Chapter 3 between the meaning
This small book talks about some problems that may be encountered when speaking or learning classical Chinese.Before talking about the problem, let's talk about what is classical Chinese.This starts with ancient Chinese.As the name suggests, ancient Chinese is the Chinese language used by the ancients as a tool of communication.There are two questions here: one is what era does "ancient" refer to, and the other is what kind of language "language" refers to.Let me talk about the previous question first. In ancient times, it was more than two thousand years since there were documents available for examination, even as far as the Sui and Tang Dynasties.Over time, everything changes, and language is no exception.If the words of Confucius were handed down truthfully, I am afraid that Han Yu, who is the successor to the orthodoxy, may not be able to understand it. Then, should Confucius' words or Han Yu's words prevail?Let’s talk about the second question. Starting from oracle bone inscriptions, there are indeed a lot of documents that can be tested, but it is difficult to know exactly how far these documents are from the spoken language and how far they are.Ancient, unclear; language, also unclear.what to do?The feasible way is to take the similarities and discard the minor differences.Fortunately, our ancient Chinese does have great unity, that is, the so-called "classical Chinese". The Gong'an faction of the Ming Dynasty followed the standard step by step. In this way, classical Chinese occupies a high position, and when one shouts in the hall, one promises in the hall, forming a fairly harmonious unity.This unification, rather than ancient Chinese, might as well be called "classical Chinese".Naturally, there are unavoidable differences among the great similarity of classical Chinese. For example, the overly ancient words and phrases found in oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, and even those in "Shangshu" seem a bit strange; Heretics, novels, and vulgarity can be kept and ignored.Classical Chinese and modern Chinese have an inheritance relationship.This relationship is very subtle, do you think they are completely different?No; you said there are not two kinds?Not right either.To put it bluntly, it is a disconnected relationship, there are similarities in differences, and differences in similarities.The sameness in the difference shows the easy-to-learn aspect, that is to say, it is possible to use the present to understand the past, and the meaning is taken from the text;When we read classical Chinese works, we can understand the meaning from the shape of the characters; when we read it, we can understand the meaning from the sound or both.Let’s just look at it here. There is a certain agreed relationship between the shape and the meaning. If you are familiar with this agreed relationship, you can naturally understand the meaning from the text.However, classical Chinese and modern Chinese are not the same, and often even different, in the conventional relationship between font form and meaning, so people who are not familiar with classical Chinese can easily transfer the conventional relationship of modern Chinese to classical Chinese, so they are wrong, at least specious.Therefore, in order to achieve correct understanding in the teaching and reading of classical Chinese, we must pay attention to some differences between the meanings of classical Chinese and modern Chinese.Between the meaning of classical Chinese, we must pay attention to the situation that it is different from modern Chinese, so it is easy to misunderstand; like the following two cases, because it is not easy to make mistakes, we can regard it as irrelevant.One is dead, that is, words that are not used in modern Chinese.Such words, the more advanced the era, the greater the number.For example, "Weizu" in "The Book of Songs", "Zhanshui Huhu" in "The Book of Songs", "Sijiu Jizhi" in "Yili", "弆", "滺" and "铏", are not used in modern Chinese.No, if you don't know it, you won't be misunderstood because of the literal meaning.The other is that the meanings of ancient and modern words have not changed, such as "water", "fire", "marriage", "marriage", "red" and "yellow".It must be noted that it is easy to make mistakes as the name implies.There are various situations, here are some common examples.
1. Alien shapes from ancient to modern times (1) Feast Erxin · Hun, like a brother like a brother. ("The Book of Songs·Beifeng·Gufeng") (2) Corpse Keeper·Ranhuo is placed in the navel of Zhuo, and the light reaches the dawn. ("Book of the Later Han·Dong Zhuo Biography") (3) If it is violent in one day and cold in ten days, there is no one who can survive. ("Mencius·Gao Zi 1") (4) Wang Xi told Zhao Gong: "I can eliminate the slander, but I dare not speak." marriage". "Ran", now write "burn". "Violence" is now written as "exposure". "Zhao", now write "Shao".If you don't know the different ways of writing in ancient and modern times, it is easy to misread and misunderstand.
Second, the ancient characters Tongjia (1) Distance from the pass, Wu Nei princes, the Qin land can be the king. ("Historical Records · Xiang Yu Benji") (2) May Bo Ju say that his ministers dare not · Bide also. (Ibid.) (3) Every day must come to thank King Xiang. (Ibid.) (4) Zhang Liang came out, and wanted Xiang Bo. (Ibid.) "Distance" connects with "rejection", "nei" connects with "na", "bei" connects with "back", "flea" connects with "zao", "yao" connects with "invite", these are ancient characters that connect false.Tongjia is to borrow other characters to make this character, that is, to write other characters.Of course it is not good to write other characters, but the ancients used to do this, and it is already a fait accompli, so we have to tolerate it and spend more energy memorizing it.
3. Different meanings in ancient and modern times (1) Abandon armor, drag soldiers and walk, or stop after a hundred steps. ("Mencius King Hui of Liang Part I") (2) I went to the army for dozens of miles. ("Historical Records Biography of General Li") (3) I know that the crime of bullying the king should be punished, so I invite you to make a soup. ("Historical Records Biography of Lian Po Lin Xiangru") (4) If you are poor, you will be good for yourself, and if you are rich, you will be good for the world. ("Mencius · Dedication") "Soldier" refers to weapons in ancient times. "Go" refers to running in ancient times. "Go" means to leave in ancient times. "Soup" refers to boiling water in ancient times. "Poor", in ancient times, refers to lack of ambition, not lack of property, so the antonym of "poor" is "da" or "tong", not "rich" (the antonym of "poor" is "rich").Many words have changed in meaning from ancient to modern times, some have changed greatly, and some have changed slightly. Even if the changes are small, if they are interpreted according to the preconceptions of modern Chinese, they will be specious.
4. There are big differences between ancient and modern sayings (1) The minister is sincerely afraid to see that he is bullied by the king and loses Zhao. ("Historical Records Biography of Lian Po Lin Xiangru") (2) The emperor has no relatives, but virtue is the assistant. ("Shangshu · Zhou Shu · Cai Zhongzhi's Destiny") (3) But the wisdom is short, so the use is rampant. ("Three Kingdoms: The Biography of Zhuge Liang") (4) Stop and sit in the maple forest at night, and the frost leaves are red in February flowers. (Du Mu's "Mountain Journey") "see" here means passive. "Yes", the function here is to form the prepositional sentence of the object (meaning "only those who are virtuous"). Both "yong" and "sitting" express reasons, but their usages are different: "yong" usually omits the object "zhi", but "sitting" must have an object (here it is "Love Fenglin Wan").
5. Antisense (1) All the private lawsuits of men and women should be listened to by the Shengguo Society. ("Zhou Li·Diguan·Meishi") (2) It can cause chaos in all directions. ("Shangshu · Zhou Shu · Gu Ming") (3) Dare to obey orders. ("Zuo Zhuan" Xuangong 12th year) (4) The sound of wind and rain at night, flowers falling · How much do you know. (Meng Haoran's "Spring Mian") "Victory country" is a country that perished due to defeat, "chaos" means "governance" in all directions, "dare" means not daring, and "knowledge" means not knowing. pay attention.
Six, different sounds and different meanings (1) I think that Li Guang is old, and the number is odd, so don't make it Shanyu. ("Historical Records Biography of General Li") (2) Furun House, Delicious Body, Mind Wide Body, Fat. ("Book of Rites · University") (3) (Wang) Gong said: "I have nothing long in my life." ("Book of Jin·Wang Gong Biography") (4) Where does the boat go with a spear? My home is in the yellow leaves in the south of the Yangtze River village. (Su Shi's "Book Two Autumn Landscapes Painted by Li Shinan") The pronunciation of "odd" in "odd numbers" means bad luck. The "fat" in "body fat" is pronounced pan, which means a peaceful appearance, not obesity. The "long" pronunciation of "长物" is redundant. The "bian" in "Bian Zhou" is pronounced pi an, which means small.These words are easy to misread.In order to misunderstand, we must pay special attention.
Seven, the expression is not common sense (1) until the Double Ninth Day, still come to the chrysanthemum. ("Meng Haoran's "Passing the Old Man's Village") (2) I don't know Nantang Road, but now I know the Fifth Bridge. (Du Fu's "Accompanying Zheng Guangwen on a Tour of General He's Ten Poems") (3) So, the first trip·Kai·Yuan Tongbao money, worth two baht and four ginseng. (Volume 189) (4) (August) Bingzi, Empress Dowager Longyou sent to Nanjing, and ordered Guo Zhongxun, the commander of the guards and horse troops, to guard. ("Song History·Gaozong Benji") "Chrysanthemum" here is not the name of flowers, but the name of wine. "Fifth" here is not the fifth bridge that has crossed four bridges, but the surname of a big bureaucrat. "Kaiyuan" is easily misunderstood as the year name of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. In fact, it means the founding of the country, because the money was cast in the fourth year of Tang Gaozu Wude. "Nanjing", as the name implies, refers to the current Nanjing as if there is no problem, but it is actually wrong, because Nanjing in the Song Dynasty is now Shangqiu in Henan.
Eight, the meaning of the ancient division and the present combination (1) The leaves are similar, but their flavors are different. ("Yanzi Spring and Autumn Annals") (2) Zhong Li pulls the sound of collapse. (Lin Sihuan's "Preface to Autumn Sound Poems") (3) There is no other way of learning, just ask for it to relax. ("Mencius Gaozi 1") (4) But look (read kan) What is the wife and son's worries, and the poems and books are full of joy. (Du Fu's "Wen Guanjun Takes Henan and Hebei") "In fact" is now a word, which is equivalent to saying "actually". In ancient times, it was two words, which should be understood as "its fruit".In the same way, "middle (read jian)" is equivalent to saying "the middle is mixed" now; "rest assured" is equivalent to saying "loose heart" now;Two syllables, the ancient syllables, have now become synonymous, and this situation is also very common. If you don’t pay attention, and rashly use the present as an example, you will make mistakes.
Nine, the meaning can only be determined according to the context (1) Xiangru said: "The king must have no one, and the minister is willing to serve as an envoy." ("Historical Records Biography of Lian Po Lin Xiangru") (2) And the princes dare to save Those who have pulled out Zhao must move their troops to strike first. ("Historical Records Biography of Lord Xinling") (3) Li's Zipan, seventeen years old, good at ancient prose, and he has learned all of Liu Yi Jing Chuan. (Han Yu's "Teacher's Talk") (4) Fisherman's nets gather in Chengtan, and the tourist boats come with them. (Du Fu's "Ye Lao") "The king must have no one", according to the context, we know that if the king must have no one. "Zhao has been pulled out" means after the Zhao country is conquered in the future. "Six Arts" can be interpreted as rites, music, archery, imperialism, books, and numbers, and it can also be interpreted as "Six Classics". Learn "Yu" (driving a car). "Xia" in "Chengtan Xia" looks like a locator word at first glance. Look at the second couplet, which is the antithesis of "lai", and then you know it is a verb, and it should be interpreted as Xiawang.
10. The difference between ancient and modern appellations In terms of appellations, don't take them literally, but mechanically understand them literally.For example, "big father" is grandfather, not big father; "aunt" is father-in-law, not uncle and aunt; "first son" is the dead father, not the former son; "outsider" is husband, not outside son ;etc.The above mentioned are some common situations, and it is difficult to see the whole leopard in one tube.In order to avoid misunderstandings, those who are not very familiar with classical Chinese had better read books with annotations first; when reading books without annotations, they would rather be more skeptical.If you can be suspicious, and develop the habit of consulting more dictionaries, the situation of plausibility and plausibility can be gradually reduced.The misunderstandings discussed above are all about words.In addition to words, words, and sentences, this is naturally the case.A sentence, or the structure of a sentence smaller than a sentence or larger than a word, from a literal point of view, sometimes there are more than one way to say it, or it seems that it can be understood in this way but it is actually inappropriate. If you are not careful or are not familiar with the expression habits of classical Chinese, it is easy misunderstanding.Such situations vary in form and content, and it is difficult to cite one example to generalize the rest.Here are some examples to illustrate that, from a grammatical point of view, some misunderstandings are related to the structure of sentences.For example: (1) Grinding and sharpening does not see its loss, and sometimes it is exhausted; planting and raising trees does not see its benefit, but sometimes it grows large. (Mei Cheng's "Admonishment to the King of Wu") (2) The journey of the avenue also makes the world a public: choose the virtuous, and capable, and talk about trust and harmony. ("Book of Rites · Li Yun") (3) There are disciples of Song Yu, Tang Le, and Jing Chai in Chu. They are all good at speech and known for their prose; Don't dare to speak out. ("Historical Records Biography of Qu Yuan") (4) Because of Fu, Heng kept writing and writing without adding points. (Mi Heng's "Fu on Parrot") Example (1), "planting trees" is easily understood as a verb-object relationship, planting trees; in fact, it is symmetrical with "animal raising" here, not a verb-object relationship, but a parallel relationship, "tree" It is a verb and it also means species.Example (2), "and" in "selecting talents and abilities" is easy to understand as "harmony", so "virtuous and capable" becomes the object of "selection"; in fact, it is not the case, "selecting talents" is symmetrical with "and ability" , "Yu" communicates with "Ju", that is, selection, which is a verb, and "Yeng Neng" is a verb-object relationship.Example (3), what is the relationship between "calm" and "rhetoric"?Some people understand it as a parallel relationship, which means calm attitude and beautiful speech; some people understand it as a verb-object relationship, which means euphemism.Judging from the context, this is talking about Fu, not about being an official, and it should be understood from the latter.Example (4), "adding dots" is easy to understand as a sentence sentence, which becomes the verb-object relationship; in fact, here is a parallel relationship, "adding" is to add characters, "dot" is to subtract words, there is no need to increase or decrease, it is to emphasize the description of literary talent high.Some misunderstandings have nothing to do with the structure of the sentence.For example: (5) When Song Hua came to the alliance, all his officials followed him.The book says "Song Sima Huasun", which is expensive.At the banquet with the public, the resignation said: "The king's first minister offended the Duke Shang of the Song Dynasty, and his name is in the policy of the princes. The minister accepts his sacrifice, and he dares to insult the king! Please accept the order from Yalu." · Lu · People think Min . ("Zuo Zhuan" Wen Gong fifteen years) (6) I can't compete with the powerful for the victory of ponds, pavilions, flowers and stones. Only by taking all the soil, I can fill the garden without labor, which is also suitable. (Tang Shunzhi's "Ren Guanglu Zhuxi Ji") (7) Master said: "If you don't get angry, don't open up, don't talk about it, if you don't use three corners to reverse it, then it won't come back." ("The Analects of Confucius Shuer") ( 8) If the Sixth Army does not show any helplessness, it will die before turning around. (Bai Juyi) In example (5), "Lu people", "Ji Yi" interprets it as "a dull person", and Liu Zhiji's "Shi Tong Narrative" also agrees with this statement.In fact, there are serious problems because: 1. In ancient classics, people from Qi, Jin, and Qin all refer to the name of the country, and the place where Huaguo sent an envoy is the state of Lu. How could the "Lu" in "not refer to the State of Lu?"2. It is humility that Hua Yu dare not sit with Lu Jun. According to the moral concept expressed in the book "Zuo Zhuan", it should be praised.3. The scriptures cited above referred to him as "Hua Sun", and interpreted it as "the noble one". How come it is suddenly said that only fools call him "Min"?It can be seen that it is wrong to understand it as "blunt". (Jiao Xun's "Chunqiu Zuozhuan Bushu" also talked about this issue, saying that "Lu people" should be interpreted as people of Lu State.) Example (6), "victory" can be interpreted as "victory" or "victory". It is interpreted as the victory of "beautiful scenery", but here obviously it should not be understood as a competition for victory or defeat, because: 1. The master is happy with his retirement, and of course he will not try his best to compete with the powerful.2. There are "chiting flowers and stones" as a modifier before "victory". Of course, "victory" cannot be a victory or defeat.Example (7), "不消", some people interpret it as "no longer use this teaching method", which means that it is very hard to teach people, and it means good.But looking at the above, it is said "such a stupid person who cannot learn by himself", if the meaning of "fu" is "no longer use this teaching method", then it cannot be connected, so it should still be understood as "no longer teach ".Example (8), "wanzhuan", some people interpret it as describing the twisting of Concubine Yang's body when she was strangled.This is obviously inappropriate, because: 1. Looking at the sentiment of the whole poem, Bai Juyi would never specifically describe the image of tragic death.2. "Wanzhuan" describes "moth eyebrow", which should mean a beautiful side.3. The original meaning of "wanzhuan" is "docile and follower", why can't the original meaning be used here?Looking at the music history "Taizhen Gaiden", it is recorded that Concubine Yang Guifei said this when she died: "I went up to the palace, asked my concubine to leave the hall door, and said goodbye to the north wall of the horse road, so that the powerful man would die. The concubine wept and sobbed. Overwhelmed with emotion, he said: "May everyone have a good life. The concubine is sincerely responsible for the country's grace, and I have no hatred to die. Beg for mercy and worship the Buddha." The emperor said: "May the concubine be born in a good way." " Isn't it appropriate to describe it?The above two types are related to structure or have nothing to do with structure. From the perspective of requiring correct understanding, it is okay for us not to distinguish them.There is only one way to prevent misunderstanding, that is, to pay more attention to the context, and then choose a reasonable way of speaking.The so-called reasonableness means that it must not only conform to the meaning of the text, but also conform to the expression habits of classical Chinese.