Classical Chinese

Introduction to Grammar

Naiying Yuan, Haitao Tang, James Geiss

By Naiying Yuan, Haitao Tang and James Geiss

The Princeton Language Program: Modern Chinese

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About the Book

Classical Chinese has prevailed as a written language in China for more than three millennia, and entrance to China's vast literary treasury rests in an understanding of classical Chinese grammar. This concise yet comprehensive textbook offers an unsurpassed introduction to the grammar of classical Chinese and allows readers to acquire the necessary proficiency to read and enjoy traditional Chinese texts with ease.

Texts are presented in Chinese and English, and show the structural characteristics of basic sentence types in classical Chinese. The textbook examines critical words, phrases, and idiomatic constructions in terms of their respective positions and functions in a classical Chinese sentence. Examples illustrate each sentence type and are followed by precise translations in modern Chinese and English. Step-by-step exercises and answers are provided.

Rigorously field-tested and fine-tuned in classroom settings, Classical Chinese: Introduction to Grammar is the ideal complement to the three-volume textbook Classical Chinese: A Basic Reader and its supplementary volumes--Readings in Poetry and Prose, Selections from Historical Texts, and Selections from Philosophical Texts. Taken together, these books provide the definitive resource for students and instructors of classical Chinese language and culture.

Author

Naiying Yuan and Haitao Tang are Lecturers Emeritus in the Department of East Asian Studies at Princeton University. James Geiss (1950-2000) earned his PhD from Princeton University in 1979 and was a lifelong Ming scholar. They are the coauthors of several books on classical Chinese, most notably Classical Chinese: A Basic Reader (Princeton).