This lesson explains what Classical Chinese means, how it differs from Literary Chinese, and why scholars distinguish several historical stages. These distinctions matter because the written tradition continued for centuries after the language of the classics had changed.
There is no universally agreed definition of Classical Chinese. In a broad sense, the term refers to the language of influential Chinese literary classics, especially works associated with the Zhou through Han periods. The source tradition places its broad range from the start of the Zhou dynasty, around 1046 BCE, through the end of the Han dynasty in 220 CE.
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What is Classical Chinese?
It is the language associated with the Chinese literary classics, especially the texts used as models by later writers. Its exact historical boundaries depend on whether the term is being used broadly or narrowly.
What is pre-Classical Chinese?
It is the earlier form found in works written before the 6th century BCE, including some bronze inscriptions and parts of the Five Classics. Its archaic features made it less suitable as a later model for imitation.
What is Literary Chinese?
It is the later written tradition that consciously imitated Classical Chinese. It continued for centuries and changed gradually, even while maintaining a conservative literary style.
What is meant by post-Classical features?
These are grammatical and vocabulary innovations in some works after Qin unification that reflected aspects of Han spoken language. Later writers sometimes considered them too colloquial to imitate.
Why can Literary Chinese be hard for modern readers?
Its compact wording, older grammatical conventions, and frequent dependence on literary allusions require knowledge beyond the meanings of individual characters.
Quiz questions
What does diglossia describe in societies where Literary Chinese was used?Answer: The coexistence of a prestigious literary language and everyday local languages.
How does the fanqie method describe the pronunciation of a target word?Answer: It uses two other words, one indicating the initial and one the final portion.
What role did the Qieyun eventually have in imperial China?Answer: It became a pronunciation standard for compositions used in imperial examinations.
What does it mean to describe Classical Chinese as pro-drop?Answer: Subjects or objects may be omitted when their reference is understood.
What is parallelism in Classical and Literary Chinese writing?Answer: The placement of corresponding phrases or clauses alongside one another.
Based on the Wikipedia article Classical Chinese, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.