:

等死死國可乎？

Literal translation: It's equally death (delay for work and protest the rule of the Qin dynasty), is die country an option?; Semantic translation: It's death in any case, is dying for the country an option?

• to express an action due to a particular reason. For instance:

便苦咳嗽

Literal translation: He suffer (v.) cough; Semantic translation: He suffered from a cough.

• to help the object do something. For instance:

自序其詩

Literal translation: Himself introduction his own poem; Semantic translation: He wrote the introduction to his own poem .

• to execute a motion to the object. For instance:

泣之三日

Literal translation: Cry it for three days; Semantic translation: Mourn over it for three days.

Verbal Phrases

Source: Alex Amies

In verbal sentences the comment has a verb. Verbs may be transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs take an object. For example, 知其 (knew it). Intransitive do not take an object. For example, 盗亡 (dào wáng the thief fled).

An adjective describes a quality or continuing state of an object and are sometimes classified as stative verbs because they can form predicates. For example, 山高 'the mountain is tall. However, adjectives are more commonly found in front of nouns as modifiers. For example, 富人 fù 'a rich person' (Rouzer 2007, p. 22).

Adjectives can also be made into transitive verbs by moving the subject to the object position. For example

王请大之

I plead with Your Majesty to make it large

王请大之

Text: A Rich Person in the Song Kingdom (Han Feizi)

宋有富人，天雨墙坏。

Sòng yǒu fùrén, tiān yǔ qiáng huài.

其子曰：不筑，必将有盗。

Qí zǐ yuē: bù zhù, bìjiāng yǒu dào.

其邻人父亦云。

Qí línrén fù yì yún.

暮而果大亡其财。 此夕盗至故亡也。

Mù ér guǒ dà wáng qí cái. Cǐ xī dào zhì gù wáng yě.

其家什知其子，而疑邻人父。

Qí jiāshi zhī qí zǐ, ér yí línrén fù. (Source: Han Feizi)

There was a rich person in the Song Kingdom whose wall broke after some rain.

The person said,"I will not rebuild it. There will inevitably be a thief."

His neighbor's father also agreed.

The sun set and, as a result, he lost a huge amount of his wealth. So that evening a thief plundered his home.

Other families who knew him suspected his neighbor's father.

This passage demonstrates a number of adjectives and verbs. In the first line the adjective 富 (rich) modifies the noun 人 (person). The very common transitive verb 有 (to have) indicates that the state of Song has a rich man. The object of 有 is 富人 (the rich man). The intransitve verb 亡 (to flee) is used in line 4. It was 盗 (the bandit) that fled.

Coordinate Verbs

Source: Alex Amies

Coordinate verbs can be used to form a sequence of actions. Verb coordination in classical Chinese usually implies that the first verb is an antecedent condition for the verb that follows. For example,

兔走触株

Tù zǒu chù zhū

A rabbit walked by and bumped into the tree stump.

If the rabbit was not walking (走) it would not have bumped (触) into the tree stump. Here is another example,

兔折颈而死

Tù zhé jǐng ér sǐ

The rabbit broke its neck and died.

The rabbit died (死) because it broke (折) its neck.

Text: Guarding a Tree Stump Waiting for a Rabbit (Han Feizi)

宋人有耕者，田中有株，兔走触株，折颈而死。

Sòng rén yǒu gēngzhě, tián zhōng yǒu zhū, tù zǒu chù zhū, zhé jǐng ér sǐ.

因檡其耒而守株，冀后得兔。

Yīn zhái qí lěi ér shǒu zhū, jì hòu de tù.

兔不可后得，而身为宋国笑。

Tù bùkě hòu de, ér shēnwéi sòng guó xiào.

今欲以先王之政治当世之民皆守株之类也。

Jīn yù yǐ xiānwáng zhī zhèngzhì dāngshì zhī mín jiē shǒu zhū zhīlèi yě.

A farmer plowing his field in the state of Song when a rabbit bumped into a tree stump and broke its neck and died.

He was reluctant to use his plow, preferring to guard the tree stump and wait for the next rabbit.

Of course, he did not catch a rabbit after that but did become the laughing stock of the state of Song.

Today, we desire to rule like the former kings did in their age but we still have many people who are watching the tree stump waiting for a rabbit.

This passage demonstrates the coverbs discussed above.

Verbs of Motion and Location: 来 lái (to come), 之 zhī/往 wǎng (to go), 行 xíng (to walk or to travel), 过 guò (to pass by) and 止 zhǐ (to stop)

Source: Alex Amies

Commonly encountered verbs to express motion are 来 lái (to come), 往 wǎng (to go), 行 xíng (to walk or to travel), and 止 zhǐ (to stop). These verbs do not need a destination. For example,

吴王曰，子来

Wú wáng yuē, zǐ lái

The King of Wu said, “Sir, please come [here].” (刘向 Liu Xiang, 79—8 BCE)

The location 'here' is implied but not stated. Some verbs describing movement are transitive and take a location as their object. The transitive verb 之 (to go) is used in this way. For example,

滕文公为世子，将之楚，过宋而见孟子。

Téng wén gōng wèi shìzǐ, jiāng zhī Chǔ, guò Sòng ér jiàn Mèngzǐ.

When the prince, afterwards duke Wen of Teng, had to go to Chu, he went by way of Song, and visited Mencius. (Mencius)

In this example, 楚 (the state of Chu) is the object of the verb 之.

The particle 于 is often associated with verbs of motion to refer to a destination.

Verbs of location: 居 jū (to reside) and 在 zài (to be at)

Source: Alex Amies

居 (to reside) and 在 (to be at) are commonly encountered verbs of location. The object of these transitive verbs indicates the location. For example

不知螳蜋在其后也

Bùzhī tángláng zài qí hòu yě

... does not know that there is a praying mantis behind him

其后 (behind him) is the object of the verb 在.

The Modifier 所

Source: Alex Amies

The term 所 can be used as a tool to change the emphasis in sentence constructions. 所 allows the writer to refer to a set of objects selected for their role as objects of verbs. For example, in the phrase

从其所契者入水

所 represents the place where it fell into the water. Although Fuller [FUL] refers to this use of 所 as a modifier and the character can play a variety of grammatical functions other sources refer to this particular use of 所 as a pronoun.

Nominalization of Verbs with 者 zhě

Source: Alex Amiens

Nominalization of a verb allows a writer to refer to the action of a verb as an object in itself. The most direct way to nominalize a verb is to make it the topic of a sentence. Another way is to make it the object of another verb. A third way is to use the nominalizing function word 者.

The simplest use of the nominalizing function word 者 is to add it at the end of a verb or verb phrase to refer to the person performing the action. For example, 知者 “one who knows.” (Rouzer 2007, p. 9)

For example, in the phrase

有涉江者

Yǒu shè jiāng zhě

Two possible translations:

there was someone who crossed the river

Alternative understanding by Mr. Alex: 者 is used to nominalize 涉江 (to cross the river) so that 涉江者 (a river crossing) becomes the object of the verb 有 (there was).

Text: A notch on the Side of a Boat to Find a Dropped Sword (Mr Lu's Annals)

楚人有涉江者，

Chǔ rén yǒu shè jiāng zhě,

There was a person from the state of Chu who crossed a river.

其剑自舟中坠于水。

Qí jiàn zì zhōu zhōng zhuì yú shuǐ.

His sword fell out of the boat into the water.

遽契其舟，曰是吾剑之所从坠。

Jù qì qí zhōu, yuē shì wú jiàn zhī suǒ cóng zhuì.

He quickly made a mark in boat and said, 'This is where my sword fell.'

舟止，从其所契者入水求之。

Zhōu zhǐ, cóng qí suǒ qì zhě rùshuǐ qiú zhī.

When the boat stopped moving, he went into the water to look for his sword at the place where he had marked the boat.

舟已行矣，而剑不行。

Zhōu yǐ xíng yǐ, ér jiàn bùxíng.

The boat had already moved, but the sword not.

求剑若此，不亦惑乎。

Qiú jiàn ruòcǐ, bù yì huò hū.

Is this not a very foolish way to look for a sword?

The passage was written by 吕不韦 Lü Buwei (-235 BCE), a merchant and politician in the state of Qin. The title 刻舟求剑 has now become a modern idiom meaning an action made pointless by changed circumstances.

Coverbs 与, 以, 自

Source: Alex Amies

A coverb describes an antecedent condition. 与， 以，and 自 are common coverbs. For example,

自舟中坠 fell from the boat

自 (to come from) acts as the coverb (modern Chinese: "preposition") and 坠 (to fall) is the main verb. The object of the coverb is 舟 (the boat).

Coverbs play the same role that prepositions do in modern Chinese and English. However, coverbs are different from prepositions. They are a kind of transitive verb. Coverbs take objects and can be modified by certain adverbs, such as 不. They describe an antecedent action, which is something to bring about the actions of the main verb. Some common coverbs are

从 to follow

为 wèi for, to take something for something, to act as, (here not the verb "to become" wéi)

以 to grasp / to use

A common pattern is 以 A 为 B [to take A to be B]

因 to rely on

因 can take an object but is sometimes used without an object at the beginning of a sentence. In this case the implication is that the situation described in the preceding text is relied upon.

由 to follow along

与 to give / to accompany

自 to come from

所 can be used to change the location of the object of the coverb, as described above.

Negations Nouns 非' fēi, 无 wú, 無 wú. Verbs 未 wèi ，不 bù，勿 wù, 莫 mò, 某 mǒu, 弗 fú=不+之 bù+zhī

Source: Alex Amies

Nouns are negated with 非, 无, 無. These negations can also be used for verbs.

A sentence like AB也 normally is negated with A非B, sometimes also with A非B也 (especially if A and/or B is not a noun) - see section regarding 非 beneath.

There are a number of different terms for negation in classical Chinese:

不 bù negates verbs. If a noun follows 不 it is modified to act as a verb. For example, in Han Feizi's story from below

吾矛之利，于物无不陷也。

Wú máo zhī lì, yú wù wúbù xiàn yě.

My spears are so sharp that there is nothing they cannot pierce through.

未 wèi indicates that an action has not yet occurred, although it still may occur at some time in the future.

无 wú is a verb that indicates something does not exist. 无 is the opposite of 有. For example,

This example sentence demonstrates that the different types of negation can come in handy with double negatives.

非 fēi negates the identity, i.e. A is not a B. 非 acts on nouns. For example, from the Analects 6.13 text above

非敢后也 Not having the courage to lag behind

弗 fú is a fusion character that combines 不 and 之 For example,

其人弗能应也

Qí rén fú néng yīng yě

The person could not respond.

勿 wù is a negative imperative — do not ...

莫 mò is a negative distributive, similar to neither, nothing, or none. 莫 mò is the opposite of 或 hùo. For example, again from Han Feizi's story about the shield and spear below.

Text: Spear and Shield (Han Feizi)

楚人有鬻盾与矛者，誉之曰吾盾之坚，物莫能陷也。

Chǔ rén yǒu yù dùn yǔ máo zhě, yù zhī yuē wú dùn zhī jiān, wù mò néng xiàn yě.

There was a man of the state of Chu who sold shields and spears. He bragged about his shields saying: “My shields are so hard that nothing can pierce through them.”

又誉其矛曰吾矛之利，于物无不陷也。

Yòu yù qí máo yuē wú máo zhī lì, yú wù wúbù xiàn yě.

He also bragged about his spears saying: “My spears are so sharp that there is nothing they cannot pierce through.”

或曰以子之矛陷子之盾，何如。

Huòyuē yǐ zǐ zhī máo xiàn zǐ zhī dùn, hérú.

其人弗能应也。

Qí rén fú néng yīng yě.

Someone said: “Sir, what would happen if people were to use your spears to pierce through your shields?’” The person could not respond.

夫不可陷之盾与无不陷之矛不可同世而立。

Fū bùkě xiàn zhī dùn yǔ wúbù xiàn zhī máo bùkě tóng shì érlì.

Obviously, shields that cannot be pierced by anything and spears that can pierce through anything cannot both exist at the same time.

Examples of negation:

雖寶非用。 Suī bǎo fēi yòng Even jewels have no use. 左思《三部賦序》 (From Zuo Si, Three Part Poetic Essay)

無衣無褐，何以來歲？Wú yī wú hè, héyǐ láisuì? Without clothes or hemp, how will we pass the years? 《詩經》 (From the Book of Songs)

Verbs can be negated with 未 wèi，不 bù，勿 wù，某 mǒu

However, direct objects can be placed after a negating word and before the verb, which can make this rule less obvious to recognize.

Pivot Verbs

Source: Alex Amies

A pivotal construction is one where a pivot joins two verbs by being the object of the first verb and the subject responsible for the action of the second verb. Certain verbs, including 令 (to lead to), 使 (to cause), and 劝 (to urge) are often found in these constructions. For example,

嚮者使汝狗白而往，黑而来，岂能无怪哉。

Turning to face him caused the dog to go away from him with white and towards him with black. How could you not blame it?

Here 使 [to cause] is the pivot verb and 汝狗 [him, the dog] is the pivot.

Auxiliary Verbs 能 can / able to, 可 can, 可以 can, 必 must, 应 ought to, 肯 agree to, 敢 dare to, 难 hard to

Source: Alex Amies

An auxiliary verb changes the sense of another verb, in particular, the possibility, probability, or desirability. For example,

岂能无怪哉。

How can you not blame it?

which uses the auxiliary verb 能 (can). The most frequenty encounterd auxiliary verbs are

能 can / able to

可 can

可以 can

必 must

应 ought to

肯 agree to

敢 dare to

难 hard to

An auxiliary verb accepts a main verb as its object. However, sometimes the main verb is omitted if it is obvious from the context.

Text: Yang Bu (Lie Zi)

杨朱之弟曰布。 衣素衣而出。

[释文云衣素衣之衣于旣切。 下衣缁衣同。 素衣之衣依字。]

天雨，解素衣。 衣缁衣而反。

其狗不知，应而吠之。

杨布怒将扑之。

杨朱曰子无扑矣。 子亦犹是也。

嚮者使汝狗白而往，黑而来，岂能无怪哉

Yang Zhu's younger brother declared that he would go out wearing undyed white clothes.

[Interpretation of the Classics says that clothes in “wear white clothes” is used for the sound. In the text below “wear black clothes” is the same. The text “White clothes” relies on this character.]

A rain shower cuts through the plain white clothes. The clothes become black instead.

The dog does not know any better but to greet him by barking.

Yang Bu angrily beats the it the dog.

Yang Zhu says to the master please do not beat the dog. It appears that the master will listen.

Turning to face him caused the dog to go away from him with white and towards him with black. How could you not blame it?

Text: The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Prestige (Strategies of the Warring States)

虎求百兽而食之，得狐。

狐曰子无敢食我也。

天帝使我长百兽，今子食我，是逆天帝命也。

子以我为不信，吾为子先行，子随我后，观百兽之见我而敢不走乎。

虎以为然，故遂与之行，兽见之皆走。

虎不知兽畏已而走也，以为畏狐也。

The tiger chases after all kinds of animals to eat and so happened to catch a fox.

The fox said, “Sir, you would not be so brave as to eat me.”

The Heavenly Emperor let me raise all types of animals. If Master eats me now you will be rebelling againts the order of the Emperor.

If you do not believe me, I will walk first and you follow behind. Observe how all animals see me and run away.

The tiger did as he said and walked with him. In each case, the animals fled.

The tiger di not know that the animals were afraid of himself but, instead thought that they were afraid of the fox.

The title of this section 狐假虎威 has become a modern Chinese idiom meaning to use powerful connections to intimidate people.

Recommendations for further reading

As an introduction to Classical Chinese for beginners, please decide which of the following links you want to follow, to read and then to introduce to the fellow students:

• https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-classical-chinese-is-for-everyone-no-seriously/

• https://www.outlier-linguistics.com/products/intro-literary-classical-chinese?rfsn=4170716.4415dd

(Please ignore the advertisement for their 16 session video course in Classical Chinese.)

• https://www.reddit.com/r/classicalchinese/?rdt=49690

(This is blog-like Reddit contents.)

• https://www.ultimatechinaguide.com/how-to-learn-classical-chinese-part-1/

• https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Classical_Chinese

This is an open text book for learning Chinese with a grammar part and a text part. We will use the grammar part for some basic understanding of

1. Pronouns,
2. Particles,
3. Nouns,
4. Adjectives,
5. Adverbs,
6. Verbs

Although we will need to correct some of its translations (子、君、...), since they are not fully accurate, it is helpful for learning.

• Video Introductions:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6x4l3LW3fU
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Nf4davZWo
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlPUaKGu-Oc

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1MX4y1n7fF/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click&vd_source=55485085dc7182aa31aa0e7478de747b

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Mu411E7Mw/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.1&vd_source=55485085dc7182aa31aa0e7478de747b

这个有500多集，b站也不全。讲的也不错。都是古代的文学作品的讲解。有字幕

https://www.163.com/dy/article/IHUF2S3Q0552OQUI.html

https://www.xuboke.cn/p/301.html

https://www.thn21.com/wen/yufa/

Introductions

• Classical Chinese 2023 文言文，包括基本的概要 with a general introduction into classical Chinese
• Examples of classical Chinese poetry with modern Chinese translation Critical Overview of Chinese Literature 2023 例子：蘇東坡之賦

Tools

• Fulltext & English translation of Lunyu: http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/analects.html, of Liji: https://ctext.org/liji
• Wenyanwen Zidian: https://wyw.hwxnet.com/

Session 3 FRI Mar 22, 8:00-9:30 s. 400 SIN III

Repetition and extension of the personal pronouns and interrogative pronouns (see above).

Repetition of the verbs.

Basic grammar rules: Word order

The grammar of Classical Chinese, in many aspects, is close to English/Polish etc.:

• The subject precedes the verb: 朋來 péng lái 'friend(s) come'
• The object comes after the verb: 習之 xí zhī 'practice it'
• Adjectives used attributively precede nouns: 遠方 yuǎn fāng distant place

However, there are notable differences:

• Chinese does not inflect for tense or number. In this example,
  • 子曰 has no explicit tense: it could be 'Confucius says' or 'Confucius said', or even "The Master said".
  • 有朋自遠方來 has no explicit number: it could be 'Friends have come from distant places' or 'A friend has come from a distant place'
• Questions are formed by adding a marker at the end (usually it's 乎 hū, but other markers also exist)
• No linking verb is used with adjectives: 說乎 yuè hū 'is it pleasant?'; 遠方 yuǎn fāng 'distant place'
  • In fact, Chinese adjectives are close to verbs 說 yuè 'pleasant, 遠 yuǎn 'distant'. As you will see, adjectives and verbs share many similar features, including the fact that they both can be negated with 不 bù, unlike nouns.

If you looked up words in the dictionary, you may have noticed that sometimes part of speech marked there doesn't match that in the dictionary:

• 君子 jūn zǐ is given as the noun ('noble man'), not as an adjective ('noble', 'like a noble man should act')

It is because of a process called conversion: one part of speech can become another one. This process can also occur in English: "I love her" (a verb) versus "my love" (a noun).

Session 4 FRI Mar 22, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III and Start of Repetition of Session 5 FRI Apr 5, 8:9:30 s. 400 SN III

C3 Mar 29

Mar 28 - Apr 2: Easter Holiday in Poland

The particle 也 yě to express A is B

English sentence of the type: A is B (A was B, etc.), where A and B are nouns, is rendered in Classical Chinese this way: AB也

Note that 也 (yě) is a particle, not a verb like and English is. (Were it verb, it would have been placed between A and B).

Construction «AB也» is used if A is always B in any case. So, for example, you can say «I am a man» — «吾人也», but not 吾臣也* wú chén yě* «I'm a minister»*, because it´s something that can be taken from you.

Alex Amies adds:

A nominal sentence has the form A B 也, which is a statement that A is a type of B. For example,

生而知之者，上也 Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. (Source: 论语. The topic of this sentence is 生而知之者.)

In nominal sentences in classical Chinese, depending on the period and author, there is often no copula, like 'is' in English or 是 in modern Chinese. The copula is nearly entirely missing in early classical Chinese texts and more commonly encountered in later texts. In later texts 也 as a final particle also becomes less common.

The negative form for this type of sentence is usually A 非 B 也 (see negations).

Negation with 非 (for all negations see respective section above)

Negative Copula 非 fēi. In this case 也 yě can be omitted:

子 非 我 zǐ fēi wǒ

The master is not me.

However, it does not have to be omitted, especially if it is not just a nominal phrase (A非B), as Alex Amies adds:

非敢后也

I did not have the courage to lag behind

also from the Analects. The unstated but implied ("omitted") subject in this example is I.

But what to do, if something can be taken from you, like the title of a minister? Here 為 wéi is the alternative.

The verb 為

In the case something can be taken from you, like the title of a minister, the verb 為 wéi is used instead of 也 ye, and it is a verb, not a particle (therefore it´s put between two nouns, line in English): A為B

For example, «吾為臣» wú wéi chén — «I´m a minister».

Note that 為 (wéi) doesn´t change its forms like English verb does (am, is, are, be).

Please note the two different pronounciations of 為: wéi do, serve as, be, become. wèi for, on account of

Further Particles: Interrogative pronoun 乎 hū, (乎也/也乎->与 yǔ, 乎也/也乎->邪 xié)

Source: Alex Amies

In very early classical texts, such as Zuozhuan 左传 the interrogative particle 乎 hū was added after 也 to form questions. Later, the combination 乎也 was replaced by 与 or 邪. For example,

夫非尽人之子与

Are we not all somebody's son?

from Mencius 孟子 and

其正色邪

Is this its true color?

from Zhuang Zi 庄子.

Particle 夫 fū is it not?

Source: Alex Amies

The final particle 夫 means is it not? and is used in a similar way to the modern particle 吧. For example,

然而至此极者，命也夫

Thus I have arrived at this eventuality. Is it not fate? (Source: Zhuangzi 庄子)

Pronouns 此 cǐ, 斯 sī, 是 shì as particles

Source: Alex Amies

A pronoun can be substituted for a noun when using a nominal predicate. Commonly encountered pronouns are 此, 斯, and 是. For example,

此文王之勇也 (勇 yǒng) This was King Wen's bravery.

是亦走也 (亦 yì) This is also running away.

both from Mencius. In high classical Chinese 是 was a pronoun rather than a verb as it is in modern Chinese. It aquired this function in the Han Dynasty.

Pronoun 皆 jiē

Source: Alex Amies

The pronoun 皆 is used when the subject is plural. For example,

五蕴皆空 (蕴 F蘊 yùn to contain, to hold in storage)

all five skandhas are empty

from the Heart Sutra.

Active and passive

To make an active verb passiv, you often just need to name the agens with the praeposition 於 yú, e.g.:

Active:

勞 心 者 治 人

láo xīn zhě zhì rén

Who engages with the heart, rules over others.

Passive:

勞 力 者 治 於 人

láo lì zhě zhì yú rén

Who engages with force, is ruled by others.

In rare cases, various passive morphemes such as 見 jiàn (actually: "to see") or 被 bèi are also used to express the passive voice: 盆成括見殺 Pénchéng Kuò jiàn shā - "Pencheng Kuo was killed" (殺 shā - "to kill").

The following part of this section on passive: Source: Alex Amies.

In an active construction an agent of an action is in the subject position and followed by a transitive verb and another noun in the object position. For example, from the passage above

宋人得兔

Sòng rén de tù

The man from Song caught a rabbit.

In this example 宋人 'the man from Song' is the subject, 得 'to obtain' is the verb, and 兔 'rabbit' is the object. In a passive construction the object of the verb is placed before the verb (Rouzer 2007, p. 22). For example, from Mencius

师行而粮食

Shī xíng ér liángshi

The host proceded and provisions were eaten.

Here the object 粮 'provisions' appears before the verb 食 (to eat). An active verb can be changed into a passive construction to change the emphasis of a sentence. For example, from the Han Feizi text above:

而身为宋国笑

Ér shēn wéi Sòngguó xiào

and that person became the laughing stock of the state of Song

Here the term 为 is used to create the passive construction. It placed emphasis on that person (身) rather than simply saying that the people in the state of Song laughed at him. The verb in this sentence is 笑 (to laugh). The object 身 (person) appears before the subject 宋国 (the state of Song). 为 is called a copula, similar to is in English.

The use of 可 can also create a passive construction. In the construction

兔不可后得

Tù bùkě hòu de

Of course, he never caught another rabbit

可 is used to emphasize the fact that another rabbit could not possibly be caught that way rather than just saying that he the farmer did not catch any more rabbits. Here 兔 (rabbit) is the object for the verb 得 (to obtain). The coverb 于 can also be used in an analogous way to create a passive construction. For example, from Mencius,

劳力者治于人

Láolì zhě zhì yú rén

Those who do manual labor are governed by other people.

In this example the verb is 治 (to govern), which acts on the object 劳力者 (those who do manual labor). The subject 人 (other people) appears last in the sentence.

Session 6 FRI Apr 5, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III

Apr 4-6 is Qingming holiday in China, the Chinese students make up for the missed classes on Sun (!) Apr 7 and 28.

C4 Apr 12, C5 Apr 19

Some basic grammatical rules, from: Alex Amies, Chinese Notes

Source: https://chinesenotes.com/classical_chinese.html (CC Licence)

Basic Grammatical Principles

word classes

As pointed out by Rouzer (2007, p. 8) parts of speech, such as noun, verb, and so on, are useful but you should bear in mind that words are used flexibly in literary Chinese. Also, the flexible use of some words in some contexts does not mean that there is no grammar and that any word can be used in any grammatical context. The notes here are intended to be helpful but please do not take them as strict rules.

The general rules of word order are

1. subject precedes predicate
2. a modifier precedes the word it modifies
3. a verb precedes its object
4. Words can shift grammatical function in classical Chinese within certain patterns. Here are a few constant rules to help distinguish grammatical function.

The topic is often omitted when it is understood.

A verbal construction must follow 所.

之 is often used to mark subordination. Placing it between the subject and verb of a subject-predicate phrase turns it into a nominal phrase.

Most words that we think of as adjectives in English can act as static verbs. That is verbs that describe state.

Core constituent order

The usual order of core constituents in Classical Chinese is subject, verb, and direct object (SVO). (Barnes, Starr, Ormerod 2009:5, Peyraube 2008:997).

吾 有 大 樹

wú yǒu dà shù

I have big tree

"I have a large tree." (Zhuangzi 1.6)

Important exceptions to this basic order exist (Pulleyblank 1995:14). When a verb is negated, a personal pronoun serving as the direct object is placed between the negative particle and the verb, leading to OV order. (Barnes, Starr, Ormerod 2009:12).

我 未 之 見 也

wǒ wèi zhī jiàn yě

1 {not yet/never} 3 see STV

"I've never seen him." (Analects of Confucius 4.6)

Interrogative pronouns similarly generally precede the verb when they're the direct object.

之 二 蟲 又 何 知？

zhī ér chóng yòu hé zhī?

DEM two bug {in addition} what know

"What should these two bugs know in addition?" (Zhuangzi 1.1)

Exclamatory sentences, often but not necessarily marked with 哉 zāi, can optionally invert the order of the predicate's verbal phrase and the subject, leaving the subject afterwards. (Peyraube 2008:1006, Pulleyblank 1995:147).

賢 哉 回 也！

xián zāi Huí yě

sage EXCLAM Hui TOP

"Hui is a sage!" (Analects of Confucius 6.11)

惡 在 其 為 民 父 母 也！

wū zài qí wéi mín fù mǔ yě

{in what} {be in} 3.POSS be people father mother TOP

"Where is his being the father and mother of the People?!" (Mencius 1B.4)

In the latter example, the predicate's verbal phrase is 惡在 wū zài "to be/lie where", while the following words (until 也 yě) are the subject.

When the topic-and-comment construction is used, the topic phrase (which expresses what a sentence "is about": "Regarding this person...", "As for this thing...") goes at the front (start) of the sentence, often but not always marked with a topic particle, alternatively repeated by a resumptive pronoun.

夫 孝， 德 之 本 也

fú xiào, dé zhī běn yě

TOP {filial piety}, virtue POSS origin STV

"Regarding filial piety, it is the origin of moral character." (Classic of Filial Piety 1)

人 之 所 教， 我 亦 教 之

rén zhī suǒ jiāo, wǒ yì jiāo zhī

person POSS REL.PASS declare, 1 also declare 3

"What others profess, I will also profess (it)." (Tao Te Ching 42)

Copular sentences

Classical Chinese typically does not use a copula verb to express positive nominal predication ("X is a/the Y"). Instead, it places two noun phrases (one of which could be a pronoun) followed by a final particle, usually 也 yě. (Pulleyblank 1995:16). The particle can be omitted but rarely is.(Pulleyblank 1995:18-19).

滕 小 國 也

Téng xiǎo guó yě

Teng small state STV

"The state of Teng is a minor state." (Mencius 1B.13)

天 之 生， 是 使 獨 也

tiān zhī shēng, shì shǐ dú yě

Heaven POSS {give life}, this CAUS one-footed STV

"Heaven giving [me] life, this is what made [me] one-footed." (Zhuangzi 3.13)

It is the above kind of sentence, with 是 shì serving to repeat the topic as a resumptive pronoun, that later led to the use of 是 shì as a copula (already in texts of the early Han dynastyTemplate:Sfn).

However, Classical Chinese did not lack copula verbs, as it not only had the negative copula 非 fēi (used to express "X is not Y"), but also the positive 為 wéi. (Pulleyblank 1995:20-21). The final particle is commonly optional when these verbs are used.

子 非 我

zǐ fēi wǒ

2 {not be} 1

"You are not me." (Zhuangzi 17.7)

道 可 道， 非 常 道

dào kě dào, fēi cháng dào

way {can be} speak, {not be} common/constant way

"If the Way can be stated, it is not the constant way." (Tao Te Ching 1, transmitted version)

道 可 道 也， 非 恆 道 也

dào kě dào yě, fēi héng dào yě

way {can be} speak TOP, {not be} eternal way STV

"If the Way can be stated, it is not the eternal way." (Tao Te Ching 1, unearthed versions)

天 也， 非 人 也

tiān yě, fēi rén yě

Heaven STV, {not be} person STV

"It was Heaven, not someone." (Zhuangzi 3.13)

子 為 誰？

zǐ wéi shéi?

2 be who?

"Who are you?" (Analects of Confucius 18.6)

Grammatical Relationships

There are five types of grammatical relationships: topic-comment, verb-object, coordination, subordination, and number complement.

Topic-Comment

This is a variation of the subject-predicate relation but a little more broad. The topic is the focus of the phrase and most often is placed first. The comment is a statement about the topic. The simplest type of topic-comment phrase is a nominal sentence that identifies one noun with another. Nominal sentences with the pattern A B 也 most frequently mean A is a B or A is a type of B. A 猶 B 也 (A is like B) is another form of nominal sentence.

Topicalization is the transfer of the usual order of a sentence to change the element that is being stressed. This is an important tool in classical Chinese rhetoric. For example, from Zhuang Zi 莊子,

臣之所好者道也

What I, your servant, like is The Way.

Topicalization is one type of a broader movement of sentence elements to the front called exposure. Exposure is often used for rhetorical emphasis or to mark a contrast.

Verb-Object

The simplest case of a verb-object is a verb and a direct object. For example, 飲酒 (to drink wine). Sometimes the object of a verb is another verb. For example, 使歸 (to cause to return).

Time and place information usually expressed through prepositional phrases in English and modern Chinese are expressed using verb-object relations in classical Chinese. The time and place words are locative objects of verbs. For example, 居山中 (to live in the mountains). Sometimes the locative particle 於 will be used. However, some references classify 於 as a preposition in the context of literary Chinese.

Auxiliary verbs are used in a similar way to modern Chinese. Frequently used auxiliary verbs are 應， 能， 必， 肯， 須. For example, 應歸 (should return).

Coordinate Relationships

In a coordinate relationship two terms of the same type are used together. The elements may be nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or phrases. The conjunctions 與， 且， 而， 或， and 將 are frequently used to join terms in a coordinate relationship. However, conjunctions are also often omitted.

Subordinate Relations

In a subordinate relation the first element modifies the second. The first element is the modifier and the second element is called the head. For example, 青草 green (modifier ) grass (head). The elements of a subordinate relation can be nouns, verbs, or phrases.

之 is a marker for explicit subordination to a noun. It turns a verbal phrase into a nominal phrase. For example, 日出之陽 (the sun at sunrise, from 說苑 Garden of Stories).

Number Complements

A number complement relation has the form (number) + (measure). Here the measure is a noun that is a measure of some kind of quantity. For example, 二人 (two people). Measure words, as found in modern Chinese, originated from this form.

Punctuation

Punctuation in classical Chinese has mostly been added at a later date to make reading easier. In particular, question marks, quotation marks, and semi-colons were not used at all in literary Chinese. Some literary Chinese text used no punctation at all, making it very difficult for modern readers. Some texts used periods in place of both periods and modern commas. This web page uses basic periods and commas in order to make text a little more readable but avoids more modern additions like question marks, quotation marks, and semi-colons.

Basic Sentences

Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klassisches_Chinesisch

Adverbial clauses Para- and hypotactic relationships between sentences can remain unmarked in classical Chinese:

不奪不饜, bù duó bù yàn - "If they do not rob, they are not satiated.", literally "(they) do not rob - (they) are not to be satiated"[19] However, there are also various methods of marking such relationships. One very common possibility is to use the conjunction 而, ér, which can also give sentences an adverbial function in addition to a purely coordinating function:

坐而言, zuò ér yán - "He spoke as he sat." (坐, zuò - "to sit"; 言, yán - "to speak")[20] From 而, ér subordinate clause main clause 鳴 鼓 而 攻 之 míng gǔ ér gōng zhī sound the drum then attack him "Attack him while beating the drum."[21] Conditional clauses are particularly often marked by introducing the following main clause with the conjunction 則, zé - "then":

不 仁 則 民 不 至 bù rén zé mín bù zhì do not be human then people do not come here "If one does not act humanely, the people will not come."[22] Complement clauses Complement clauses have different forms in classical Chinese depending on the embedding verb. After verbs such as 欲, yù "to want" and 知, zhī "to know", there are nominalized verbs (see section "Nominal phrases"), often with the aspect particle 也, yě:

Main clause Nominalized clause 欲 其 子 之 齊 語 也 yù qí zǐ zhī qí yǔ yě want his (attributive pronoun) son (attributive marker) qi speak (aspect particle)

"He wants his son to speak in the manner of qi."[23] After other verbs, including 令, lìng "to command", the subject of the embedded clause appears as the object of the parent verb. This construction is also known as pivot construction:

Main clause Subject of the embedded clause Complement clause 王 令 之 勿 攻 市丘 wáng lìng zhī wù gōng Shìqiū King command them not to attack them (object pronoun) Shiqiu "The king ordered them not to attack Shiqiu."[24] Some verbs such as 可, kě "to be possible" embed clauses from which an object noun phrase coreferent with the subject of the parent verb is extracted, with preposition stranding occurring as with nominal phrases with 所, suǒ (see section "Nominal phrases").

Main clause Complement clause 其 愚 不 可 及 也 qí (attributive pronoun) yú bù kě jí yě its stupidity cannot be achieved (aspect particle) "Its stupidity cannot be achieved."[25] Main clause Complement clause stranded preposition embedded verb phrase 不 可 與 救 危 國 bù kě yǔ jiù wēi guó not be possible with save endanger his kingdom "It is not possible to save an endangered kingdom with him."[26] Nominal phrases In noun phrases, the head is always at the end, attributes can be marked by 之, zhī, which is placed between the head and the attribute:

王 之 諸 臣 Wáng zhī zhū chén King's particles the various ministers "the king's various ministers"[27] In noun phrases that do not have an overt head, the morpheme 者, zhě is used instead of 之, zhī:

三 家 者 sān jiā zhě three family particles "the (members) of the Three Families"[28] Verbs can be nominalized by realizing their subject as an attribute and them as the head of a noun phrase:

王來, wáng lái - "the king is coming" > 王之來, wáng zhī lái - "the coming on the part of the king; the fact that the king is coming" (王, wáng - "king"; 來, lái - "coming") Conversely, the predicate can also be used as an attribute, resulting in constructions that correspond to relative clauses in their function:

王來, wáng lái - "the king is coming" > 來之王, lái zhī wáng - "the coming king" (more literally: "the king of coming") 者, zhě can then also be used in the same functions:

來者, lái zhě - "the one who is coming" 知 者 不 言 zhī zhě bù yán knowing particles do not speak "he who knows does not speak"[29] Relative clauses whose external reference word is coindexed with an object of a verb or a coverb embedded in the relative clause can be formed with the particle 所, suǒ. (for the syntax of this quotation, see the section Nominal predicates):

所 得 非 所 求 也 suǒ dé fēi suǒ qiú yě Particles do not get Particles look for aspect particles "what (one) got" "what (one) looked for" "What (one) got is not what (one) was looking for."[30] With the exception of 於, yú, prepositions come directly after 所, suǒ if their complement is extracted. The agent of the embedded verb can be placed as an attribute before the 所, suǒ phrase.

亂 之 所 自 起 luàn zhī suǒ zì qǐ Disorder attributive particle Particle of stand up "where the disorder comes from"[31]

Textbook: Classical Chinese for Everyone, van Norden 2004

https://web.archive.org/web/20230308061041/http://facultysites.vassar.edu/brvannor/ClassicalChineseEveryone.pdf

Textbook: Robert Eno 2010 - Wenyanwen

Source: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/items/d8be574e-1ffe-40b0-ab5c-7cf224ba318f

1.1 The equational sentence (X=Y)

仁人心也

This sentence type represents the most basic form of wényánwén [hereafter, WYW] nominal sentence. It is called “equational” because the basic structure of the sentence links two nouns or noun phrases X and Y in such a way as to convey the information that:

X=Y

In English, we handle this type of structure through use of the “copula” (the verb ‘to be’): “X is Y,” and MC uses an identical structure: “X shì 是 Y.” But WYW does not possess a verb analogous to these copulas. Instead, the equational sentence employs no verb, but signals the juxtaposition of two noun phrases by appending the particle 也. Thus,

X Y 也

functions identically with,

X is Y

although 也 does not function as a verb or as a copula. It merely signifies the type of relationship between the two nouns or noun phrases in the sentence.

1.2 Adjunct + Root ( A+R ) phrases (Noun + Noun type)

人心

This compound, “the mind of a human being,” juxtaposes two nouns without further grammatical indicators to create a complex noun (in English, the phrase “person mind” would be confusing; we require Adj + Noun: “human mind”). Word order alone must establish that the first noun is “subordinate to”, or “modifies,” the second. This is a very common type of phrase.

In structures of this kind, the second element is grammatically indispensable, while the first element is not. Thus, in speaking of rén-xin, we are essentially referring to a type of xin, not a type of rén. For this reason, the second element is referred to as the “Root [R],” while the first element will be called an “Adjunct [A].” In an A+R phrase that consists of two nouns, we may think of the phrase in two ways. We may either consider it a case of an ellipsed (omitted) zhi 之 (in this case, picturing 人 心 as a compression of 人之心) or consider that the juxtaposition of the two nouns treats the first in an adjectival sense (人, “human being,” being used as an adjective, “human”). It is, of course, common, to find A+R phrases that are composed of an adjective preceding a noun, as in English or MC. 1.3 Ellipsed subjects 舍其路而弗由 In WYW, it is far more common to construct sentences without explicit subjects than in English, or even than in MC. In such cases, we say the subject is “ellipsed” (“ellipse” means “omit”). In the sentence above, we need to ask what the qí refers to. The only antecedent subjects available are rén 仁 and yì 義, and neither of these candidates will serve the sentence well. In fact, here qí 其 seems to be resuming the modifier of lù 路, that is, rén 人. The ellipsed subject is also rén 人, even though it has not previously served as a subject in this passage – we must infer it from context. Thus the fully explicated sentence phrase would read: 人 舍 人 之 路

|_| |_| |________|
S V O

Most of the time, the identity of ellipsed subjects is obvious (that’s why they can be ellipsed). But if you are having trouble understanding a sentence or phrase, check to see whether you may not have presumed the wrong subject. 1.4 Juxtaposed Root-words (R+R) 雞犬 This phrase, which is actually a binome, exemplifies a unique feature (well, at least a neat feature) of WYW. Although it is composed of two juxtaposed nouns, and so resembles an A+R phrase (as in 1.2 above), it is not. In this structure, the juxtaposed nouns are more tightly bound together and there is no modifying adjunct. Rather, the two words are combined in order to point towards a third concept. The structure may be best conveyed through further illustration: 牛馬 níumă: [cow + horse =] livestock 山水 shanshǔi: [mountain + water =] landscape 干戈 gange: [spear + halberd =] warfare R+R binomes may also be composed of words other than nouns:

大小 dàxǐao: [big + small =] size 來往 láiwăng: [come + go =] movements We will see later that the tendency in WYW to build meaning on the basis of symmetry in rhetoric extends beyond the level of the word. We will find structures of the R+R type at the levels of complex phrases and sentences. 1.5 “If... then...” sentences with zé 則 Zé is a complex word with a variety of functions as a syntactical marker (it also has meanings as a noun and verb that we will not address here). At this point, we treat only its most common function: as a marker of an “if... then...” sentence. There are a number of potential markers for “if” that may be placed at the start of an “if... then...” sentence. We will encounter some of these, but most often, they are ellipsed. When that is the case, only zé remains as a syntactical marker of the hypothetical structure. Thus, it would be correct to represent the basic pattern of an “if... then...” sentence as: Phrase1 則 Phrase2 We will discover later that even zé may be ellipsed, creating a situation where the syntax must be understood solely through devices such as parallelism, symmetry, or rhetorical balance (as in cases in English such as, “No shirt, no shoes, no service!”). 1.6 Parsimony in grammar and context-driven readings 學問之道無他求其放心而已矣 The closing sentence of this passage reflects the basic fact, apparent at almost all points, that WYW is generally very spare in providing explicit grammatical markers. The sentence consists of three phrases and a sentence-suffix bound form at the end: Basic meaning • 學問之道 the dao of learning • 無他 is no other • 求其放心 seek [its] loosed heart-mind • 而已矣 that is all But there are a number of ways in which these elements may be joined to make a meaningful sentence. The reader is expected to use the constraints supplied by context to find the sole, coherent reading for this case. The sentence may be partially analyzed as follows: 學問之道 無他 求其放心 而已矣

|________| |____| |________|
S Predicate1 Predicate2 

2.1 The particle zhĕ 者 Zhĕ is a very common particle in WYW. It is always a nominalizer – it is bound to the word or phrase that precedes it and either reinforces its nominal character or transforms it into a noun. Zhĕ may generally be considered a short form of one of three phrases:

之人 zhi rén 之物 zhi wù [wù: thing, affair] 之事 zhi shì [shì: affair, situation, case] (Additional possibilities might include 之時 zhi shí [shí 時: time; season], 之處 zhi chù [chù 處: place, location]; the three general formulas should be viewed flexibly.) Any phrase that ends with 者 is a noun phrase. For example, in this passage, we encounter the noun-phrase: 惑之甚者 If we replace 者 with the phrase zhi shì, 之事 we can read the phrase as: 惑之甚 之 事 |_____| |__| |__|

A + R

(adjunct) (root) Now the Root of the phrase is revealed to be shì 事: “a case,” and hùo zhi shèn is the adjunct modifying clause describing the type of case referred to: “a case of utmost confusion.” (See 2.4 below for further analysis of this phrase.) Zhĕ is redundant after phrases that are already clearly marked as nouns (as in the case of 天爵者, since 爵 is principally employed as a noun), but such usage is nevertheless frequent and rhetorically acceptable. 2.2 Topics and subjects 公卿大夫 此 人爵也 |________| |__| |______|

Topic S Predicate

|___________| In this sentence, the core element is the second phrase, which in itself constitutes a complete sentence: “These are the offices of man.” In this smaller sentence, the subject is cǐ 此: “these,” and the predicate [what is said about the subject] is rénjué 人爵. What, then, is the grammatical status of the first four characters? This initial phrase is called a “topic.” In this full sentence, the topic serves as an antecedent specifying the reference of the pronoun 此. A literal translation of the entire sentence might be:

“Duke, high minister, grandee: these are the offices of man.” Topics are not subjects – they are best thought of as introductory adjunct clauses that have the effect of saying, “Here’s what the upcoming sentence has in mind as the background topic upon which it will comment.” In the case of the sentence we have been considering, the topic is, in fact, identical to the subject (此 simply “resumes” the topic and fixes it in the subject position). But consider the following very similar sentence: 公卿大夫人善之矣 “Duke, high minister, grandee: people consider these [ranks] to be good.” Here, the identical topic is not equivalent to the subject of the sentence, it is, instead, equivalent to the object of the verb shàn 善 (represented in the sentence by 之). The subject of this sentence is rén 人; gong qing dà-fu 公卿大夫 is resumed by zhi 之. 公卿大夫 人 善之 矣 |________| |__| |____| Topic S V-O [O=Topic] |______________| In WYW, it is extremely common for sentences to begin with topics, and one very productive way to approach a sentence which you find difficult to read is to ask whether you may not be mistaking the topic for the subject. (This is most useful in topic-sentences with ellipsed subjects.) 2.3 The coverb yǐ 以 A “coverb” is a verbal element that cannot stand alone and must be an adjunct to another verb; the coverb binds a modifying phrase to the main verb. The word 以 can function as an independent verb, “to take, to use”; from this root meaning the word developed a set of usage patterns that are more appropriately considered “coverbal.” The three most common coverbal senses of 以 are: modern equivalent by means of 用 in order to 來 on account of 因為 Consider the following sentence, which shows the link between 以 as a full verb and as a coverb: 王以犬求卿

wáng yǐ quán qíu qing

Let the prior context indicate that the qing 卿 in question is a minister who is, for some reason, hiding from the king. This sentence may be translated by taking 以 as a full verb: “The king took a hound and sought the high minister.” However, this fails to convey the point that the king was, apparently, using the hound as a means of finding the minister. It would be more accurate to translate the sentence: “The king sought the high minister with a hound.” Here, 以 is rendered in English by a prepositional phrase (“with a hound”); it is no longer a full verb. N.B.: Let the context for this same sentence be that the minister had coldbloodedly killed the king’s favorite hound and then sought to escape. In such a context, the sense of 以 as “on account of” might be more appropriate:

“The king sought the high minister on account of [his killing] a hound.”

Though coverbs most often precede the main verb, this is not invariably so. They may follow, and when they do, it often reflects a different semantic emphasis (though again, not invariably; context is more significant). For example, in any of its possible senses, our sentence about the minister and the hound could be framed thus: 王求卿以犬 In placing 以 after the main verb, we can expect that the stress is less on the search than on the means of the search or its cause. For example, rather than, “The king sought the high minister on account of the hound,” we might render the sentence, “It was on account of the hound that the king sought the minister.” But again, context would be a more important factor than word order in determining our reading. 2.4 Partitive zhi 之 The particle 之 is chiefly used to create noun phrases. One of the most common forms in which 之 is used is: X 之 Y which routinely means, “The Y of [belonging to; characteristic of] X.” However, when the particle 者 is appended to this structure, the grammar is different. The phrase X 之 Y 者

generally means, “Those of X that are Y,” or “That portion of X that is Y.” That is to say, the pattern is used to denote a particular part of a greater whole, hence the term “partitive zhi.” To illustrate:

X that are Y Oxen that are big
(X 之 Y 者) (牛之大者)

In this text, we encounter the partitive in the phrase: 惑之甚者 “utmost confusion,” or “the extreme of confusion.” This pictures hùo 惑 as a body of confusion, and picks out a sub-portion of that body: confusion of an extreme nature. Note that whereas in the “X 之Y” structure, the Root is noun Y, which is modified by noun X, in the partitive the root noun is X rather than Y (contrast “the Y of X” in the first case, with the partitive sense, “that X which is Y). For example: 王之惑 The king’s confusion. (惑/confusion is the Root word) 王之惑者 Those kings who are confused. (王/those kings is the Root word) Moreover, while “X zhi Y” links two nouns, the partitive basically links a root noun to a modifying phrase that is basically verbal (or adjectival), but nominalized by zhĕ. The partitive 之 is common, but is sometimes difficult to recognize because the Y-phrase may be a complex verbal phrase, whose length masks its relationship to the 之, and, in such cases, the 者 is often ellipsed.

3.1 The conjunction yŭ 與 Yŭ is most generally, and correctly, explained as the conjunction equivalent to “and” when two nouns or noun phrases are linked. For example: 翟黃與任座魏文侯臣也。 Zhai Huang and Ren Zuo were ministers of Marquis Wen of Wei. Here, yŭ simply links two nouns in parallel to create a complex subject. However, yŭ frequently is better translated as “together with,” as in the opening phrase of the text of this lesson: 魏文侯與士大夫坐。 Marquis Wen of Wei was sitting together with his knights and grandees. The distinction is that in this sentence, the phrase yŭ shì dàfu is adverbial. It described the “manner” in which the Marquis sat; it is not part of a complex subject (that is, the sentence is not to be read, “Marquis Wen of Wei and his knights and grandees were sitting”). The subject is not a compound of the Marquis and his courtiers; the subject is simply the Marquis. Thus when a phrase including yŭ precedes a verb it is always necessary to be sensitive to whether the subject of the verb includes both elements linked by yŭ or only the first. 3.2 The interrogative hé 何 Hé is the most common question word in WYW. Its meaning is very flexible, according to context and the verb or coverb with which it is paired. Syntactically, 何 most often occurs as the object of a verb, or modifies the object of a verb. However, in general, 何 precedes the verb or coverb of which it is an object – that is, it is “preposed.” Hé may also serve as an adverb, modifying a verb (e.g., “how was this verb-ed?”). In this selection, 何 occurs in two contexts: 何如君: “in what manner [do I] perform [the role of] ruler?” Here, 何 is best taken as adverbial, modifying rú (to perform) or, perhaps better, modifying a binomial verb phrase, rú jun (to act as a ruler). In the second instance,

子何以言之: “why do you say it?” 何 serves as the object of the coverb yǐ 以, “on account of” (thus, “on account of what do you say it?”). 3.3 Sentence adjuncts “Sentence adjunct” is a handy jargon term to denote a very common feature of WYW. Many sentences begin with a type of “stage setting” phrase, which, like a “topic” at the start of a sentence, underlies the meaning of the rest of the sentence, but is not engaged in any further grammatical relationship with the remainder of the sentence, as a sentence subject would be. In this passage, the phrase: 君伐中山: [When] you, my lord, attacked Zhongshan . . . serves as a sentence adjunct. Like many sentence adjuncts, the phrase is a marker of time, and so contextualizes all that follows. Were we to interpret this same phrase without reference to its place in the full sentence, we might render it, “You, my lord, attacked Zhongshan,” which in this context would be a misreading. The distinction could be clarified by restoring an ellipsed shí 時 ([N] time, season) as follows: 君伐中山時 ．．． 3.4 Ellipsed objects 君伐中山，不以封君之弟．．．． The fully stated sentence would read: 君伐中山，不以之［中山］封君之弟．．．． The redundancy of the particle zhi 之 has led the authors to ellipse those instances which are not strictly necessary. The result has left the coverb yǐ 以 without an explicit object. 3.5 “If... then...” expressed through parallel structure 其君仁，其臣直 Aphorisms, which are very common in WYW, are usually composed of brief and parallel phrases (often rhymed – this one is not), much as in English. In the case of this sentence, all explicit markers of the contingent “if . . . then. . .” have been ellipsed, but context and parallelism still allow the reader to understand the deep structure. The formula encountered here could easily have been rendered: 國君若仁則其臣直矣

[Voc.: 若 rùo: (Conj) if; (V) to resemble]

but the latter would lack the rhetorical punch provided by the snappy phrases that begin with two parallel uses of 其. (By the way, can you state what 其 signifies here? There is more than one viable answer.)

4.1 The preposition yú 於 The preposition 於 is among the most flexible words in WYW. Its appropriate translation is determined by the surrounding semantic and syntactic contexts. It may be best to introduce the word through examples: a. 吾未至於魏 wú wèi zhì yú Wèi “I have not yet arrived at (reached to) Wèi.” [Voc.: 未 wèi: (Adv) not yet, never yet] b. 臣受爵於王 chén shòu júe yú wáng “Officers receive rank from the king.” 取於臣謂之取 qǔ yú chén wei zhi qǔ “When one takes from one’s minister one calls it `taking.’”

c. 王居於宮中 wáng ju yú gong zhong “The king lives in the palace.” [Voc.: 居 ju (V) to dwell; 宮 gong: (N) a palace, a mansion] d. 鳥鳴於樹上 nǐao míng yú shù shàng “The bird called on the tree.” [Voc.: 鳥 nǐao: (N) bird; 鳴 míng: (V) to chirp; shù: 樹 (N) tree] NOTE: 於 . . . 上 may generally be rendered “on” or “above” 於 . . . 下 may generally be rendered “under” or “beneath” This type of straightforward propositional use of 於 creates few problems, so long as you bear in mind that the English equivalent will vary with context. However, the sense of 於 is actually broader than is the range of common English prepositions. The basic meaning of 於 is something closer to “in relation to,” in an extended sense. Thus this same syntactical marker can also signal use of the passive voice: e. 王治臣臣治於王 wáng zhì chén, chén zhì yú wáng “The king rules ministers; ministers are ruled by the king.” [Voc.: 治 zhì: (V) to regulate, to rule] 季孫受教於孔子 Jìsun shòu jìao yú Kǒngzǐ “Jisun received teaching from Confucius.” [Voc.: 教 jìao (N) a teaching (N.B. jiao: (V) to teach)] Another manner in which yú relates two elements is in comparative constructions. f. 魏強於齊而無德 Wèi qíang yú Qí ér wú dé “Wei is stronger than Qi, but possesses no virtue.” [Voc.: 強 qíang: (SV) strong; 德 dé (N) virtue, character, personal power]

4.2 “Class cleavage” “Class cleavage” is the odd term that describes the situation where a word ordinarily used in one grammatical category may be appropriated for use in another. WYW is ideally constructed for class cleavage because words are uninflected; that is, their grammatical function is not indicated by such features as prefixes, suffixes, or phonetic markers, as in Indo-European languages. Hence, where in English, class migration of a word like “take” may create no ambiguity (e.g., the verb form “take” and the noun form “taking” are distinguished by suffix), the same is not true in WYW (see d. below). On the other hand, WYW-style class cleavage is becoming more common in English – as in, “The wonder is that WYW can impact English long-distance. Cool!” We will consider four ways in which words exemplify class cleavage. a. Sometimes one word/graph is regularly employed in two closely related senses that differ chiefly in terms of syntactic function. In such cases, dictionaries will generally give the graph multiple definitions, according to its different grammatical functions. For example, the word zăi 宰, which means “steward,” or “chief-of-staff” in our passage, may equally well be used as a verb meaning “to be in charge of”; “to supervise.” Dictionaries will routinely note that 宰 may serve as a noun or as a verb, but in terms of its textual usage, there is no marker of this distinction other than context. b. Sometimes the same graph is used to denote closely related words, as in “a.”, but the two uses will be distinguished phonetically, marking them as fully independent words. For example, the word shǐ 使 in our passage in used in a coverbal sense, “to make [someone do something]” (we could also render it as the full verb “to depute”). Elsewhere, however, the same graph denotes the noun shì: “a deputy, an emissary.” Here, the difference in word class is marked in the spoken but not the written language. c. Sometimes a cleavage in syntactical function may become so regular that the difference is marked by the introduction of a new graphemic element to correspond to one of the usages. For example, the word dì 弟: little brother, also possessed a verbal (or stative verb) sense of “to behave like a little brother should.” Objectionable as that notion may have been to little brothers, this verbal usage came to be marked by both a phonetic distinction (it is pronounced tì) and by a graphemic addition: the heart element was added to it to create the graph 悌. Many cognate words that share phonetic graph elements and semantic properties evolved through class cleavage in this way. d. Class cleavage is most challenging to WYW readers (and also often most rhetorically powerful) when a word regularly used in one syntactical manner is used in another word category without the precedent of regular class cleavage. Take this example from the present text:

君有取謂之取

jun yǒu qǔ wèi zhi qǔ When a ruler has a ‘taking’ we term it ‘to take.’

Here, the phrase 有取 requires that 取 be interpreted as the nominal object of the verb 有. Although this is not the only instance of 取 being employed as a noun, the usage is neither common enough nor significant enough for dictionaries to note; 取 is generally considered to be exclusively a verb (ignoring certain specialized uses not relevant here). Because of the last variety of class cleavage, it is difficult ever to judge a WYW sentence as syntactically incorrect (one may always allow syntactically inappropriate word choices to migrate to the appropriate word class). And in fact, one of the great literary devices that renders texts powerful is that the best writers often intentionally employ words in syntactically innovative ways. When learning WYW, this feature of the language is “challenging.” The best procedure is to rely on the guidance of dictionaries, but to be prepared to go beyond the dictionary guidelines if the context seems clearly to demand it. 4.3 Yĕ 也 in mid-sentence What follows is a detailed explanation of an apparently minor grammatical anomaly. If you find it dull, skip it! 必也正名 “What is necessary is to rectify terms.” Although the most common role of the particle 也 is as a terminal marker of an equational sentence, it also performs several types of functions mid-sentence. In the body of a sentence, 也 most often comes immediately after a topic clause, and serves, by means of a caesura (that is, a pause) to clarify that the initial word or phrase is a topic rather than a subject. In the case of this sentence, 也 functions differently. It is best in this case to clarify the function of 也 by comparing the structure as it is found to a reconstructed simple sentence. Two such simple sentences may serve as possible underlying structures of our sentence: a. 必正名 “[One] must rectify terms.” b. 必為之事正名也 “The thing that must be done is rectifying terms.” Though these sentences are not equally brief, both are grammatically simpler than our current sentence. If we regard case a. as the root sentence, then we may say that 也 has been added after the adverbial 必 strictly for emphasis: “[One] must, indeed, rectify names.” If we take case b. as the root sentence, then the key factor is that half the verbiage has been removed and the rhetoric greatly strengthened. The transition process could be reconstructed in this way:

Stage 1: 必為者正名也 [之事 becomes 者] Stage 2: 必者正名也 [“That which is necessary is rectifying terms”] Stage 3: 必者也正名 [here, the 也 is added to set off the topic and removed from the end because the sentence is no longer equational: “As for that which is necessary, rectify names!”] Stage 4: 必也正名 [the 者 is unnecessary because 也 as topic marker already marks 必 as standing for a nominal unit] Although the latter of these two theories is more complex, this sort of sentence transformation is so common in WYW that it appears more likely. 4.4 Pattern: kĕ bù X hu? 可不慎乎 “May one be not cautious?” This is an example of a very common form of rhetorical question. Its thrust is, “One must be X!”

5.1 (R+R) structure at the phrase level Parallelism is a prominent aspect of WYW. In the clause 先王有至德要道 the object of the verb 有 is composed of the four characters that follow. These may be analyzed as two sets of two, each composed of an (A+R) phrase: 至德 [utmost virtue] and 要道 [pivotal Way] (here, the A+R phrases are not composed of nouns, as in Grammar 1.2, but are Adj + N). The firmly nominal nature of the root words (德 and 道), which frequently appear in parallel, make it easy for the reader to understand that 至 (which may be a verb) and 要 (which may be a noun or a verb) are here modifying the nouns as adjectives. The two phrases are linked by no conjunction; they are merely juxtaposed. In this way, the phrases themselves become an R+R construct, serving as the complex object of 有; in a sense, utmost/virtue-pivotal/Way has been formed into a single complex nominal, much in the way that ji-quăn 雞犬 was formed of simpler elements in Lesson 1. 5.2 False parallelism False parallelism is the product of the high valuation of balanced phrasing in WYW. It is frequently the case that texts will include strings of four- or five-character lines which lull the reader into a mistaken sense of parallelism through their metric balance. While in simple texts the context and diction may make the meaning transparent, unless one is alert to the traps of false parallelism it is easy to misread more complicated texts. As an example of false parallelism, two linked phrases from the 孝經: 以順天下，民用和睦 At first, it may appear that these clauses are parallel. On closer examination, however, they turn out to be very different in structure:

a. ［先王］以［至德要道］順天下 “[The former kings] by means of [utmost virtue pivotal Way] made compliant all the world.” b. 民用［=以］［先王之順天下者］和睦 “The people, on account of [the former kings’ making compliant the world], were in harmonious cooperation.” In a. the subject is implicit (先王), whereas it is explicit in b. (民). The similar verbs 以 and 用 turn out to have very different implicit objects. The verb in a. is transitive with an object; in b. it is a binomial stative verb (和睦). In the case of this passage, the likely error into which false parallelism may guide the reader is the assumption that the objects of 以 and 用 are identical (that is: 至德要道). 5.3 The use of sǔo 所 No single word causes more confusion than 所. There is no reason why this should be so. Sǔo performs a simple grammatical function and is used with great consistency. Basically, 所 acts as a substitute for the object of a verb; it precedes that verb, and in doing so, creates a noun phrase denoting “that which is Verbed”. A 所 sentence often represents the transformation of a straightforward S-V-O sentence into a sentence with a complex noun as subject and a predicate which either identifies or characterizes that subject. Here is an example of how 所 transforms a simple sentence: 吾 教 王 wú jiao wáng “I instruct the king.” S V O

吾 所 教 者 王 也

wú sǔo jiao zhĕ, wáng yĕ “He whom I instruct is the king.” |____________| |______| nominal subj. predicate The use of 所 allows the writer to refer to an object whose name is unknown, or whose identity he wishes to withhold: 汝 所 教 者 誰 也 rǔ sǔo jiao zhĕ, shéi yĕ “Who is it whom you teach?” [Voc.: 誰 shéi (Pronoun) who]

Notice, that by using 所 the writer can refer to the persons who are being taught even though he cannot name them. This is a perfectly ordinary feature of languages, and 所 is a perfectly ordinary syntactical device. What makes 所 sometimes difficult is that it may occur in complex sentences. Let’s consider the sentence in our text: 夫孝德之本也教之所由生也 which, for the sake of clarity, may be simplified to: 孝，教之所由生也 This is an equational sentence. Xìao 孝 is the subject, and the remainder of the sentence forms the predicate – that which is said about (predicated about) the subject. Since this is an equational sentence, its structure is basically: 孝 X 也 xìao [is] X X is a noun. We know, of course, that 所 creates a noun-phrase, therefore it makes sense that 教之所由生should be a noun unit. Literally, the phrase 所由生 means: “that out of which [something] is born.” Therefore the entire X-phrase is “the teaching’s that-out-ofwhich- [something]-is-born.” But we can simplify this. The 之 is superfluous here: 之too creates noun phrases, like 所. There is no need for both, and if we disregard the 之, our X-phrase would translate “that out of which the teaching is born.” This is clearly a noun, but what is the identity of this noun, or, in WYW: 教所由生者，何也？ The answer: 教所由生者，孝也！ This sentence first refers to 孝 without naming it by using 所 to create an equivalent noun-phrase out of a verbal aspect of 孝 – then it reveals the identify of 孝 by name. “That which gives birth to the teaching is . . . filiality!” (Ta-daa!) But, really, this is hardly a surprise, since the sentence we began with was simply the inversion, “Filiaility is that which gives birth to the teaching.” (N.B. We will see that it is common to include both 之 and 所 is phrases such as this one; although it is logically redundant, it helps the rhetoric flow.)

6.1 Sentence adjuncts and topics The following sentence is grammatically complex: 君安驪姬，是我傷公之心也． The sentence must be understood as a response to Chóngĕr’s suggestion. The first four characters here serve as a “sentence adjunct.” This means that they “set the stage” for the sentence, but do not further engage in the syntax. The word shì 是: “[in] this [manner],” which in this context means following Chóngĕr’s suggestion, is the topic of the sentence. Thus the sentence may be analyzed as follows: Context: The duke loves Lí Ji Topic: Acting as you [Chóngĕr] have suggested Comment on the topic: I shall [thus] break the duke’s heart There are other ways to analyze the sentence, but this analysis should serve to highlight the way in which sentences sometimes seem more a series of phrases governed by colons than a syntactically coherent utterance. Compare ordinary English with a literal rendering of the WYW: Because the duke loves Lí Ji, if I act as you suggest, I shall break the duke’s heart. [Given] the duke loves Lí Ji: [as for acting] thus: I shall break the duke’s heart. 6.2 The adjunct rán 然 Rán 然 (“this being so”) frequently serves as a sentence adjunct. Following a statement, its consequential aspects may be preceded by the adjunct 然, which “resumes” the entire preceding statement or discussion in a single word, thus highlighting that what is about to follow is precisely the consequence of what has been discussed before. As a sentence adjunct, 然 is generally followed by zé 則. There are two ways to analyze the function of 則 and they are about equally persuasive. The first is to treat 則 as marking a hypothetical clause. In that case, sentences that begin with 然則 may be thought of as starting, “If this be so, then . . . .” However, 則 is sometimes better explained as a weak marker of logical or action progression (as in the general, “once this is so, then . . .” or the specific instance, “once this was so, then . . .”). This use of 則 may often be rendered by something like, “well, then . . .” carrying a force close to “well, naturally . . .” Therefore, it may sometimes be more appropriate to think of 然則 as

carrying a sense like, “This being so, well . . .” followed by a shrug, signifying, “what did you expect?” 6.3 Sui 雖 and sui rán 雖然 Unlike Modern Chinese, where the sense of “although” is carried by the compound 雖然, in WYW, the word 雖 alone carries this sense. In WYW, the adverb 雖 in an initial clause is often found in combination with the adverb yì 亦 in a subsequent clause. The two together convey the meaning: “Although . . . still/nevertheless . . .” An equivalent pattern in MC would be: 雖然 . . . 還 . . . . For example: MC: 我雖然不喜歡我的老師，還不要殺死他！ WYW: 吾雖不好師，亦不欲殺之！ The meaning of the phrase 雖然 in WYW is very different from that of MC. 雖 itself carries the meaning of “although,” a meaning conveyed in MC by the binome 雖然 (wherein 然 performs as a suffix-adjunct indicating manner); 然 retains its original sense in WYW, “it being so.” Thus in WYW, 雖 and 然, though frequently occurring together at the outset of a sentence, remain independent. Their meaning is: “Although it is so.” 吾不好我師．雖然，亦不欲殺之！ 6.4 Inversion with shì 是 Shì 是 serves as an emphatic form, denoting either “this” or “truly.” It is not infrequently “preposed” – placed in front of the verb of which it is an object – for purposes of rhetorical emphasis. This inversion is especially frequent when 是 appears with the coverb 以, as is the case in this text. 是以, literally: “this on account of,” simply means, “on account of this,” or “hence.” 6.5 Relationship between wéi 為 and wèi 謂 There is a frequent overlap between the two very different terms wéi 為 (“to be, to do, to act as”) and wèi 謂 (“to refer to, to characterize”). It is not always clear whether this overlap is a semantic one (the meanings of “to be” and “to be characterized as” can be nearly indistinguishable) or a case of phonetic loan. In this text, 為 in the final clause may be interpreted either way, but because the implicit subject is dead, inferring the sense of “to be referred to as” makes greater sense. (N.B. This particular loan relationship does not appear very often.)

7.1 Yǔ 與 with ellipsed subjects The conjunction 與 is used to link nominals. In some cases, 與 links an ellipsed subject with a co-subject before a verb, as in line 2 of this poem. 7.2 The conjunction qǐe 且 Qǐe 且 links two verbs or verb phrases in parallel. Context sometimes suggests that the second phrase is somewhat emphasized, letting 且 carry some of the weight of MC ĕrqǐe 而且 or bìngqǐe 並且, but other times the two phrases seem to carry equal weight, as here

in line 5. Here, we see 且 linking to simple SVs, but it may elsewhere link more complex V-O phrases, such as:

駭獸且害人

hài shòu qǐe hài rén: “. . . frightens animals and harms people.” (駭 hài: [V] to frighten; 獸 shòu: [N] wild animals; 害 hài: [V] to harm) 7.3 Pre-pivotal verbs The phrase: 令人老 illustrates the function of what are known as pre-pivotal verbs. Here, 令 functions as such a verb. Pre-pivotal verbs are verbs that take an object which becomes the subject of a second verb. V1 O/S V2 The object/subject word is called the “pivot” of the phrase, because the phrase turns on its shift from object to subject. In this phrase, the pivot is 人 (which in this particular context actually refers to the speaker, and functions as “I”); it is the object of 令 and the subject of 老. There are a set of verbs that commonly function as pre-pivotal verbs. These include: 令 lìng: to order or cause someone [to do something] 命 mìng: to order someone [to do something] 使 shǐ: to cause someone [to do something] Other verbs with meanings such as “force,” “compel,” and so forth can function in this way as well. 7.4 Poetic parallelism Perfect parallelism is a feature of Chinese poetic composition and frequently characterizes prose as well. We have earlier examined false parallelism. Lines 7 and 8 of this poem exemplify the perfect parallelism that was highly prized in all sorts of composition. Lines 9 and 10 show a more common and entirely acceptable rough parallelism.

7.5 Classical allusion The degree to which allusion to prior texts dominates the world of Chinese poetry (and prose, for that matter) far exceeds anything comparable in the West. Although these poems are early products of the literary tradition, they still regularly import allusive language, particularly that of the Shijing 詩經, or Book of Poetry. The choice of the somewhat ambiguous word zhì 致 in line 6 is governed by the needs of allusion. The prior text, from the Shijing, reads: 豈不爾思，遠莫致之 qǐ bù ĕr si / yǔan mò zhì zhi Allusions often do not capture the original sense of the source (this is not considered a literary flaw). In this case, the Shijing text, which concerns a woman longing to return to her family, might be translated, “How could it be that I do not long for you; it is that you are distant and I cannot reach you.” In our poem, 致 seems to be used in the sense of “to transport [something],” referring to the blossom and the inability of the woman to find a courier to transport it to her lover. (In case you’re wondering how you are supposed to recognize allusions, for the most part they are provided by traditional and modern commentators in modern editions of traditional literature.)

7.6 The particle hé 何 as an adverbial intensifier There are times when 何 does not function as a question word. In these cases, although it is often appropriate to translate 何 as “how,” the sense of “how” is not interrogative but exclamatory. For example: 四顧何茫茫 “How barren everywhere!” Here 何 precedes an SV, which is the most common mode in which this usage occurs. Frequently, if the subject is understood, 何 in this sense may be followed by 其, which resumes the subject: 何其茫茫 “How barren it is!”

7.7 Reduplicated words This poem includes two words composed of a reiterated character, “reduplicated words.” Reduplicated words are common in poetry, and may occur in prose as well. The most common form is that found in this poem. Both youyou 悠悠 and mángmáng 茫茫 consist of an SV whose original sense is preserved but intensified in the reduplicated word. The reduplication in the first poem, xíngxíng 行行, is a less common instance of a repeated verb expressing continuing action. 7.8 Numbers as semantic modifiers The phrase sì gù 四顧, which appears in line 3, does not mean, as it might appear, “looked four times.” When 四 is used in an adverbial position, it generally means “in all four directions,” or simply, “all around.” Other numbers are also used in figurative senses. The numbers 3, 9, and sometimes 7 are used to mean “many” (deciding when these numbers mean “many” and when they are to be read literally is often difficult). The number 100 means “the many” on a larger scale, generally when pointing towards a variety of species (thus băicăo 百草 in line 4 of this poem is best rendered not in the sense of “the many blades of grass” – and certainly not “the 100 blades of grass” – but rather, “the many sorts of grass”). The number 10,000, of course, is also used to mean “the many” or “all,” especially in the phrase wàn-wù 萬物: the world of things.

7.9 Binomes The term “binome,” when applied to WYW, generally has a meaning distinct from “compound” or “combination,” which terms are used to refer to two- or three-character words composed of units that make independent semantic contributions (for example, zhidào 知道: “to know,” is a compound derived from a V-O phrase where both elements carried full meaning). Binomes are true two-syllable words whose units cannot be analyzed as etymologically independent – in some cases, the characters that compose the binome actually possess no independent meaning at all (as in the case of the character díe in húdíe 蝴蝶 butterfly). When true binomes rhyme, as is very often the case, they are imaginatively named “rhyming binomes.” Both páihúai 徘徊 and pánghúang 傍徨, which occur in this poem, are rhyming binomes and their meanings seem very similar (it is hard to pin down the concrete meaning of binomes such as this). A binome of similar meaning, which does not rhyme, but which is alliterative, is the frequently encountered chóu-chú 躊躇, which carries more of the sense of “hesitating.” All of these binomes are sometimes written with variant characters, which is characteristic of binomes, whose graphs were principally determined on phonetic grounds. The presence of true binomes in early Chinese disproves the standard claim that Chinese was originally a “monosyllabic language” (meaning that its lexicon was purely composed of monosyllabic words). Binomes were polysyllabic words from the start. Their representation in written WYW demonstrates that the spoken language of early China was more varied than is usually recognized. However, the relative rarity of true binomes in WYW still provides support for the claim that the spoken language was predominantly “monosyllabic.”

This grammar book continues on page 73: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iuswrrest/api/core/bitstreams/248cccaa-1147-443e-845a-7c8a9b4e8ac8/content

Session 7 FRI Apr 12, 8:00-9:30 s. 400 SIN III

Finally.

We are ready for the first poem.

However, we will not start with reading the poem.

But we will start looking at the characters and what they mean.

For this purpose, the teacher will distribute sheets of paper and the students can cut the characters from it.

Task 1: Sort the characters into known ones (left) and unknown ones (right).

Clarify the unknown characters together with the teacher and the fellow students.

Task 2: Try to arrange some of the characters to form a poetic verse. Attention: You do not need to build sentences according to the strict grammatical rules you have learned. Go more by the meaning of the words.

Task 3: Read out the verses you are satisfied with and discuss the verses you have written.

Task 4: The teacher provides the original poem. Compare your verses with the poem. Build the poem with your paper characters on the table and understand how the poet has composed his poem.

Orientation

Tang Dynasty (617-907)

Wang Wei (ca. 700-760)

Li Bai = Li Bo = Li Taibo (701-762)

Du Fu (712-770)

Han Yu (768-824)

Bai Juyi (772-846)

Liu Zongyuan (773-819)

Sikong Tu (837-908)

Song Dynasty (960-1126)

Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072)

Wang Anshi (1021-1086)

Su Dongpo = Su Shi (1037-1101)

Example of poems 1

Characters 1

上

月

月

地

光

低 dī lower

床

明

明

夜

故

是

思

思

前

望

鄉

疑 yí doubt, wonder, question

靜

頭

頭

舉 jǔ lift

霜 shuāng frost

Traditional characters 1

故鄉-故乡

靜-静

頭-头

舉-举

Vocabulary of poem 2

土 下 日 中 午 wu 禾 hé grain 禾 汗 李 辛 苦 知 皆 jiē all 粒 lì grain 粒粒皆辛苦 Every single grain [is the fruit of] hard work. 粒 紳 Shēn (first name) 當 dāngwǔ 當午: noon 農 nóng farmer 滴 盤 pán plate, dish, tray 鋤 chú to hoe, to dig out (鋤禾 chúhé: to weed) 誰 憫 mǐn to sympathize with, to pity, to toil 餐

Traditional Characters of Poem 2

紳-绅

憫-悯

農-农

鋤-锄

當-当

誰-谁

盤-盘

Characters 3

王

天

水

毛

白

波

紅

浮 fú to float

清

項 xiàng neck

掌 zhǎng hand, claw

詠 yǒng ode

歌 gē to sing, the song

賓 Bīn (first name)

綠

撥 bō to push (e.g. water, waves)

曏 xiàng towards

駱 Luò (last name)

鵝 é goose

鵝

鵝

鵝

麴 qū to bend

Wáng tiān shuǐ máo bái bō hóng fú qīng xiàng zhǎng yǒng gē bīn lǜ bō xiàng luò é é é é qū

Traditional characters and their simplified versions of poem 3

駱-骆 Luò

賓-宾 Bīn

詠-咏

鵝-鹅

麴-曲

項-项

曏-向

綠-绿

紅-红

撥-拨

Session 8 FRI Apr 12, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III

Solutions

Li Bai: Thoughts in the Silent Night, poem 1

靜夜思

Jìngyè sī

床前明月光，

Chuáng qián míng yuèguāng,

疑是地上霜。

Yí shì dìshang shuāng.

舉頭望明月，

Jǔtóu wàng míngyuè,

低頭思故鄉。

Dītóu sī gùxiāng.

TRANSLATION of poem 1

Moonlight reflects off the front of my bed.

Could it actually be the frost on the ground?

I look up to view the bright moon,

And look down to reminisce about my hometown.

About: This popular Chinese poem was penned by one of the most famous Tang dynasty poets of all time – Li Bai (701-762). The poem expresses the poet’s loneliness, pensiveness, and homesickness as he gazes up at the bright moon.

Pinyin transcription 憫農 (“Toiling Farmers”, by Li Shen)

李紳 《憫農》

Lǐ Shēn «Mǐn nóng»

鋤禾日當午，

Chú hé rì dāngwǔ,

汗滴禾下土。

Hàn dī hé xiàtǔ.

誰知盤中餐，

Shéizhī pán zhōng cān,

粒粒皆辛苦。

Lìlì jiē xīnkǔ.

  TRANSLATION of poem 2

Farmers weeding at noon,

Sweat down the field soon.

Who knows food on a tray

Thanks to their toiling day?

About: A common Chinese nursery rhyme still popular today, “Toiling Farmers” depicts the hard work and life of a Chinese farmer. Written by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shen, the poem emphasises how hard each farmers work for every grain of rice, and serves as a gentle reminder for children not to waste their food.

Luo Binwang: An Ode to the Goose: poem 3

駱賓王: 詠鵝

Luò Bīnwáng: Yǒng é

鵝、鵝、鵝，

É, é, é,

麴項曏天歌。

Qū xiàng xiàng tiān gē.

白毛浮綠水，

Báimáo fú lǜshuǐ,

紅掌撥清波

Hóng zhǎng bō qīng bō

TRANSLATION of poem 3

Goose, goose, goose,

You bend your neck towards the sky and sing.

Your white feathers float on the emerald water,

Your red feet push the clear waves.

About: Written by Tang Dynasty poet Luo Binwang when he was only seven years old, “An Ode to the Goose” is a particularly simple and easy to memorize poem, resulting in it often being one of the very first famous Chinese poems to be learned by Chinese children.

Session 9 FRI Apr 19, 8:00-9:30 s. 400 SIN III

Topic: Farewell poetry

Poem 1

About:Wang Wei’s friend is feeling dejected and rather than keeping him from leaving he is encouraging him to leave and get some rest, they have drinks to solidify him leaving.

Characters

下山之马王无云不去归白问问尽时别何但饮言君君君卧垂所南复送莫酒得维意

Simplified Characters

馬-马 無-无 雲-云 歸-归 問-问 儘-尽 時-时 飲-饮 臥-卧 覆-复 維-维

木语

下马 xiàmǎ dismount

之zhī go, leave (to?)

卧wò lie down

垂 chuí retire

无尽wújìn endless

Poem 2

About: Li Bai’s friend longs to travel like ‘roaming clouds’. This Chinese farewell poem uses beautiful metaphors to express the deep connection Li Bai and his friend share through their friendship.

Characters

一人人山子友日水手去北白白地此自李里別青東征孤城故茲送為馬郭浮情斑揮萬落雲遊蓬意鳴遶蕭橫簫

Simplified

横-橫 东-東 为-為 万-萬 云-雲 挥-揮 萧-蕭 箫-簫 马-馬 鸣-鳴

木语

送 sòng to accompany a friend a short distance to bid farewell

橫 héng skirt

郭 guō border

遶 rào gird

別 bié separate, part

孤 gū lonely

蓬 péng clump of grass

萬里 wànlǐ ten thousand miles

征zhēng journey

浮 fú roaming

意 yì longing for

落日 luòrì

故 gù friend(ship)

故人 gùrén

情 qíng feelings

揮手 huīshǒu wave hands

自茲 zìzī from now on

蕭 xiāo desolate

簫 xiāo flute

斑 bān spotted

馬鳴 mǎ míng sound of a horse (a bird, etc.)

Characters

下 山 之 马 王 无 云 不 去 归 白 问 问 尽 时 别 何 但 饮 言 君 君 君 卧 垂 所 南 复 送 莫 酒 得 维 意   一 人 人 山 子 友 日 水 手 去 北 白 白 地 此 自 李 里 別 青 東 征 孤 城 故 茲 送 為 馬 郭 浮 情 斑 揮 萬 落 雲 遊 蓬 意 鳴 遶 蕭 橫 簫   Solutions

Poem 1

送别, 王维

Sòngbié, Wáng Wéi

下马饮君酒

xiàmǎ yǐn jūn jiǔ

问君何所之

wèn jūn hé suǒ zhī

君言不得意

jūn yán bù déyì

归卧南山垂

guī wò nánshān chuí

但去莫复问

dàn qù mò fù wèn

白云无尽时

báiyún wújìn shí

“Farewell”, by Wang Wei

Dismounted, we drank to bid you farewell.

I asked, “My friend, where are you heading?”

You said, “Oh, nothing is working my way,

So be back to the crags of Nanshan, retiring.”

“Go then! You’ll ask of the world no more!

Ah, days of endless white clouds, unending!”

Poem 2

送友人, 李白

Sòng yǒurén, Lǐ Bái

青山橫北郭 , 白水遶東城

qīngshān héng běi guō , báishuǐ rào dōng chéng

此地一為別, 孤蓬萬里征

cǐdì yī wèi bié, gū péng wànlǐ zhēng

浮雲遊子意, 落日故人情

fúyún yóuzǐ yì, luòrì gù rénqíng

揮手自茲去, 蕭簫斑馬鳴

huīshǒu zìzī qù, xiāo xiāo bānmǎ míng

“Farewell to A Friend”, by Li Bai

Green hills skirt the northern border,

White waters gird the eastern town;

Here we part with each other,

And you set out like a lonesome wisp of grass,

Floating across the miles, farther and farther away.

You’ve longed to travel like roaming clouds,

But our friendship, unwilling to wane as the sun is to set,

Let it be here to stay.

As we wave each other good-bye,

Our horses neigh, as if for us they sigh.

李白: 靜夜思

Lǐ Bó(Bái): Jìngyè sī

床前明月光，

Chuáng qián míng yuèguāng,

疑是地上霜。

Yí shì dìshang shuāng.

舉頭望明月，

Jǔtóu wàng míngyuè,

低頭思故鄉。

Dītóu sī gùxiāng. 李紳 《憫農》

Lǐ Shēn «Mǐn nóng»

鋤禾日當午，

Chú hé rì dāngwǔ,

汗滴禾下土。

Hàn dī hé xiàtǔ.

誰知盤中餐，

Shéizhī pán zhōng cān,

粒粒皆辛苦。

Lìlì jiē xīnkǔ. 駱賓王: 詠鵝

Luò Bīnwáng: Yǒng é

鵝、鵝、鵝，

É, é, é,

麴項曏天歌。

Qū xiàng xiàng tiān gē.

白毛浮綠水，

Báimáo fú lǜshuǐ,

掌撥清波

Hóng zhǎng bō qīng bō

Further poems

无言独上西楼, 李煜 (“I Climb the Western Tower in Silence”, by Li Yu) 无言独上西楼 月如钩 寂寞梧桐深院 锁清秋

剪不断 理还乱 是离愁 别是一般滋味 在心头 TRANSLATION Wordless, alone, to the West Tower I climb the stair; The Moon, like a curved sword, hangs there. Held captive in the deep courtyard and its lonesome phoenix tree, Is the cool, pure Autumn breeze.

Cut it, it doesn’t sever; Sort it, as entangled as ever — It is a great sorrow to part, Creating an entirely different feeling in my heart Notes: Although the first stanza doesn’t openly talk about farewells, the description of the view from the West Tower provides imagery for us to believe so. The desolate courtyard and the lonesome phoenix tree could possibly symbolize Li Yu’s feelings about parting. Describing that although they are parting they are still as connected as ever.

赠别, 杜牧 (“On Parting”, by Du Mu) 多情却似总无情 维觉罇前笑不成 蜡烛有心还惜别 替人垂泪到天明 TRANSLATION Fond are my feelings, yet unfeeling I feign, Before our wine-cups, we merry-make in vain. So heartful, the candle, our parting it grieves, And in tears it melts, till the sky lights again. About: Although it can’t be confirmed, instead of parting with a friend, Du Mu is parting with a now ex-lover. Saying that even though their love was deep it diminished into nothing, they can’t even fake a friendly smile so the candle weeps for them. This powerful poem expresses the pain in ending a special connection with someone you loved.

送杜少府之任蜀州, 王勃 (“Farewell To Vice-Prefect Du Setting Out For His Official Post In Shu”, by Wang Bo) 城阙辅三秦， 风烟望五津。 与君离别意， 同是宦游人。 海内存知己， 天涯若比邻。 无为在岐路， 儿女共沾巾。 TRANSLATION By this wall that surrounds the three Qin districts, Through a mist that makes five rivers one, We bid each other a sad farewell, We two officials going opposite ways…. And yet, while China holds our friendship, And heaven remains our neighbourhood, Why should you linger at the fork of the road, Wiping your eyes like a heart-broken child? About: Written by Wang Bo when his friend Du was set to leave and take the position of country official in Si Chuan. Wang Bo saw off Du and presented him with this farewell poem that represents the sincerity and profoundness of their friendship.

送杜少府之任蜀州, 王勃 (“Farewell To Vice-Prefect Du Setting Out For His Official Post In Shu”, by Wang Bo)

城阙辅三秦，

风烟望五津。

与君离别意，

同是宦游人。

海内存知己，

天涯若比邻。

无为在岐路，

儿女共沾巾。

TRANSLATION

By this wall that surrounds the three Qin districts,

Through a mist that makes five rivers one,

We bid each other a sad farewell,

We two officials going opposite ways….

And yet, while China holds our friendship,

And heaven remains our neighbourhood,

Why should you linger at the fork of the road,

Wiping your eyes like a heart-broken child?

About: Written by Wang Bo when his friend Du was set to leave and take the position of country official in Si Chuan. Wang Bo saw off Du and presented him with this farewell poem that represents the sincerity and profoundness of their friendship.

送友人, 李白 (“Farewell to A Friend”, by Li Bai) 青山橫北郭 , 白水遶東城

此地一為別, 孤蓬萬里征

浮雲遊子意, 落日故人情

揮手自茲去, 蕭簫斑馬鳴

TRANSLATION

Green hills skirt the northern border,

White waters gird the eastern town;

Here we part with each other,

And you set out like a lonesome wisp of grass,

Floating across the miles, farther and farther away.

You’ve longed to travel like roaming clouds,

But our friendship, unwilling to wane as the sun is to set,

Let it be here to stay.

As we wave each other good-bye,

Our horses neigh, as if for us they sigh.

About: Li Bai’s friend longs to travel like ‘roaming clouds’. This Chinese farewell poem uses beautiful metaphors to express the deep connection Li Bai and his friend share through their friendship.

送别, 王维 (“Farewell”, by Wang Wei) 下马饮君酒

问君何所之

君言不得意

归卧南山垂

但去莫复问

白云无尽时

TRANSLATION

Dismounted, we drank to bid you farewell.

I asked, “My friend, where are you heading?”

You said, “Oh, nothing is working my way,

So be back to the crags of Nanshan, retiring.”

“Go then! You’ll ask of the world no more!

Ah, days of endless white clouds, unending!”

About:Wang Wei’s friend is feeling dejected and rather than keeping him from leaving he is encouraging him to leave and get some rest, they have drinks to solidify him leaving.

无言独上西楼, 李煜 (“I Climb the Western Tower in Silence”, by Li Yu) 无言独上西楼

月如钩

寂寞梧桐深院

锁清秋

剪不断

理还乱

是离愁

别是一般滋味

在心头

TRANSLATION

Wordless, alone, to the West Tower I climb the stair;

The Moon, like a curved sword, hangs there.

Held captive in the deep courtyard and its lonesome phoenix tree,

Is the cool, pure Autumn breeze.

Cut it, it doesn’t sever;

Sort it, as entangled as ever —

It is a great sorrow to part,

Creating an entirely different feeling in my heart

Notes: Although the first stanza doesn’t openly talk about farewells, the description of the view from the West Tower provides imagery for us to believe so. The desolate courtyard and the lonesome phoenix tree could possibly symbolize Li Yu’s feelings about parting. Describing that although they are parting they are still as connected as ever.

赠别, 杜牧 (“On Parting”, by Du Mu)

多情却似总无情

维觉罇前笑不成

蜡烛有心还惜别

替人垂泪到天明

TRANSLATION

Fond are my feelings, yet unfeeling I feign,

Before our wine-cups, we merry-make in vain.

So heartful, the candle, our parting it grieves,

And in tears it melts, till the sky lights again.

About: Although it can’t be confirmed, instead of parting with a friend, Du Mu is parting with a now ex-lover. Saying that even though their love was deep it diminished into nothing, they can’t even fake a friendly smile so the candle weeps for them. This powerful poem expresses the pain in ending a special connection with someone you loved.

Session 12 FRI Apr 26, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III

May 1-3 are Workers' and Constitution holidays in Poland. (May 8 is sports holiday.)

May 1-5 is an extended May 1st holiday in China, the Chinese students make up for missed classes on Sat May 11.

C6 May 17, C7 May 24, C8 May 31, C9 Jun 7

May 30-31 holiday Corpus Christi in Poland.

June 8-10 is Duanwu holiday in China.

Session 13 FRI June 14 8:00-9:30 s. 400 SIN III

Overview of the poems so far:

1. 李白: 靜夜思 Lǐ Bó(Bái): Jìngyè sī Li Bai: Thoughts in a silent night

2. 李紳 : 憫農 Lǐ Shēn: Mǐn nóng Li Shen: Praise the farmers

3. 駱賓王: 詠鵝 Luò Bīnwáng: Yǒng é Luo Binwang: Ode to the Goose

4. 王維: 送別 Wáng Wéi: Sòngbié Wang Wei: Farewell

5. 李白: 送友人 Lǐ Bái: Sòng yǒurén Li Bai: Farewell to A Friend

6. 杜牧: 贈別 Dù Mù: Zèngbié Du Mu: On Parting

7. 王勃: 送杜少府之任蜀州 Wáng Bó: Sòng Dù shǎo fǔ Wang Bo: Farewell To Vice Prefect Du Setting Out For His Official Post In Shu

8. 李煜: 無言獨上西樓 Lǐ Yù: Wúyán dú shàng xī lóu Li Yu: I Climb the Western Tower in Silence

Further Poems

Here are further poems. You can select these poems for your final exam paper and we will go through the poems in class and clarify any question you may have.

Overview

9. 苏轼: 江城子 “Song of River City”, by Su Shi

10. 上邪 “God!”, by Unknown

11. 刘墉: 蝶恋花 “Butterflies in Love with Flowers”, by Liu Yong

12. 李清照: 点绛唇-蹴罢秋千 “Rouge Lips · She Jumps Off the Swing”, by Li Qingzhao

13. 李之儀: 卜算子 “Song of Divination”, by Li Zhi Yi

14. 李白: 月下独酌 “Drinking Alone Under the Moon” by Li Bai

15. 苏轼: 水調歌頭（节录） “Prelude to Water Melody” by Su Shi (Original version – Excerpt)

16. 张九龄: 望月怀远 “Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away” by Zhang Jiuling

17. 张继: 枫桥夜泊 “A Night-Mooring at Maple Bridge” by Zhang Ji

You find 100 more Chinese poems with Pinyin transcription and translation here:

http://www.chinese-poems.com/

Chinese Poems About Love

Source: https://mandarinmatrix.org/famous-chinese-poems/

Many of us often struggling to find the words to express how we feel. So why not borrow from one of these famous Chinese poems about love instead?

9. 江城子, 苏轼 “Song of River City”, by Su Shi

十年生死两茫茫，不思量，自难忘。

千里孤坟，无处话凄凉。

纵使相逢应不识，尘满面，鬓如霜。

夜来幽梦忽还乡，小轩窗，正梳妆。

相顾无言，惟有泪千行。

料得年年肠断处，明月夜，短松冈。

TRANSLATION

Ten years, dead and living dim and draw apart.

I don’t try to remember,

But forgetting is hard.

Lonely grave a thousand miles off,

Cold thoughts, where can I talk them out?

Even if we met, you wouldn’t know me,

Dust on my face,

Hair like frost.

In a dream last night suddenly I was home.

By the window of the little room,

You were combing your hair and making up.

You turned and looked, not speaking,

Only lines of tears coursing down.

Year after year will it break my heart?

The moonlit grave,

The stubby pines.

About:This Chinese poem about love was written by Su Shi around 1075 and is about a dream he once had about his wife, Wang Fu, who he married in 1054 but unfortunately died just 11 years later. He loved and missed his wife so much that he composed this poem to express his feelings and longing for her.

10. 上邪 “God!”, by Unknown

我欲与君相知，

长命无绝衰。

山无陵，

江水为竭，

冬雷震震，

夏雨雪 ，

天地合，

乃敢与君绝！

TRANSLATION

I want to be your love forever and ever,

Without break or decay.

When the hills are all flat,

The rivers are all dry.

When it thunders in winter,

When it snows in summer

When heaven and earth mingle,

Not till then will I part from you.

About: While the author of this poem is a mystery, what is known is that it comes from the era of Yuefu folk poems during the Han Dynasty. The poet takes an oath pledging that even if the whole world were to be destroyed and the unthinkable were to happen, she would still love him. This poem is a sweet confession from a woman to her lover.

11. 蝶恋花, 刘墉 “Butterflies in Love with Flowers”, by Liu Yong

伫倚危楼风细细，

望极春愁，

黯黯生天际。

草色烟光残照里，

无言谁会凭栏意。

拟把疏狂图一醉，

对酒当歌，

强乐还无味。

衣带渐宽终不悔，

为伊消得人憔悴。

TRANSLATION

While I lean against the banister of a tall tower,

The breeze gently blows.

As I look into the distance,

The end of Spring arouses melancholy in my mind.

Surrounded by dewy grass at sunset,

I wonder who is able to understand my longing.

I would rather drink to intoxication.

One should sing when one has wine in hand,

But drinking to escape offers no reprieve.

I do not mind that my clothes are getting looser.

My lover is worthy of desire.

About: The poet longs for her lover so deeply that she neglects herself in a land that she isn’t familiar with. Successfully portraying that the poet’s love for her partner is so strong that she can only think about him.

12. 点绛唇-蹴罢秋千, 李清照 “Rouge Lips · She Jumps Off the Swing”, by Li Qingzhao

蹴罢秋千，起来慵整纤纤手。

露浓花瘦，薄汗轻衣透。

见客入来，袜刬金钗溜。

和羞走，倚门回首，却把青梅嗅。

TRANSLATION

She jumps off the swing, lazily stretching her slender hands.

The dew is heavy on the thin flower branch, a light sweat seeps through her shirt.

Seeing a guest, she runs away in her socks, her golden hair pin slipping off.

She leaves in embarrassment, yet pauses at the door to look back, and sniffs the green plums.

About: This straightforward poem was written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) by Li Qingzhao, one of the best-known female writers in Chinese history. Though only fragments of her works survived, she wrote prolifically during her lifetime, usually depicting the lives of girls and women in their boudoirs.

13. 卜算子, 李之儀 “Song of Divination”, by Li Zhi Yi

我住长江头，

君住长江尾。

日日思君不见君，

共饮长江水。

此水几时休，

此恨何时已。

只愿君心似我心，

定不负相思意。

TRANSLATION

I live upstream and you downstream,

From night to night of you I dream.

Unlike the stream you are not in view,

Though both we drink from River Blue.

When will the river no more flow？

When will my grief no more grow？

I wish your heart will be like mine，

Then not in vain for you I pine.

About: “Song of Divination” talks about separation between lovers and lovesickness, expressed by using the Yangtze river to show the distance between them.

The moon has special meaning in China, and is the subject of many legends in Chinese mythology. Chinese poems about the moon in particular were very common during dynastic China, with poets referencing the moon as far back as the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 A.D.).

In Chinese culture, the moon is commonly viewed as representing gentleness and brightness, with the full moon being a symbol of peace, prosperity, and family reunion. It is viewed by many as being a carrier of human emotions, with the ability to indicate a sense of belonging and family connection no matter where the family members may be.

One of the most important holidays on the Chinese calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival (or zhongqiu – 中秋节 “Moon Festival”), takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar calendar, when the moon is supposedly the fullest, and is known for being a time for family reunion. The origins of the festival derive from the custom of moon worship, and even to this day, it is expected for families to gather together and enjoy the view of the moon together to mark the occasion. Given the struggle so many have faced in reuniting with their families lately, it seems the right time to refamiliarize ourselves with some classic Chinese poems about the moon.

Keep scrolling to discover our favourite Mid-Autumn moon poems to read aloud amongst or in memory of your loved ones this year.

Chinese Poems about Love II

Source: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/chinese-poems/

14. 关雎 (Guān Jū) — The Crying Ospreys

关关雎鸠，

在河之洲。

窈窕淑女，

君子好逑。

guān guān jū jiū,

zài hé zhī zhōu.

yǎo tiǎo shū nǚ,

jūn zǐ hǎo qiú.

“Guan! Guan!” cry the ospreys,

On the islet on the river.

Elegant and graceful is the lady,

A fine match for the gentleman.

About the Poem:

This Chinese poem comes from 诗经 (shī jīng) — The Book of Songs, which dates back to 600 BCE. This one is a famous and beloved poem from Southern Zhou, and also includes Chinese animal sounds for onomatopoeia.

Key Terms:

鸠 (jiū) — (n.) turtledove; (literary) to gather

之 (zhī) — possessive particle equivalent to 的 (de); him; her; it

淑女 (shū nǚ) — lady; wise and virtuous woman

君子 (jūn zǐ) — gentleman; nobleman

逑 (qiú) — mate

15. 相思 Xiāng Sī — Lovesickness

红豆生南国，

春来发几枝？

愿君多采撷，

此物最相思。

hóng dòu shēng nán guó,

qiū lái fā jǐ zhī?

yuàn jūn duō cǎi xié,

cǐ wù zuì xiāng sī.

Red beans grow in the southern lands,

How many branches fall when spring arrives?

May the gentleman gather many of them

This is what makes him the most lovesick.

About the Poem:

王维 (Wang Wei) also penned this poem about one of China’s ancient symbols of love. Red beans (known as adzuki beans in other countries) represent yearning for love and fidelity. The original story tells of a woman waiting for her husband to return from war. She gets sick and dies from thinking about him too much. From her grave grows a red bean tree, pointing in her husband’s direction.

Key Terms:

愿 (yuàn) — to hope; to desire

采 (cǎi) — (n.) collection; (v.) to pick; to extract

撷 (xié) — to collect; to pluck

此 (cǐ) — this; these

相思 (xiāng sī) — (n.) lovesickness; (v.) to yearn; to pine

Ancient Chinese poems about the moon

Source: https://mandarinmatrix.org/chinese-poems-about-the-moon/

16. 《月 下 独 酌》 李 白 “Drinking Alone Under the Moon” by Li Bai

花 间 一 壶 酒，独 酌 无 相 亲。

举 杯 邀 明 月，对 影 成 三 人。

月 既 不 解 饮， 影 徒 随 我 身。

暂 伴 月 将 影， 行 乐 须 及 春。

我 歌 月 徘 徊， 我 舞 影 零 乱。

醒 时 同 交 欢，醉 后 各 分 散。

永 结 无 情 游， 相 期 邈 云 汉。

About the poem: This poem is talking about celebrating, spring, drinking wine and achieving spiritual awareness. Li Bai leaves the readers wondering if he’s celebrating life or if he’s lonely.

“Drinking Alone Under the Moon” by Li Bai (English translation) From a pot of wine amid the flowers, I drink alone beneath the moonshine without a partner.

Raising my cup, I invite the moon and turn to my shadow which makes us three.

The moon cannot understand my enjoyable drinking, and my shadow only follows silently wherever I go.

The moment with the moon and shadow, I take the opportunity to have a joyous time until the end of spring.

I sing and the moonlight lingers, I dance and my shadow scattered.

Sharing cheer when I am awake, separating our ways when I am drunk.

Make our friendships out of the secular world forever; meet next time in the sky together.

17. 《水調歌頭》 苏轼 （节录） “Prelude to Water Melody” by Su Shi (Original version – Excerpt)

人有悲欢离合，

月有阴晴圆缺，

此事古难全。

但愿人长久，

千里共婵娟。

About the poem: Su Shi had been missing his brother who he had not seen in 5 years, since both Su Shi and his brother were government officials in different cities. Su Shi was gazing at the moon and thinking of his brother as well as the ups and downs of his life before writing this poem.

“Prelude to Water Melody” by Su Shi (Translated version) Men have sorrow and joy; they part or meet again;

The moon is bright or dim and she may wax or wane.

There has been nothing perfect since the olden days.

So let us wish that man May live as long as he can!

Though miles apart, we’ll share the beauty she displays.

18. 《望月怀远》 张九龄 “Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away” by Zhang Jiuling

海上生明月，天涯共此时。

情人怨遥夜，竟夕起相思。

灭烛怜光满，披衣觉露滋。

不堪盈手赠，还寝梦佳期。

About the poem: This poem explores the idea that the moon is constant. It is the natural resource that can light up our world and can heat us in the winter. We are able to look up at the moon and understand that everything is alright.

“Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away” by Zhang Jiuling The moon, grown full now over the sea,

Brightening the whole of heaven,

Brings to separated hearts

The long thoughtfulness of night.

It is no darker though I blow out my candle.

It is no warmer though I put on my coat.

So I leave my message with the moon

And turn to my bed, hoping for dreams.

19. 《枫桥夜泊》 张继 “A Night-Mooring at Maple Bridge” by Zhang Ji

月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。

姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船。

About the poem: The poet is woken up from a troubled sleep. He is in a boat moored on a canal by a small bridge called Maple Bridge. The poet expresses that when the moon falls it gets cold and distressing, almost like you have to go back to the real world as soon as the moon falls.

“A Night-Mooring at Maple Bridge” by Zhang Ji (Translated version) While I watch the moon go down, a crow caws through the frost;

Under the shadows of maple-trees a fisherman moves with his torch;

And I hear, from beyond Su-chou, from the temple on Cold Mountain,

Ringing for me, here in my boat, the midnight bell.

Chinese Poems about Places

Source: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/chinese-poems/

20. 终南山 (Zhōng Nán Shān) — The Zhongnan Mountains

太乙近天都，

连山到海隅。

白云回望合，

青霭入看无。

分野中峰变，

阴晴众壑殊。

欲投人处宿，

隔水问樵夫。

tài yǐ jìn tiān dū, lián shān dào hǎi yú. bái yún huí wàng hé, qīng ǎi rù kàn wú. fēn yě zhōng fēng biàn, yīn qíng zhòng hè shū. yù tóu rén chù sù, gé shuǐ wèn qiáo fū.

The Taiyi Mountains near the Heavenly Capital Connects to the mountains to the corner of the sea. Clouds, when I look back, close behind me, Mists, when I enter them, are gone. A central peak divides the two sides of the Mountains, And sunny or cloudy alters in many remarkable gullies. Needing a place to stay the night, I ask the woodcutter over the river.

About the Poet:

18th-century influential poet 王维 (Wang Wei) wrote this poem about the Zhongnan mountains. Located south of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, the Zhongnan mountains are historically known as a dwelling for Taoist hermits, possibly since before the Qin Dynasty. You can also listen to the audio file of this piece to improve your listening skills.

Key Terms:

太乙 (tài yǐ) — Taiyi Mountains, used interchangeably with 终南山 (zhōng nán shān) and 周南山 (zhōu nán shān)

天都 (tiān dū) — Heavenly Capital

隅 (yú) — corner

霭 (ǎi) — mist; haze; cloudy sky

殊 (shū) — (adj.) different; remarkable; (adv.) really; extremely

樵夫 (qiáo fū) — woodman; woodcutter

Chinese Poems about Culture

Source: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/chinese-poems/

21. 乡愁 (Xiāng Chóu) — Nostalgia (MODERN POEM)

小时候

乡愁是一枚小小的邮票

我在这头

母亲在那头

长大后

乡愁是一张窄窄的船票

我在这头

新娘在那头

后来啊

乡愁是一方矮矮的坟墓

我在外头

母亲在里头

而现在

乡愁是一湾浅浅的海峡

我在这头

大陆在那头

xiǎo shí hou

xiāng chóu shì yī méi xiǎo xiǎo de yóu piào

wǒ zài zhè tóu

mǔ qīn zài nà tóu

zhǎng dà hòu

xiāng chóu shì yī zhāng zhǎi zhǎi de chuán piào

wǒ zài zhè tóu

xīn niáng zài nà tóu

hòu lái a

xiāng chóu shì yī fāng ǎi ǎi de fén mù

wǒ zài wài tou

mǔ qīn zài lǐ tou

ér xiàn zài

xiāng chóu shì yī wān qiǎn qiǎn de hǎi xiá

wǒ zài zhè tóu

dà lù zài nà tóu

When I was a child,

Nostalgia was a tiny postage stamp.

I, on this side,

My mother, on the other.

When I was older,

Nostalgia became a small ship ticket.

I, on this side,

My bride, on the other.

Later,

Nostalgia was a shallow grave.

I, on the outside,

My mother, on the inside.

And now,

Nostalgia is a gulf, a shallow strait.

I, on this side,

The mainland, on the other.

About the Poet:

余光中 (Yu Guangzhong) passed away in 2017. A contemporary Taiwanese poet, he was best known for this piece “Nostalgia,” which highlighted the displacement and longing for cultural unity between the mainland and the Chinese diaspora.

Key Terms:

乡愁 (xiāng chóu) — homesickness; nostalgia

枚 (méi) — piece; measure word for coins, rings, badges, satellites, etc.

头 (tóu) — side; head; top; beginning; end; measure word for livestock

窄 (zhǎi) — narrow; badly off

方 (fāng) — square; side; place; measure word for square objects

坟墓 (fén mù) — grave; tomb

海峡 (hǎi xiá) — channel; strait

22. 桃夭 (Táo Yāo) — The Peach Tree Tender

桃之夭夭，

灼灼其华。

之子于归，

宜其室家。

桃之夭夭，

有蕡其实。

之子于归，

宜其家室。

桃之夭夭，

其叶蓁蓁。

之子于归，

宜其家人。

táo zhī yāo yāo, zhuó zhuó qí huá. zhī zǐ yú guī, yí qí shì jiā. táo zhī yāo yāo, yǒu fén qí shí. zhī zǐ yú guī, yí qí jiā shì. táo zhī yāo yāo, qí yè zhēn zhēn. zhī zǐ yú guī, yí qí jiā rén.

The peach tree budding and tender, Vivid and bright its flowers. The maiden to be wed Is fitting for the house. The peach tree budding and tender, Its seedlings abundant indeed. The maiden to be wed Is fitting for the home. The peach tree budding and tender, Its leaves luxuriant and lush. The maiden to be wed Is fitting for the family.

About the Poem:

This poem is also from the 诗经 (shī jīng) collection. In Chinese culture, peach trees and the fruits themselves are symbolic of health, longevity, vitality and (in some cases) immortality.

Key Terms:

桃之夭夭 (táo zhī yāo yāo) — (idiom) the peach trees are in full blossom

灼 (zhuó) — (v.) to burn; to scorch; (adj.) bright; luminous

归 (guī) — to return; to give back to; to be taken care of; to marry

室家 (shì jiā) — house; couple; family; household

蕡 (fén) — (n.) hemp seeds; (adj.) abundant; luxurious

家室 (jiā shì) — wife; family; residence

蓁 (zhēn) — abundant; luxuriant

23. 过故人庄 (Guò Gù Rén Zhuāng) — Visiting an Old Friend’s Farmhouse

故人具鸡黍，

邀我至田家。

绿树村边合，

青山郭外斜。

开轩面场圃，

把酒话桑麻。

待到重阳日，

还来就菊花。

gù rén jù jī shǔ, yāo wǒ zhì tián jiā. lǜ shù cūn biān hé, qīng shān guō wài xiá. kāi xuān miàn chǎng pǔ, bǎ jiǔ huà sāng má. dài dào chóng yáng rì, hái lái jiù jú huā.

An old friend prepares chicken and millet, And invites me to his farmhouse. Green trees surround the entire village, Green hills stretch beyond the town. Open the pavilion window facing the courtyard and orchards, Raise our wine glasses, and speak of hemp and mulberry. We wait until the day of the Double Ninth Festival, To return here and admire chrysanthemums.

About the Poem:

Also featured in “Three Hundred Tang Poems,” this piece by 孟浩然 (Meng Haoran) references the Double Ninth Festival, an ancient Chinese holiday with traditions of drinking chrysanthemum tea.

Key Terms:

具 (jù) — (v.) to have; to provide; (n.) tool; device; measure word for devices, coffins and dead bodies

郭 (guō) — outer city wall

轩 (xuān) — pavilion with windows

圃 (pǔ) — garden; orchard

把酒 (bǎ jiǔ) — to raise one’s wine glass

重阳 (chóng yáng) — 9th day of the 9th lunar month; Double Ninth or Yang Festival

Chinese Poems About Life

Source: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/chinese-poems/ 24. 题西林壁 (Tí Xī Lín Bì) — Written on the Wall of the West Woods Temple

横看成岭侧成峰，

远近高低各不同。

不识庐山真面目，

只缘身在此山中。

héng kàn chéng lǐng cè chéng fēng,

yuǎn jìn gāo dī gè bù tóng.

bù shí lú shān zhēn miàn mù,

zhǐ yuán shēn zài cǐ shān zhōng.

A mountain range in panorama becomes a peak from the side,

Far, near, high and low, with no two alike.

I do not know the true face of Lushan Mountain,

Only because I myself am in the mountain.

About the Poet:

苏轼 (Su Shi) was a jack-of-all-trades back in the Song Dynasty. After visiting the mountains, he wrote this poem with the intention of reminding readers to not be blinded by personal prejudices in order to see things as they really are.

Key Terms:

岭 (lǐng) — mountain range

侧 (cè) — (n.) side; (v.) to incline toward; to lean; (adj.) lateral

成 (chéng) — (v.) to become; to complete; (adj.) capable

不识庐山真面目 (bù shí lú shān zhēn miàn mù) — (fig.) can’t see the forest for the trees; (lit.) not to know the true face of Lushan Mountain

缘 (yuán) — cause; reason; karma; fate

25. 枫桥夜泊 (Fēng Qiáo Yè Bó) — Night Mooring at Maple Bridge

月落乌啼霜满天，

江枫渔火对愁眠。

姑苏城外寒山寺，

夜半钟声到客船。

yuè luò wū tí shuāng mǎn tiān,

jiāng fēng yú huǒ duì chóu mián.

gū sū chéng wài hán shān sì,

yè bàn zhōng shēng dào kè chuán.

The moon sets and crows caw as frost fills the atmosphere

Under the riverside maple trees, the fisherman’s light disrupts my sleep.

Outside Gusu City is Hanshan Temple,

At midnight, the sound of bells reaches the ferry.

About the Poet:

张继 (Zhang Ji) was a Tang Dynasty poet who shared his experience of passing through Gusu City (now known as Suzhou City), fighting his homesickness and loneliness by describing the sights and sounds.

Key Terms:

啼 (tí) — to cry; to crow; to hoot

满天 (mǎn tiān) — whole sky

眠 (mián) — to sleep; to hibernate

姑苏城 (gū sū chéng) — Gusu City, now Suzhou ( 苏州 ) City

寒山寺 (hán shān sì) — Hanshan Temple; Cold Mountain Temple

Tips for Studying Poems on Your Own

Start with the classics. Classic poems (in any language) have been studied and analyzed time and time again, and will always be relevant for learning about history, culture and language. They’re also the most likely to have existing English translations, in case you need references.

Learn about the poets. Knowing which dynasty or historical period they’re from, their context and any other details can offer additional insight on the poem in question.

Do a literal translation of every character. Figure out the division of words and phrases (if any). From there, you can determine what definitions work best in the given context. For any unknown characters, try to identify the components before looking it up to improve your reading skills.

Session 14 FRI June 14, 9:45-11:15 s. 424 SIN III

Mon Jun 17 (Thursday classes), Tue Jun 18 (Friday classes) in Poland.

Final Exam TUE Jun 25, 9:45-11:15 s. 400 SIN III

Exam sessions: Jun 24-Jul 7. Retake session Sep 1-15.

Jul 20-22 Chinese Studies Conference.