Since junior high, we have learned many articles or poems about literary Chinese. But when we become a college student, we have less time to read or use classical Chinese if we are not in Chinese Literature Department. So…
What is your view toward learning literary Chinese?
Do you think it is necessary? Why or why not?
Also, you can share your experience about learning classical Chinese.
Do you like literary Chinese? Why or why not?
You can choose several questions to talk about it.
Do not feel like taking an exam and feel stressful.
Feel free to make a comment.
Topic contributed by Tina Lee. Next one is Joy
If literary Chinese is not a subject of exams, I will be glad to embrace it without hesitation. I like Chinese very much since childhood. I had ever dreamed of entering Chinese Literature Department. However, after I suffer lots of classical Chinese quizzes, my passion toward majoring in Chinese faded. When I was in senior high, I have asked my families about the pros and cons of entering Chinese Department. I realize that Chinese is a familiar subject for me so I can study by myself. Even I am not in Chinese Literature Department, I can keep in touch with Chinese.
回覆刪除These years, the importance of Chinese has increased since China is thriving gradually. It is no denying that learning Chinese become a trend throughout the world. But, how about learning literary Chinese? Is it essential? I subjectively deem that learning literary Chinese can be a habit or leisure activity rather than a mission. Because most of people (including me) are not dreamed of being a literary giant or ancient people, people do not need to learn intricate and obscure languages. People may not need to make a poem or talk with bookishness. However, people should know how to use language with flexibility. For example, people can combine literary Chinese with vernacular Chinese or add some modern elements into classical Chinese such as Yu Dan’s “Insights into Analects”(于丹的論語心得) and Jay Chou’s “Chrysanthemum Terrace” (I am not his fan. I prefer Vincent Fang(方文山), who wrote the song.) Moreover, sometimes, using some literary Chinese poems or allusions properly in daily talks or writings is fine. Especially in diplomatic occasions, people will think those who quote classical Chinese poems erudite. All in all, as far as I concerned, learning Chinese is significant regardless of literary one or vernacular one.
Although we are not in Chinese Department, I think that learning Chinese is important. Other than the struggling between literary Chinese and vernacular Chinese, the dilemma of learning simplified Chinese or original Chinese exist these years. I remembered that Business Weekly(商周) had reported about Chinese-learning craze throughout the world. In the US, the AP Chinese Program exam (Advanced Chinese Program exam) started three years ago (in 2007.) The exam presented in simplified Chinese. In actuality, most foreigners learn simplified Chinese for its availability. Even in Taiwan, Taipei University had held a simplified Chinese recognition contest.
回覆刪除My history teacher in senior high had told us that recognizing simplified Chinese is an indispensable skill. In this issue, I cannot agree with my teacher more. Since the more language a person can recognize, the more advantage he/she has. For example, this semester, I take a class called “Economics of Overseas Chinese Affairs and Global Investment.” In this class, students are asked to do a report about the economics in an assigned country. My group worked on a country in North Africa, Tunisia. While doing this report, I found that if I know French, I can read the information on some Tunisia websites. (Tunisia had been colonized by France.) Likewise, if I can recognize the majority of simplified Chinese, I can read the commercial letters from China or visit the websites in simplified Chinese.
In my opinion, Chinese craze is a crucial trend.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Tina Lee
Hi! Guys! When I was in junior and senior high school, I like literary Chinese as well. I think it was because I was lucky to have very good Chinese teachers who taught literary Chinese in an interesting and clear way. However, I know that there are some issues discussing about whether or not we should learn literary Chinese, and is it appropriate to have literary Chinese in the Chinese exam. And I remember that in my Chinese textbook, the part of literary Chinese is more than vernacular Chinese, and sometimes my Chinese teacher would even skip the lesson of vernacular Chinese essay and just focus on the literary part. But to me, learning literary Chinese is not a torture, instead, it’s a way to understand more about the ancient writers’ thinking.
回覆刪除Then about the exam question, I think it is ok to have literary Chinese in the exam, because I think as a Chinese (or Taiwanese anyway, here I mean we use Mandarin Chinese as native language), it is better for us to know the development of Chinese literature. Like Tina had mentioned, many students would feel painful if we need to have literary Chinese in test. It might have the connection with Chinese teacher’s teaching style; some of the Chinese teachers like to ask students to memorize the text of the essays, this kind of boring activity would definitely decrease students’ passion toward knowing Chinese well.
In my opinion, classic Chinese literature is as precious as modern Chinese literature. Although now I don’t read literary Chinese actively, I still appreciate the atmosphere which is creating by the beautiful poems.
And about the issue of simplified Chinese and original Chinese, I respect both of them. I do think original Chinese is more beautiful than simplified Chinese, and I know that some foreigners also feel like the way I do. And I had a chance to chat with a Chinese years ago, she said my name “鳳” in original Chinese is more beautiful than in simplified Chinese, since in simplified version, they wrote “凤”. I respect simplified Chinese as well, because it is their way of writing. However, while I am writing, I would not prefer to write simplified version.
By the way, Joy and I were asked to read many essays which printed in simplified Chinese when we were in freshman Chinese courses (our teacher preferred using their text). Thus now, it is not a big problem for us to read in simplified Chinese, and I think it is a convenient skill since there are many knowledgeable sources written in simplified Chinese.
Actually, I don’t like literary Chinese, because I don’t know why modern people should learn a language that we won’t use in daily life. I still remembered that when I was in junior and senior high, Chinese teachers always asked students to memorize down the meanings of characters and have many quizzes. For me, the most annoying part of Chinese characters is that the same character has many different meanings. It was really a torture for me to memorize down so many meanings of Chinese characters. I think it is a little meaningless to memorize down so many meanings of Chinese characters. Without tests, I think it will be a pleasure to read and get meaningful morals from literary Chinese. Even though I don’t like literary Chinese, I won’t deny that there are many meaningful moral lessons and values in those articles. In my opinion, learning some literary Chinese is necessary if teachers don’t focus on how many meanings of Chinese characters that students can memorize down is perfect. In fact, I think Chinese is an interesting language, and I think it is fun to read. I still remembered when I was a child, I spent much time reading. I enjoyed reading stories, magazine, fictions, etc. However, after I entered junior and senior high school, my passion to reading seemed to disappear gradually. For me, reading is interesting, but if I have to reads for tests, I would think it is boring and unhappy. Actually, because I am an English major student, I have few chances to write in Chinese, and I discover that I forgot many easy Chinese characters now. It’s terrible. : ( In fact, I keep dreaming that I can read what I want to read, instead of reading for homework and quizzes in every weekend afternoon, drinking a cup of coffee, sitting on the grass, and listening birds singing, is that wonderful? I really look forward to the day to come!
回覆刪除Speaking of literary Chinese, I think it is an important part of Chinese culture. When I was in senior high school, I read a lot of essays and poem in literary Chinese. I like to read poem. I think poems are just like beautiful artworks. The poets in the past are extremely impressive to me. They can use words precisely. The most important part is that they can not only express their feelings through precise words but also can make the rhyme of poems beautiful. I think that only the poets in the past have the ability of doing good work on both expression and rhyme. Works of writers and poets nowadays do not have the same charm as the works in the past. Therefore, I claim that people who live in Taiwan or China must read some poems or essays in literary Chinese during their life because these works are treasures in Chinese culture. However, it is hard to deny that reading literary Chinese is boring when we read it for exams. We can not choose which work to read and are forced to read the works on the textbook. Works that are included in the textbook are important and representative; I can understand that. The point I will never understand is that why teachers limit our opinion about the work. For example, I think the poet may want to express “this” in this sentence but my teacher keep correcting me that the poet want to express “that” in this sentence. How can the teachers be strongly sure about what the writers mean in their work? Just for the reason that this kind of explanation is the correct answer in the exam? They are dead already. And I think that we, as readers, have the right to insist on our opinion about the works. Well, I think I am out of the topic. All I want to say is that I enjoy the elegant words and beautiful sentences in literary Chinese but I do not like that teachers correct my opinion about the works.
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