Classical Chinese (古文, Pinyin: gǔ wén, "ancient text") is the language of the classic literature from the Spring and Autumn period through to the end of the Han Dynasty, a written form of Old Chinese. The term is also used for Literary Chinese (文言文 wényán wén, "text of written language"), a traditional style of written Chinese modelled on the classical language, making it different from any modern spoken form of Chinese.
Questions tagged [classical-chinese]
213 questions
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Use of 以 in 臣以弑君、可謂仁呼
I'm not sure what this sentence means. My dictionary lists 以 as having an adverb-like function of indicating purpose or result so my best guess in translation would be "A vassal intending to kill/having killed his lord, can this be called 仁?"
Is…
HAL
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What is the classical Chinese meaning of 或?
I am reading a text that uses the following phrase:
或謂鄭相曰
I understand it generally to mean that
someone told to the prime minister of Zheng saying
However, I don't understand exactly what the character 或 means here.
forrest
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If Confucius came back to life today and scribbled a message, could most modern Chinese people understand it?
For example (and I am not sure if this is a good example), if presented the following stone inscription (石鼓文, source, c. 374 B.C.), could most modern Chinese people understand it (even vaguely)?
(This question inspired by this Skeptics.SE…
user4133
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what does triple 有 mean (非汝佛有有有无也明矣)
In Li Zhi's 焚书 there is a following sentence: "既目前无佛，他日又安得有佛也？若他日作佛时，佛方真有，则今日不作佛时，佛又何处去也？或有或无，自是识心分别，妄为有无，非汝佛有有有无也明矣"
I am confused aboout this triple 有 with 无 at the end. Should it be read like 有有，有无 ("there is what is and what is not") or…
McCzajnik
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黃中 = being employed as an imperial government official/having a career in the imperial government?
Many Chinese clans have a "昭穆", a kind of poem from which each generation of the clan picks a successive character as a prefix to given names, so we can easily identify people from one generation to another. For instance, I am of the "性" generation…
Kal
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What kind of typology does ancient Chinese belong to?
Modern Chinese belongs to the group of languages are isolating, just like English, but even purer. English once was not isolating but possessed flection.
Is the situation with English similar to that of ancient Chinese or the oldest version of…
eugene_laserhair
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道 vs 途 in religious texts
As we all know, 道 is an important concept in classical Chinese, meaning "the way" in the metaphorical sense. It is a central concept in Taoism, but it was also used in Buddhism and Confucianism to designate the proper attitude, habits and…
米好 '-'
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What does 乃 mean here?
On a particular forum is a banner reading:
此乃舊貼唯讀區
which I imagine is a highfalutin way of saying that this thread is read-only.
Now, 乃 has many senses in my dictionary. What is the sense of 乃 being used here? My best guess would be "only", in the…
jogloran
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What does 苦 mean here?
初，安肅州苦徐水之害，訴於大司農司，大司農司欲奪水故道，導水使東。東則清苑境也，地勢不利，果導之，則清苑被其害，而水亦必反故道為災。
from: https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=415731&remap=gb
My translation thus far:
At first, Ansu City (???) some sort of bad thing, so [he] went to the Grand Minister of…
a6623
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How to identify 使動用法 in Classical Chinese?
How do you identify phrases using 使動用法 in Classical Chinese?
Take this excerpt for example (Baidu article here):
然以其鄉之未嘗有也，舟載以歸而誇諸人。（明·方孝孺《遜志齋集》）
My initial interpretation of 誇諸人 was 誇贊衆人 (praise everyone/the audience).
However, I was later…
mbjb
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Tang Dynasty Inscription
In researching a Tang inscription (661 CE) I came across this in a journal article.
此外，玄导时代刻经有年号、施主、住僧可考的，有唐显庆六年（661）涿城府左果毅都尉杨社生及其一家施刻的“心经”[附注11]
(11)显庆六年“心经”题记:“雍州栎阳县游骑将军守左卫涿城府左果毅都尉杨社生、母段、妻扈、息怀庆、玄嗣、玄黎、玄……眷属、缘此功德、齐成正觉。显庆六年二月八日造。
I think I mostly…
Jayarava
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For a long time, I caused the to be
I'm working on a literary translation of a 16th century Joseon prose narrative, and I'm here to ask for help with a few of the bits I'm finding gnarly and confusing. I've hit on the passage:
久作江湖之漫浪。 何圖不我遐棄。
I have translated it as:
"For a long time…
jeongin
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Confucius quote: what's the original?
The man who moves a mountain starts by carrying away small stones.
This is (reportedly) a quote from the Analects of Confucius. I have tried looking for 山 in the whole Wikisource text and found the following…
MickG
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word meaning of 回也其庶乎 in Classical Chinese
Could someone explain the meaning of every character after "也" in "回也其庶乎"?
I'd appreciate your help.
Apollyon
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What is the usage of 子 in 「修我戈矛，与子同仇」?
This particular phrase comes from《诗经·秦风·无衣》
Full: 岂曰无衣？与子同袍。王于兴师，修我戈矛。与子同仇！
Andrew Wang
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