Learn the difference between modern Chinese and classical Chinese
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: Is Modern Chinese very different from Classical Chinese? |
| Dehua: And what are the differences? |
| Michael: At ChineseClass101.com, we hear these questions often. |
| Sasha Lee, a high school student, is studying at school with her classmate, Chenxin Chen. She tries to read a quote in one of her textbooks, but finds a word written in a way she has never seen before. She turns to her friend, Chenxin, and asks, "Is this in Chinese?" |
| 李 萨莎: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| Dialogue |
| 李 萨莎: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| 陈 晨欣: 有的，但是在文言文里。 (Yǒu de, dànshì zài wényánwén lǐ.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| 李 萨莎: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| Michael: "Is this in Chinese?" |
| 陈 晨欣: 有的，但是在文言文里。 (Yǒu de, dànshì zài wényánwén lǐ.) |
| Michael: "Yes, but it's in Classical Chinese." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In Mandarin, "Classical Chinese" is commonly called |
| Dehua: 文言文 (wényánwén) |
| Michael: or |
| Dehua: 古文 (gǔwén). |
| Michael: When taken together, these two names explain the meaning of Classical Chinese: The first one, |
| Dehua: 文言文 (wényánwén), |
| Michael: literally means "language in texts," and the other, |
| Dehua: 古文 (gǔwén), |
| Michael: literally means "ancient language." So, as you may have guessed, Classical Chinese is the ancient Chinese language used in written texts. |
| Michael: In contrast to Classical Chinese being a "language in texts," or |
| Dehua: 文言文 (wényánwén), |
| Michael: Modern Chinese is considered a |
| Dehua: 白话文 (báihuàwén), |
| Michael: or "spoken language." In other words, in modern Chinese, the language you write is the language you speak. |
| Michael: Another difference between the two can be seen in the Chinese characters which are used. Unlike Modern Chinese, in which words often consist of two or more characters, Classical Chinese is very concise. In Classical Chinese, most words are conveyed with just a single character. |
| Michael: For example, the word "sleep" in Modern Chinese is |
| Dehua: 睡觉 (shuìjiào). |
| Michael: In Classical Chinese, however, the word for "sleep" is just |
| Dehua: 寐 (mèi). |
| Michael: In addition to often using different and fewer characters, another difference is that characters can have more meanings and usages in Classical Chinese. |
| Michael: For instance, in Modern Chinese, the character |
| Dehua: 假 (jiǎ) |
| Michael: generally serves as an adjective meaning "fake." But in Classical Chinese, it does not only function as an adjective, but also as a verb with a variety of different meanings, such as "borrow," "use," or "give." |
| Michael: Many such characteristics make Classical Chinese sophisticated and difficult to learn. For this reason, the usage of Classical Chinese was mainly limited to scholars and the educated during ancient times. |
| Michael: Since the Tang Dynasty, over 1000 years ago, spoken language, or |
| Dehua: 白话文 (báihuàwén), |
| Michael: began appearing more frequently in literature, especially in artistic works such as music lyrics and screenplays. But only in recent history, starting around the 1920s, has Modern Chinese become the mainstream in Chinese literature. |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Sasha said, "Is this in Chinese?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Dehua: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now let's take a look at her friend’s reply. |
| And do you remember how Chenxin said, "Yes, but it's in Classical Chinese." |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Dehua: 有的，但是在文言文里。 (Yǒu de, dànshì zài wényánwén lǐ.) |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the conversation in detail: I will say the English translation, and then you try to say the equivalent Chinese. Dehua will then model the correct answer and you can repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. |
| How do you say, "Is this in Chinese?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehuar: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen to Dehua again and repeat. |
| Dehua: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 汉语里有这个吗？ (Hànyǔ li yǒu zhège ma?) |
| Michael: Let's move on to the second sentence. |
| How do you say, "Yes, but it's in Classical Chinese." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 有的，但是在文言文里。 (Yǒu de, dànshì zài wényánwén lǐ.) |
| Michael: Did you get it right this time? Listen to Dehua again and repeat. |
| Dehua: 有的，但是在文言文里。 (Yǒu de, dànshì zài wényánwén lǐ.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 有的，但是在文言文里。 (Yǒu de, dànshì zài wényánwén lǐ.) |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Classical Chinese isn't only found in ancient literature; you can learn a lot of Classical Chinese vocabulary from idioms which are still in use today. |
| Michael: As a simple example, consider the Chinese idiom |
| Dehua: 人人皆知 (rén rén jiē zhī), |
| Michael: meaning "everyone knows." While the character |
| Dehua: 皆 (jiē) |
| Michael: means "all," in Modern Chinese, people are more likely to use the word |
| Dehua: 全都 (quándōu). |
| Michael: Despite differences like this, characters from Classical Chinese are kept in place within idioms, and people continue to use these expressions just as was done in prior times. |
| By the way, this idiom originates from what is regarded as one of the greatest works in classical Chinese literature. The novel is called |
| Dehua: 红楼梦 (Hónglóumèng), |
| Michael: or Dream of the Red Chamber, and was written during the Qing Dynasty, more than 200 years ago. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Dehua: 再见！ (Zàijiàn!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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