爱豆传媒

"How to Read Classical Chinese" is a study guide for classical Chinese that provides a detailed explanation of the "Shiji (史記)" - The Biographies of Wandering Cavaliers (遊侠列伝). Over the course of fifteen days, you will slowly read the entire text, word for word, with commentary added to every single line.
 
You may wonder what is the point of publishing this new book, when countless study books on classical Chinese have already been published and there are many translations of the "Shiji"?

Classical Chinese textbooks are clearly marked with kunten (訓点). This makes it seem like classical Chinese is a language in which kunten and kun'yomi (訓読み) are automatically determined according to the grammar. In reality, however, classical Chinese is a language in which the structural analysis and interpretation change depending on the context before and after, even for sentences that are exactly the same. It is surprisingly unknown that not only the way kun'yomi is read or the way a return point (返り点) is added, but even the position of commas and periods is based on nothing more than the interpretation of the annotator who added them. Adding punctuation yourself and thinking about the interpretation is exactly what reading classical Chinese is all about.
 
Is it right to punctuate here or there? Is the grammatical structure of this passage verb + object, or a noun parallelism? In this book, we have tried to present as many possible interpretations as possible. We have also added extensive explanations so that you can experience the task of choosing the one that best suits the context. Smart people may be frustrated and say, "Instead of listing all the incorrect interpretations, just show us the correct answers." However, I believe that even if we simply show the reader what we think is the correct answer and ask them to memorize it, the reader will not be able to read unfamiliar classical Chinese texts.
 
How should we read so that the meaning is conveyed without contradictions? Please take your time with us, just as if you were solving a puzzle, through trial and error over a cup of tea.
 
Of course, for important classics such as "Shiji", many punctuated texts and various annotations and modern translations have already been created. In this book, we have introduced as many of these annotations and references as possible in the main text. In "Chinese Classics Discussion" (1) to (3), the two authors discuss the parts that were particularly difficult to read, and in "Column" (1) to (5), we introduce various tips for reading classical Chinese.
 
How should you read, for example, "exist, die, live (存亡死生)"? (See "Chinese Classics Discussion" (1)). Should "(是吾徳不修也) He what/how sin (彼何罪)" be read as "What crime could he have committed? (彼に何の罪あらん)" or "How could he be guilty (彼に何ぞ罪あらん)"? (See "Column" (5))
 
If you are even a little interested, we hope you will pick up this book.
 

(Written by TAGUCHI Ichiro, Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences / 2024)