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Morgan Evan The Chinese speaker; readings in modern Mandarin. (All parts.) Китайский разговорник; Байхуа.(Все части) PDF

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Preview Morgan Evan The Chinese speaker; readings in modern Mandarin. (All parts.) Китайский разговорник; Байхуа.(Все части)

RalisttaOas^hiStonOaitc ARTHUR PROBSTHAIN Orientil Bookseller ^1 r., Rusiell Street BY THE SAME AUTHOR A GUIDE TO WENLI STYLES AND CHINESE IDEALS (CHINESE AND ENGLISH TEXT) ESSAYS, EDICTS, PROCLAMATIONS. MEMORIALS, LETTERS, DOCUMENTS, INSCRIPTIONS, COMMERCIAL PAPERS Primarily this work is intended for students of Wenli. The selectionsaretendered in the belief that they offer a help towards further progress in Chinese Literature. Notes on Grammar and Construction have been added to elucidate, where possible, diffi- culties and obscurities. Anotherobject which the author had in vieiv, was to exhibit to English Readets the Great Thoughts of the Chinese people, both past and present. From Author's Preface. This is a mostexcellentcompilation ofchoice Chinese literary documents, with translations and with valuable notes. National Review. Mr. Morgan in his excellent translation of these ancient and modern essays has disclosed the mind of theChinese We would invite special attention to that gem of literature, "What a Child ought to Know." R.AS.Journal. One might reach far to find a more admirable collection of literary excerpts, as a basis for enjoyable study. Dr. John Wherrv in The Recorder. 500 pages, 6x9 inches, bound in cloth blocked In gold on backand side PRICE $5.00 NEW TERMS AND EXPRESSIONS Section 1. Terms and Expressions alphabetically arranged according to the Chinese sounds, with translation. Section 2. Terms grouped under final terras, as ±8, ^, ^, iS. Such an arrangement besides giving a bird's eye view of terms having a similar ending, will enable the student the more easily to study the method of constructing new terms, and help him to under- stand the facility with which new ideas find expression. It will further aid him to study the growth of Chinese historically, and to compare the development of this with other languages. Sec- tion 3. English words alphabetically arranged with page refer- ences. "Mr. Morgan's excellent little dictionary. No one will purchase and use this booklet without a feeling akin to gratitude to Mr. Morgan. He hasindeed supplied a 'felt want.' " Rev. G. G. Warren. Size 3x6 inches, 3S0 pp., full limp cloth blocked PRICE $1.25 Shanghai: C. L,. S. Depot. THE CHINESE SPEAKER READINGS MODERN MANDARIN IN BY EVAN MORGAN Pi^RTS I-IV SHANGHAI CHRLSTIAK LITKKATURE SOCICTY A.VD KELLY AND WALSH, LTD. 1916 ®fl tijr ©fftrrra wxh MtmbtVB of (Enmmtttrf of tl|p IBapliat iHtsstonarg i'orirtQ, iCcniiott, ujfjn Ijanp stttv sljown an unfatUtig ttttfrrat % in language anii proplr of (!II|ina, Iljia work is5 Utsrribpii bg tljt Autljor : INTRODUCTION Modern Mandarin implies amongst other things the introduction of new ideas demanding new words: suggests a more varied and complex world, and, therefore, possibly, a more involved thought. Of the new terms some have been recovered from old times, some have been recently coined. The author has for many years watched tlie native press for good Mandarin and he has been able to make a large compilation, from which the passages in this work have been selected. The pieces, for the most part, carry their own date and history. The work is intended to supply students, who have spent, at least, a year on some elementary, and progressive text book, with a more advanced coui^se of study. Text-books, made up of sundry sentences, lose their value after one year's study. Some more connected prose is wanted after that preliminary study. The author feels there is a need for such a book as the one offered now. Connected readings afford more interest, and, give a more comprehensive view of the language to the reader. Whilst choice and detached sentences are useful in the preliminary stages, yet it is wearisome and useless to continue too long in such a method. The consecutive steps in an argument, the continuous march of thought in connected sentences, are a fertile way of training the mind, and creating a comprehensive impres- sion of the power and flexibility of a language. These are as necessary as a good vocabulary to the Chinese Si>eaker. The passages selected represent a style of IMandarin that would be spoken Ijetween well educated scholars. Some may find parts of it a bit high for ordinary work. But in that case, it is only needed to add a fi'W words, here and there, to make the sentences more plain and clear. In any case, new terms will not be readily understood, except by those who are accustomed to them. Of course many new terms are really old, like ch'i tao jfjlfll which though it is as old as the hills, yet has a new significance in modern use. The words not only bring up classical ideas today, but cluster round the Christian Church. INTRODUCTION 11 Primaril}' these passages have been selected for the Mandarin but indirectly : the subject matter too has been kept in view. The subjects are all up to date dealing with what is vital and pressing in life. These cannot but be of great interest to the enquiring student. Thus there will be found in these pages many views of life in its various aspects, many phases of thought, and traditional ideas tiiat cannot fail to strike the reader as unique and original. The author has no doubt that many mistakes lie crouching in various corners. Some errors remain through inadvertence, some through pure ignorance: and one may seek shelter under the great name of Dr. Johnson, who when asked by a lad}', how he came to explain the word pastern as meaning the knee of a horse, replied at once "pure ignorance, Madam!" Some suggestions on the general question of translation may be profitably introduced at this point. The Chinese have been accustomed to pack their complicated thoughts into — AVen li; and the ordinary, simple, every day idea into the colloquial. There is a tendency now to express the more complex ideas in the colloquial form as will be seen in this volume. Hence the sentences sometimes are, or seem to be longer, and more involved, than those of earlier days. This constitutes an added difficulty in translation. The order of words in a new language sometimes are confusing to the student. Tlie inverted order is not peculiar to Chinese. It is so in every language, even the most closely allied languages. And the order in Cliinene does not differ more, from the order in English, than do other languages differ from it, in this respect. Why there should be this different order, it is difficult to say. Some attribute it to food, habits and climate. The elements of psychology too may have been a deter- mining influence. In any case the origin and causes for these differences lie in the lap of history. But it is an interesting study, and well worthy of the student's attention and thought. Generally speaking in studying Chinese we are dealing with a primitive speech, and the order of words often remain as they were impressed on the mind, and vision of primitive people. It is evident that national temperament will also have had much to do in determining the form and order of sjwech. Should the different order, or, multiplicity of words, or, the comjilexity of the sentence cause any difficulty, the sentence or passage should be read over once or twice to get the rhythm and familiarity with t!ie character. This will help to clarify the words, and give each its proper place. In any case, a preliminary reading of the whole piece is advisable before beginning the work of translation. — It should be remembered thatlittlewords, such as called usually, emptywords, really fill a definite place in composition. They should be looked upon as forming a IKTRODUCTION 111 part in the structure of the sentence, and in analysis it sliould be aslccd what function they fulfil. Some are connectives; some are prepositions; some are inter- rogatives; some may indicate mood or tense; and some may fill the function cor- responding to the prefix, or suffix in English, and so on. A list of many of these words has been added in Part I"\'. Sometimes the Chinese dispense with connectives whore they would be used in English and vice versa. Keep this in mind and make a note of such sentences. It is not always easy to determine where to place the full stop and break up sentences. But initial or terminal words, or the meaning, or the general idea should generally help to determine this. And so, in translating, it is Avell to pick out first the main clause, and tlien the subject and main verb; subsidiary words and clauses after. Sometimes too it is a help to write down a literal translation Of each word. No word should be approached with the preconceived idea that it means only what you have been accustomed to think it means. Approach words always with an open mind. For it often is a cause of ditHculty that the student endeavours to insert into a word he meets with, in a new connection, a meaning he has been used to, but which will not fit that word in this particular passage. To take a very simi)le example the beginner is told that ;^ is a verb and means is: but sometimes this preconceived knowledge of it does not fit in, and so difficulty arises. Sliili of course means many things. It is a verb: a demonstrative adjective: a pronoun and —^A M\— : so on. Again and fSC i pan has difl:'erent meanings in these two phrases. Therefore the same words should not be translated by the same English word in every case. They contain shades of meanings that demand different words iu English. "When the subject comes before the predicate it will be generally found the mood—is indicative: but when subject is not stated it is participial, conditional etc. For ^T Ex: -{fe^T li"^ l"is ^^'- Beiny, when, if. Many other suggestiojis will be found in the Annotations and other parts of the book. It was intended to insert an outline of grammar in this work, but that grew to such dimensions that it had to be abandoned as an integral part of this book. The author has to thank Rev. H. R. Williamson, B. D. for his valuable additions t/i the notes in Chapter VIII : Miss Thomas, Shantung, for additions and suggestions to the annotiitions in Chapter I, in addition to her work on the analysis: as well as other friends. He is also much indebted to Dr. Matcer's Mandarin Lessons.

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