Questions tagged [literature]

The Chinese literature

Reading, stories and books, and other Chinese literature.

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How do Chinese writers portray different accents in literature?

Since the Chinese writing system isn't phonemic, I'm curious about how authors write dialogues that have characters speaking with thick accents. For example, the accent of someone from a rural area talking to a city doctor. Do authors use different…
Aeiou
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Does Jia Zheng (賈政) get angry over Xiren's (袭人) name in *Dream of the Red Chamber*?

Many online sources discuss the meaning and translation of Xiren's (袭人) name in Dream of the Red Chamber. But my question is that I recall there is some passage where the father Jia Zheng (賈政) gets angry when he discovers Baoyu has a servant named…
Colin McLarty
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The legend of the Chinese dragon

I found a story about the origin of the Chinese dragon in English but can't find it anywhere in Chinese. The characters' names are Chi Yu and Hieun Tse in the English version. Does anyone know if this story exists in Chinese or was it created by an…
Kantura
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Oral Tradition: Chinese Folktales, Sayings, Ballads, Songs, Chants, Etc

With the first translation and publication of the first edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales into English recently, I've been wondering a lot about Chinese and/or Sinological oral tradition. The Wikipedia page doesn't have a lot of information in Chinese,…
Mou某
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Who said "he who is in a rush shall walk slowly"?

A while back I read the saying "he who is in a rush shall walk slowly". I have seen it be attributed to Confucius (https://www.wer-weiss-was.de/t/redewendung-wer-es-eilig-hat-soll-langsam-gehen/8457422 https://www.quotez.net/german/konfuzius.htm)…
user22751
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Has the story《碾玉觀音》been translated into English?

I'm currently reading《碾玉觀音》and whilst I'm aware that Lin Yutang has produced a translation, I've been told it's not particularly loyal to the original plot and therefore am not keen on reading it as it might distort my understanding. Can anyone…
tainted
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What does Lao Tzu mean by "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished"?

Did he pro-claim this quote? I know Modern English didn't exist in his time, thus this is a translation. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” – Lao Tzu : quotes I disagree. The quote is hyperbolic nonsense. It doesn't even…
user26936
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What is this translation of "Journey To The West"?

I found this English translation of: Journey To The West on Inner Journey To The West dot com. I can't see any information about the translation though. Who did it? Was it published? Is it in the public domain? Their main page doesn't say anything…
Mou某
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Categories in Chinese literature - Original terms

I am reading Sabrina Knight, Chinese Literature, A very short introduction. The book mentions a fourth century division of literature into: Classics History Daoist and Buddhist Masters, Masters of Strategy, etc. Belles Lettres What are the…
Ludi
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Whats the most well known 圣谕书?

四川方言词典 defines 圣谕书 as: (名)旧时民间流传的劝人行善,宣扬因果报应的故事书,本为*讲圣谕用的底本,所以称~:屋主人时常惯用小竹片撑开眼睑,坐在下面看~。(祖61) 圣谕书 sounds like an interesting version of "Chinese fables". I'm curious as to what the most well known 圣谕书 is?
Mou某
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