Chapter 14 Appendix II

This small book titled was written in the early 1980s. In the "a few sentences written in front of it", it was said that "whether everyone should learn classical Chinese is a big problem", but it was just a little light and didn't talk about it.Two or three years later, I wanted to talk about this issue, so I wrote an article "About Learning Classical Chinese", which was published in "Chinese Essays (1)" (published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press).This article is a general study of classical Chinese, and it may be of some reference value to the readers of this small book, so I take the opportunity of this new printing and collect it here as an appendix.

About Learning Classical Chinese Classical Chinese is a written language that is far from spoken language.This is a general statement in today's world, it is not accurate, and it is rarely accurate.The question is what the colloquial refers to. Some "oaths" in the "Shangshu" and inscriptions on ancient bronze vessels are presumably far from the spoken language at that time, even if there are, they are not very big, but we say that they are classical Chinese.It seems that spoken language should refer to the present.But it is not entirely true, because the quotations of Zen monks and Zhuzi in the middle ages are not far from the spoken language today, but we do not say that they are classical Chinese.This issue is quite complicated. To put it bluntly, it is a language. Objectively speaking, taking works from the Qin and Han Dynasties as samples, it has its own set of lexical and grammatical systems that are not restricted by spoken language; subjectively, literati write according to the specifications of this system. Writing, ignoring spoken language, even deliberately avoiding spoken language.

For more than two thousand years, most of the classics were written in this way, and we call it classical Chinese.Talk, use another set.The same expression expresses the meaning, using two sets, the burden is heavy.The bigger inconvenience is that it is difficult to understand and learn.Thus, inspired by foreign alphabetic characters, a literary revolution occurred during the "May 4th" period. An important part of the revolution was to switch to vernacular writing to ensure that the language and writing were consistent.This gust of wind is not small, as evidenced by the phenomenon, for decades, modern languages ​​have dominated newspapers and books.But classical Chinese is not dead.A small number of old and young people still use it to write, at least some kind of writing, such as letters and diaries, not to mention it.It is worth noting that it is still learning.When I was in elementary school, the first lesson of the first volume of Chinese (now called "Chinese") was "people, hands, feet, knives, and rulers." "Foot" was used instead of "feet."In middle school, high Chinese is all classical Chinese.This textbook tradition was also inherited after liberation, but the amount of classical Chinese was reduced.If you ask why this is the case, the answer is probably that in order to be able to critically accept cultural heritage, that is, you must read ancient books.Is it really impossible not to read?This is clearly a problem, but not much has been brought up for in-depth discussion.Most people pay more attention to the fact that classical Chinese is difficult to learn, and most young people can't learn it, wasting a lot of time and energy; there are many people who haven't learned modern Chinese well, and the study of classical Chinese should probably bear part of the responsibility.Considering it this way, the conclusion is that we should not learn.The fact is that we are learning, but many people say that we don’t want to learn. This creates a contradiction, or at least the problem has surfaced.How to deal with it?It is said that some Chinese periodicals are about to initiate discussions, which is very good. If there are problems, they should be resolved as soon as possible and properly.I personally think that this issue is very complicated, and I am afraid that all aspects of it cannot be settled by a simple "yes" or "no", that is to say, they all need to be analyzed.The following is based on analysis, and I will talk about my views item by item.

1. The length of classical Chinese classics Now when I get a certificate or study for a degree, I don’t take stereotyped essays or post poems, and I study classical Chinese just to be able to read classics in classical Chinese.Are Classical Chinese Classics Worth Reading?This doesn't seem like a problem.In fact, it is not the case, even as Mr. Lu Xun once advocated that young people should not read thread-bound books.Naturally, it was difficult for him to follow through on this aspect, because he read a lot of thread-bound books, and he even drew up a catalog of ancient books for the son of his friend Xu Shoushang.I have to read it for the following reasons: (1) Generally speaking, so far, the vast majority of Chinese characters are written in classical Chinese. If you want to inherit this cultural heritage, you must learn classical Chinese. (2) History is continuous. For the sake of the present and the future, we must have a clear understanding of the history of our motherland, so we must learn classical Chinese. (3) There are many majors related to history. If you want to study, you must read classical Chinese classics. For example, if you study economic history, you must read the history books Shihuozhi; Can't be dissatisfied, wait, these classics are written in classical Chinese. (4) If you don’t major in history, or if you have spare time, or enjoy leisure, you will have the requirement to appreciate literature and art, which may include reading "Chu Ci", Chinese, Tang poetry, Song Ci, etc., so you have to Learn classical Chinese. (5) Those who are engaged in writing, or those who just often use a pen, need to absorb nutrition from various famous works. Classical Chinese works cannot be excluded from these various famous works, because they are local products, rich and easy to absorb and utilize.

Above is the long side.There is also a short side, which is that by today's standards, the works of the old era are inevitably poisonous, and they will be poisoned if they are not careful.Is there such a danger?It should be said that there is.This can happen in a variety of ways.Thoughts such as stupid loyalty, foolish filial piety, promotion and wealth, etc., can be absorbed after reading.Another example is that Fang Guan in the Tang Dynasty learned from the ancient times and used chariots to fight, but he was defeated.Another example is the masterpiece of short stories, but what some people get from reading it is not appreciation of art, but the belief that there are "different" in the world.In short, the medicine is not bad, but it has side effects.what to do?Keeping it at a distance will lead to a waste of food because of choking, which shouldn't be.The only access is critical acceptance. After "criticism", there is "acceptance", so the conclusion is that we still need to learn.

2. The way to learn everything is dead To learn is to want to learn.There will be grades.The superior ones, such as Wang Yinzhi and Yu Yue, can not only understand, but also can see that there are problems in ancient books.The middle one is like a well-educated scholar in the old days, who can understand almost all the old classics.The following are able to "preliminarily read classical Chinese" as required by the current middle school syllabus.It's hard to say how to count as a preliminary, but here assumes a common understanding, that is, reading punctuated narratives after the Song Dynasty, such as notes, can be understood and roughly correct.In this way, we can see how the middle school students are doing.Anyone who is familiar with the situation of middle school knows that there are very few people who graduate from high school and can "read classical Chinese" at first, that is, they have not learned it.This makes us have to think of a problem. At present, not all young people go to middle school, but this is a direction of education. If in the near future, all young people receive secondary education, and Chinese classes in middle schools also teach classical Chinese. , this is tantamount to requiring that all people in the whole country be able to "read classical Chinese", can this be done?My opinion is that it cannot be done.The main reason is not that the method needs to be improved, but that the objective conditions limit that there should be no unified requirements, or at least no unified requirements.One of the reasons is that the nature and function of the same course content may be different. Comparing modern Chinese with classical Chinese, modern Chinese must be used, but classical Chinese is not.The second reason is that since classical Chinese is not absolutely necessary for living in a modern society, it should be allowed, or not allowed. Those who need it and like to learn it should learn it, and those who don’t need it and don’t like it should not learn it.The third reason is that most studies and professions have little or no relationship with classical Chinese, and those who engage in such studies and professions do not have any obvious inconvenience if they do not know classical Chinese.The fourth reason is that the appreciation of literature and art mentioned above shows that learning is beneficial, but it can only be inferred from this that everyone has the right to learn classical Chinese, and it cannot be inferred that no one is free not to learn classical Chinese.The fifth reason is that learning classical Chinese takes a lot of time and requires a strong interest to support it. However, many people really do not have the time and interest, so the fact is that these people cannot be required to learn classical Chinese as well.In short, considering many aspects of the situation, it seems that the conclusion can only be that it is neither possible nor necessary to learn all.

3. If you don’t learn anything, it’s a dead end Learning is one way, not learning is another way.Taking the previous road is rough and difficult, and it is easy or necessary to turn around and take another road.Now, some people, including many language workers, tend to even strongly advocate not learning classical Chinese.There seems to be more than one reason, some of which are far-reaching, such as the belief that there is a retro style, a preference for classical Chinese, classroom learning, and extracurricular advocacy; even modern language articles are deeply affected by it, especially scenery writing and reporting. Some classical Chinese words are stuffed into the articles, making them neither donkeys nor horses; publishing organizations naturally have to follow the trend, so they rushed to print classical Chinese reading materials in order to sell more and make more money; and so on.This is bad and has to change, and the way is not to learn.The more common reason is that it is not easy to learn. The fact is that if you do not learn well, your energy will be wasted. It is better to spend your precious energy on a place of great use, that is, to concentrate on learning modern languages ​​well.Another idea, related to the reason just mentioned, is that learning classical Chinese in middle school will inevitably make it more difficult to master modern Chinese, because young people still can't distinguish between the vernacular and the vernacular, and they are the easiest to mix.In addition, there may be other kinds, but the conclusion is the same, so it should not be studied.These reasons for not learning can be said to be justified.Daniel, like the situation itself, often has more than one side.Not learning, (assumed) is beneficial, is one side.Not learning will lead to other results, and these other results may not all be desirable, it is the other side.To be more specific, if you don’t learn anything, it will be difficult to complete the big task of inheriting cultural heritage.Of course, some people may not categorically advocate not to learn, but if you don’t learn in elementary and middle school, where can the road to learning be paved?It can be seen that the so-called should not learn, my experience, is only the first half of what I said; what is more important is the second half, there must be an appropriate remedy, and this method must be proposed and explained clearly.Otherwise, even if it is unfounded worrying, thinking about the situation after a few years, I really have to worry about it.As far as the present is concerned, there are two situations worth noting. One is that most of the people who are proficient in classical Chinese are over half a hundred years old. Even including this part, the number is still limited. What will happen?It is likely that a large number of classical Chinese classics are lying high in the library, and no one uses them.The other is that no matter what the reason is, modern people often cannot do without the old ones when studying modern knowledge, dealing with modern affairs, and writing articles in modern languages; Something went wrong.Not long ago, I read a certain newspaper and came across an article proving that it might snow in June. I thought it was to justify the seemingly unreasonable June Snow in Guan Hanqing’s play. Well, let’s say that there was “rain and snow” on a certain day in a certain month and a certain year. After the quotation, the author explained that it can be seen that it rained and then snowed on that day. rain".It is a trivial matter to say only one word, but it is a major matter to use the old and make many mistakes.In short, when it comes to classical Chinese, not learning it is not always the answer.

4. The road is in the middle of the two poles Learn them all, if you can’t do it, don’t learn it, you shouldn’t, of course the only appropriate way to deal with it is that some people learn it and some people don’t.Which part of the people learn, which part of the people do not learn, there is a problem of proportion.Determining the ratio, or estimating the ratio, depends on many conditions, ranging from the education level of ordinary people, social atmosphere, teaching methods to publishing conditions, etc.But for those who know the future based on the past, it is assumed that the number of people who learn is less than the number of people who do not learn, or even much less, and it is generally not wrong.The second is to implement the problem on the individual head.For example, there are ten people A, B, C, D, E, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. The proportion has been fixed. Three out of ten will learn and seven out of ten will not learn. Divide ten people into two categories: learners and non-learners?This again has to consider many conditions, such as qualifications, interests, academic or industry needs, the delay in the learning process, the possibility of attainment, and so on.None of these conditions can be measured in a short period of time, and the characteristics must be gradually revealed in the process of certain measures.In order to easily explain the bottom line, take two children of the same age as an example.They study under the guidance of the same teacher. The Chinese textbooks they read include classical Chinese textbooks. After class, the teacher also introduces them to some simple classical Chinese reading materials.In the process of learning, gradually, child A showed interest, so he gained a lot and made rapid progress; on the contrary, child B was unwilling to read, and gained little.After a while, the future gradually became clearer. Person A wanted to study the history of their own country, and person B wanted to study computers. Other situations also showed similar situations.In this way, no matter who draws the conclusion, it can be generally concluded that A can or should learn classical Chinese, and B does not need to learn.As far as the whole society or the whole country is concerned, after testing and measuring, the result is that some people learn and some people don't. This is the middle way that we have to take.

5. Self-selected teaching system Seeking truth from facts, it should be said that the teaching system of "taste first, buy later" (of course, only learn classical Chinese).Before children go to school, they don't know what classical Chinese is, and they don't even know if they want to learn it or not. Therefore, before making a choice, let them taste it first to distinguish the taste.The opportunity to try this is mainly provided by the school.How to supply?Of course, we should focus on the inside of the class, but we should not underestimate the outside of the class. That is to say, we should not only talk about something in class, but also guide students to read something outside of class.As for the time, in my opinion, it is better to learn a language earlier, for example, in the upper grades of elementary school, and one or two years in junior high school, which can be counted as the stage of taste.After tasting, according to the taste of the students themselves, as well as their unclear wishes, combined with the guidance of teachers and parents, decide whether to buy or not.Buy it and continue to learn; if you don’t buy it, you will say goodbye to classical Chinese from now on.This decision is very important. The direct impact is whether you can know classical Chinese, and the indirect impact is which road to take in the future, or which road is difficult to take.This is the key and we have to be careful.Be cautious, make as few mistakes as possible, and be perfect in all aspects of the process.Of course, among all aspects, the level of teachers and teaching methods may have the greatest relationship, so I won't say much.

6. Subjects or Electives The result of taste before you buy is that from a certain period, such as the second or third grade of junior high school, some students continue to learn classical Chinese, but most students stop learning it. Obviously, the school system must adapt to this situation.As long as this requirement can be met, the approach can be flexible.For example, it can be a big move, using the method of division.Here we are talking about classical Chinese, which is not the same thing as the envisioned division of arts and sciences.There are classes in non-classical Chinese and classes in classical Chinese.Textbooks must of course adapt to this situation, and this can be considered: one is a Chinese textbook in modern language, which is used by both non-classical Chinese classes and classical Chinese classes;Small gestures are optional.For example, if the school conditions are poor, or the number of students is small, and there are difficulties in various subjects, you can use the method of elective electives to set some time for students who study classical Chinese, and other students who do not study classical Chinese can use this part of time to learn classical Chinese. Do something else or do something else.

Seven, there must be positive measures I said earlier that everyone has the freedom not to learn classical Chinese.All the so-called freedoms have the advantage that users are easy to get what they want; but at the same time, they have disadvantages, which are easy to abuse and even misuse.This is especially the case with regard to learning classical Chinese.Let’s just say taste first and then buy or choose. It’s not like tasting chocolate. You chew it in your mouth. It tastes really good and you decide to eat it later. eat.Deciding not to eat is not necessarily wrong, but it is very likely to be wrong, because the impression obtained by tasting is often superficial and cannot reveal the essence.Therefore, before selecting, try to make students taste more and experience more deeply, so that the mistakes in evaluation should be as few as possible.This requires appropriate measures.Generally speaking, the following aspects are not included. (1) In class, the main thing is to have suitable teaching materials.For example, the selection of materials should be precise and appropriate in depth, which will not only arouse students' interest, but also benefit from learning. (2) After class, there must be appropriate auxiliary reading materials.In recent years, many classical Chinese reading materials have been published.However, as a "first taste" meal, it is not enough, because it is self-flowing and there is no plan, so it is often that what you have may not be suitable, and what is suitable may not be available.My idea is that a group of people should be organized to compile a set, or a series of books, for students to read.When compiling, some principles should be taken into account, such as careful selection of materials, multiple aspects of classics, easy to read, from shallow to deep, healthy but interesting content, and so on.There is no harm in having more types, as long as they are allowed to have the freedom of choice in this regard. (3) Try to let students have a general understanding of the use of classical Chinese as they move forward.The work in this area is more difficult to do, perhaps mainly rely on teachers. (4) Here we have to talk about the most important aspect, the teacher.In recent years, I have met many people who are engaged in language education. When it comes to teachers and teachers' level, they all admit that they are extremely important.This is reasonable, and you can speak freely.As for turning to reality, some people are reluctant to speak freely, probably because of: a.I am afraid that many teachers will be unhappy; b.And the remedy is quite difficult.This place is still dedicated to teaching classical Chinese. If you want to guide students on the Yangguan Avenue, the teachers themselves must first understand the Yangguan Avenue. There is no need to explain the reason.What is the Yangguan Avenue for learning classical Chinese?It's a long story, but here I want to narrow it down to a little bit, and focus on the two paths of teaching, as examples.About a year ago, a young woman came to ask for advice to analyze the grammatical structure of each sentence in a classical Chinese text.Ask her if she knows what the questions are set by the teachers of the cram night school, and she says that in this way, she can find out the laws of classical Chinese and know everything about it.I made a little statement, saying that this method might not work, and then helped her analyze it.Because my ability is limited, I feel that I can't do it.Some words are simply unclear which one should be counted as subject, predicate, object, complement, definite, and adjective.There are also others, such as "Ting Wu Yu Ji", in order to know everything, I had to tell her that according to Mr. Li Jinxi's opinion, "Ting Wu" is a modifier, and according to Mr. Zhao Yuanren's view, "Ting Wu" is a subject .Of course she was dissatisfied, and when asked what should be counted, I could only say that I didn't know.She left disappointed, and she heard that she simply stopped studying.Here I mention this fact to illustrate the importance of the teaching method, that is, the importance of teachers, because their position is the guide at the end of the wrong path. In a blink of an eye, he went north. (The other way of teaching is reserved for Chapter 10.) In short, in order to implement the principle of taste before you buy, we have to think of ways and do it prudently and diligently. 8. It is inappropriate to rely solely on literature majors The method mentioned above is to be fully rolled out at an earlier stage, and "think more ways", "cautious" and "diligence" must be added.This is of course quite laborious, and it has to be recognized in advance that a large part of the energy is basically wasted afterwards.Is there an economical way to do it?There is a kind of thinking that belongs to the school of "not learning", that is, cultural heritage must be inherited, but a very small number of selected people who are engaged in a certain major are full-time. , then let only these few people learn classical Chinese, and the others are exempted.The upside of this idea is economics, but there are problems. (1) When to start learning, it must be after choosing a major.There will be two kinds of inappropriateness: a.It runs counter to the rules of learning Chinese.To learn Chinese, it is better to learn Chinese earlier than later (strong receptivity), and it is better to stretch the time and arrange it evenly (accumulate more, imprint deeply). The method of learning after choosing a major is just the opposite. It is late learning, surprise, and the effect will inevitably be poor. . b.This is rushing to hold Buddha's feet, and it is inevitable that you want to use it but can't use it. (2) Take the major of national history as an example. According to the vast majority of students, the normal chronological sequence should be to first contact with a considerable number of historical works and documents (many of which are of course in classical Chinese), and then because of Familiarity generates interest, so choose; instead of the other way around, first choose on a whim, and then develop interest.Choosing first and then learning is the inversion of cause and effect. Its effect is to reduce the freedom of students' choice and increase the chance of which way to go. (3) Another big problem, which will make quite a lot of people outside of certain majors lose the opportunity to learn classical Chinese.As far as the whole country is concerned, this is not a small loss, and as far as some individuals are concerned, this is a great loss. (4) Obviously, in this way, there will be fewer and fewer people who can speak classical Chinese in the future.It must be bad if there are fewer and fewer?This question is too big to argue for a conclusion that everyone agrees with.I just want to say that my personal intuitive opinion is that if there are two possibilities (more people will, less people will), I would rather go the former way. 9. The method of reconciling less learning is not appropriate As far as secondary schools are concerned, the current situation is that many students are not interested in classical Chinese, and do not know what is the use of learning it, and the result of learning it is generally said to be very poor grades.Learning classical Chinese has simply become an unnecessary burden.But shouting loudly, saying that I will stop learning from a certain time, this change is too big, it is really difficult to export.This is because the power of the old way is both complex and powerful, and it is complex because it comes from all sides, including traditions, established systems, and people from all walks of life. Together, they become powerful.But no matter how powerful the power is, it cannot change the fact that it is thankless, so what should we do?There are many ways, one of which is the method of "Mencius" changing "a chicken every day" to "a chicken every month", "learn less".I feel that this is a strategy close to persuading a fight. In order to turn fists into silence, and don't ask Zhang San and Li Si who is straight and who is straight, I temporarily begged Zhang San to make some concessions, and Li Si also gave some steps, so I scolded The sound stopped, as if all problems were gone.But the reality is that the problem hasn't gone away.As long as you think about it, you can find out that the result must be: the waste of energy is reduced, which is called a "surplus" in financial terms, but at the same time, the learning may also be reduced, which is called a "loss" in financial terms. The profit touches the loss, and the income and expenditure are evened out, so the change is equal to the same.In my opinion, it is not suitable to reconcile in this matter, but to go to extremes: one end is to learn, and one will learn; the other end is not to learn, and to spend precious time and energy on other useful places. 10. Is it difficult to learn classical Chinese? Most of the problems in learning classical Chinese come from the word "difficult". Is it difficult?In my opinion, it's not too difficult.The key lies in the method.The method takes its broad meaning, including selection of reading materials and time arrangement.Some people say that learning classical Chinese is more difficult than learning foreign languages.This is probably in consideration of the fact that learning a foreign language for a year or so can be useful, and learning classical Chinese for ten or eight years is difficult.Available for half a year is a low requirement, and generally a high requirement, it is unfair to put them together.If the required levels are the same, I disagree with the saying that learning classical Chinese is more difficult than learning foreign languages, because both classical Chinese and modern Chinese are "Chinese", but there are differences between grandparents and grandchildren.Grandfather and grandson are two people, but they are related by blood. To put it bluntly, the lexical and grammatical systems of the two languages ​​are related by flesh and blood.There is no such connection between Chinese and foreign languages.As evidenced by my experience, the first time I read it was in the middle grades of elementary school, the first chapter of "Tao Chenghuang" I knew the words and meaning, because it is the same type as "students".By the time I was in high school, I had learned English for three or four years. When I came across the original, I opened it and tried it, but it failed because the two languages ​​were not related by blood.As circumstantial evidence, there was a female writer in the Qing Dynasty whose name I forgot. It is said that she learned the characters by listening to Tanci, and then read it extensively.If it is a foreign language, even if it is not absolutely impossible, it must be much more difficult, right?Closer to home, the method is not difficult, what is the so-called method?It's just a cliché, "Practice makes perfect".Learning a language depends on familiarity, which is based on the nature of the language, which is "conventional".If you want to understand the "appointment" and the "vulgarity", naturally you can only use the "familiar" method.Yes, all languages ​​have rules, that is to say, to express a certain kind of meaning, a certain pattern is generally used, such as "verb object", "verb complement" and so on.But this rule is very general, and exceptions are often allowed. When it comes to use, it has to rely more on convention.For example, the meaning of an activity touching or affecting another thing is expressed by the verb mode, such as kicking a football, riding a car, buying a book, etc., but using this mode mechanically, instead of saying "I'm drunk" we say "drunk". I", that would be wrong.This is the case within the scope of the syntax.The vocabulary is more flexible. For example, in classical Chinese, you can call an old friend "old friend" or "old friend", but you can't call it "old friend" by analogy, because the meaning of old friend is a dead friend.Who decided?I don't know. Anyway, it's a convention, so we have to do it. The requirement of familiarity, or the result, is to imprint the expression habits of a language in the mind.There is this expression habit in my mind, or there are various patterns, and when I see new ones, the same patterns will naturally overlap, so I will determine the meaning of this new one by learning from the past and the past.For example, when you read "rain and snow", "rain and hailstone", and "rain and hail", you know that the meaning is something that falls from the sky. When you read the new one once, it is "rain and millet from the sky", and compare it with the old pattern, and you immediately understand that it is grain from the sky. .If you don't have so many patterns in your mind, you will be inexplicable when you see unfamiliar ones.I want to imprint all kinds of patterns in my mind. There is no other way but to be familiar with it.Familiarity comes from "reading more", and there is no other way.Of course, reading more is just a rough idea. If we explore further, there are still issues such as what to read, how to read, and how to arrange time.Here I can only summarize the location, the reading must be read well, the intensive reading should be coordinated with the expo, the time should be long, and the arrangement should be even (although it does not have to be like this every day, it is always better to do it more often).Reading more requires a foundation, which is "diligence", and in the words of "Xunzi", it is "perseverance".In fact, if you can persevere and divide your time into parts (for example, an average of half an hour a day), learning classical Chinese will not be a burden. This is how to find a secret recipe for learning classical Chinese, "to form a habit".Why is it a secret recipe?Because it is a solid pillar of diligence, guaranteed to be effective.I sometimes think that human activities can be divided into two categories.One kind comes from or mainly comes from instinct, such as "eating" and "breathing".The other category is not so, such as reading, especially reading classical Chinese works, does not seem to be required by instinct, so more manpower is needed to cultivate perseverance.When junior students first come into contact with classical Chinese, they may not fall in love at first sight. If they want to learn it, they must be diligent. It is best to use this secret recipe to form a habit.You may have to squeeze your scalp at the beginning, but even if you squeeze your scalp, you must persevere.In this way, as time goes by, the unfamiliar classical Chinese gradually becomes familiar, and the frown gradually loosens. One day, there will be something missing when there is no classical Chinese reading material in front of you. up. Speaking of the secret recipe of forming habits, we should also talk about the strange thing of "interest".It is strange because it is both the mother and the daughter of habit.It is the mother, which means that habits can be generated by it.When I was a blind man riding a blind horse, I first developed the habit of reading classical Chinese by relying on it.That reads.Thinking about it now, if what I encountered was not the "Imperial Four Books", the situation would be completely different.As far as learning classical Chinese is concerned, this matter is small, but it is of great significance. In order to make it easier to form a habit, it is better to take care of some interests in the early stage of choosing classical Chinese reading materials.For example, "Qi Min Yao Shu" and "Dongpo Zhilin" are both famous works. It is better to choose "Dongpo Zhilin" when you are a beginner, because you can reduce frowning when reading, which is conducive to perseverance.Interest is still the daughter of habit, because after forming a habit, interest will be born and gradually grow until you are happy when you have classical Chinese reading materials in your hand, and bored if you don’t have it. At this point, interest dominates everything, and all problems will be solved.Some people will disagree with the above method of reading more to seek familiarity and familiarity.The reason is that it is old-fashioned and unscientific, so there is less delay fee.The quickest and most economical way is to follow the outline, intensively read some famous articles, use them as samples, recognize the rules clearly, and know everything.This is well-intentioned.Thoughts must be turned into actions, so it is manifested in newspapers and periodicals with word differentiation, sentence structure analysis and so on.It is also manifested in the practice questions that are endlessly differentiated words, analyzed sentence structures, and so on.I have always had doubts about this method of reading less and seeking quick results, which mainly relies on the rules.There are many reasons, which are difficult to detail here.It can be briefly stated as follows. (1) The laws are general, far less detailed than the above-mentioned various patterns derived from multiple readings, so it is often impossible to determine the meaning of a certain sentence based on the laws. (2) So far, our research on the so-called grammatical rules is still very rough, there are exceptions, and mistakes are inevitable. This is the case in modern Chinese, especially in ancient Chinese. (3) It is cumbersome and difficult, and it is most likely to make students intimidated by even mentioning classical Chinese. (4) Taking up time will naturally make it more difficult to read more. (5) As evidenced by the facts, there are quite a few people who have learned classical Chinese by reading more. It seems that I have never seen any one who learned it by reading less and only studying the rules.When I say this, I am not opposing the knowledge of words and sentences in classical Chinese, but I advocate that we should distinguish the root from the problem, sort the seriousness, and rank the priority.I always think that we should focus on reading more, supplemented by rational knowledge, and spend more time on the main ones, ranking first.This section has a lot to say, but I just want to explain two points: (1) With proper methods, it is not difficult to learn classical Chinese, and if it takes longer, the burden is not heavy. (2) Most of the failures in learning classical Chinese now are because they have no interest, no reading habits, and lack of diligence, and they want to catch big fish with a small net. 11. The relationship with the study of modern literature As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons for advocating not learning classical Chinese is that it will affect the ability to learn modern Chinese well.Is it this way?Before answering, we need to know that the attitude towards classical Chinese caused by modern Chinese is not one kind, but two kinds.This is like two rivers originating from the same mountain, starting from the same place, but flowing down in different directions.One is the "don't learn" school, saying that learning classical Chinese (mainly referring to young students) is not beneficial to learning modern Chinese, but harmful.The other is the "learning" school, which says that learning classical Chinese is helpful for writing modern essays, and even says that if you want to write modern essays well, you must master classical Chinese.The two opinions are tit-for-tat, and who is right and who is wrong is a problem that cannot be solved by simple "yes" and "no", that is, it must be analyzed.There is an article "Problems in Classical Chinese" in my book, part of which is to analyze this problem, and it is copied as follows. After learning classical Chinese, is it good for me to write articles in modern language?Hard to say.In a nutshell, there should be some advantages, because in terms of expression methods, classical Chinese is rich in words, concise and varied, which is what modern Chinese needs to absorb.Absorption is sometimes unintentional, just like when learning modern Chinese, when you are familiar with a certain saying, it will come out of your mouth unintentionally; it can also be intentional, to give the smallest example, because you can avoid using Sayings such as "relate to" and "return in triumph", because we understand that "ji" means "arrival" and "spin" means "return", so there is no need to stack up.As for the specifics, whether it is beneficial or not is not certain, because the so-called absorption depends on how it is absorbed.To put it simply, "melting" into something is good, but "mixing" into it may not be good.There are no traces of incorporation, and there are guests in classical Chinese in modern language articles, but they look like a family.If it is not mixed in, it is to pull out some classical Chinese words for the sake of eloquence (this is the case with some contrived scenery writing), and the result looks like a tasseled hat and high heels together, which looks very awkward.Whether it can be transformed or not is related to the view of the article.But the more important reason is the level of the language level, the higher the level, the easier it is, the lower it is not easy.If this view is correct, then it is easy to judge whether classical Chinese is right or wrong for the claim that classical Chinese is very helpful to writing modern essays. It is: one must learn it well and be good at using it to be helpful, and vice versa.The so-called being good at using it means: (1) knowing the advantages of classical Chinese and gaining something; (2) being able to incorporate it into modern Chinese, intentionally or unintentionally.Let’s look at another point of view. Learning classical Chinese is not only useless for writing modern literature, but harmful.It is beneficial to learn well, as has been said above; the question is whether learning without mastering is harmful.There are two main types of harm.One kind is that learning classical Chinese takes time away from studying modern literature, so that modern literature is not good.This is probably based on middle school. There are classical Chinese textbooks in the texts, and speaking and reading all take up time. If you don’t learn classical Chinese, you can spend more time studying modern Chinese.This is a fact.The question is whether modern literature is not good because learning classical Chinese takes time; if the time spent studying classical Chinese is added to the time spent studying modern Chinese, is it certain that modern Chinese can be learned well?If I were a Chinese teacher, after getting rid of the classical Chinese, I demanded that modern Chinese must be proficient, and I would not dare to issue a military order, because according to the current ratio of Chinese to white in the text, the learning time would only increase by three or four quarters. Can a little time make things work?From my point of view, there are many reasons why students can’t write well in modern Chinese, such as too little reading, some of the things they read are not clever, the reading method is inappropriate, and writing exercises are inappropriate, etc. Even if learning classical Chinese should be one of them, I'm afraid it's not the main thing.Another harm is that classical Chinese interferes with modern prose, making it more difficult to write modern prose fluently.这大概是就作文中文白夹杂说的。文白夹杂，如果指的是上面提到的有意求文诌诌，这是对文章好坏的看法问题，选择读物不当并起而效尤的问题，文言不能负责；并且，凡是努力这样做的，差不多都是现代文已经通顺并在报刊上常常发表所谓美文的人。另一种文白夹杂是现代文不通顺，辨不清文白分界，于是随意抓些文言词语甚至句式塞入现代文之中，以致现代文更加不通顺。有没有这种情况呢？我的看法是即使有，不会多，因为常见的情况是现代文写不通顺才乱来，而不是能够写通现代文，由于加上些文言成分而成为不通顺。事实是，即使文言会搅扰现代文，也总是因为现代文没有通才有此现象，说学了文言而现代文不能通顺是本末倒置。再有，中学生都是会说现代语的，文白分界总不至于不清楚，文言越境来搅扰的可能是微乎其微的。 总之，在文言是否影响现代文这个问题上，我想，这可以比作两个正派人交朋友，初识或早期，即使相互有影响也不大；影响会随着熟悉而增长，但逐增的影响大体上是好的。 十二、靠翻译和介绍不够 学文言，难，不能不费时间和精力，但扔掉文化遗产又实在舍不得。这两难之间挤出一种或两种办法，是：不学了，把继承文化遗产的任务交给翻译和内容介绍。 先说翻译。这个办法像是很好，用前面用过的比喻，是连小网也不用而能得大鱼。真就能这样吗？其实是困难并不少。且不说求助于翻译，先要有人能翻，这就同样离不开学文言。此外还有不少问题。（1）文言典籍量太大，难办。这虽然只是事实上的困难，不是理论上的困难，但事实常是硬梆梆的，更不容轻视。（2）据说前两三年，对于翻译古籍的倡议，上海某大学的古典老专家曾表示异议，理由是，读原文，理解错了还可以补救（这次错下次未必错，张三错李四未必错），翻译错了就难于补救，因为读者是不懂文言的。我觉得这种忧虑有道理。（3）文言典籍，绝大部分文字质量是高的，翻成现代语，人多手杂，都能保证质量一定难于做到。（4）文言花样多。先说散文，总的说有文言的味道，分着说，《左传》有《左传》的味道，《史记》有《史记》的味道，翻译，达意容易，兼顾味道就太难了，也许根本做不到。（5）升一级是骈文，“事出于沉思，义归乎翰藻（《文选序》），“落霞与孤鹜齐飞，秋水共长天一色”（《滕王阁序》），等等，保留整齐对称和抑扬顿挫的美就更难了。（6）再升一级是韵文，主要是诗词曲，声音美难保持可不再说，就是想传意境也大不易。这有两种情况，一种是，有些幽渺之情难于确认，意不清，翻译对了自然就很难。另一种是，意思拿得准，或只是依原文照猫画虎，可是翻译过来常常不能如意。举例说，把“凌波不过横塘路，但目送芳尘去”（贺铸《青玉案》）译成“脚步不走过横塘的道路，只是看着香的尘土离开”，念念，就会感到现代语太质实，难于蕴涵诗意。（7）更严重的是，文言的许多优点都不得不放弃，只保留一点大意，买椟还珠，这损失是不可估量的。 再说内容介绍。这不是照猫画虎，而是概括说说虎的长相如何，性质如何。这办法像是有优点，是不必借助会文言的能力而能够领略文言典籍的大概；因为是大概，还可以以简驭繁，少费时间而吸收全面。可惜是缺点更严重，除了翻译拥有的许多种以外，还要加上一些。 （1）不是万应锭。我推测，用这个办法，一般是指介绍思想，就是说，处理诸子。但只是这一点点领域也会出现麻烦：a．隔靴搔痒，远没有读原文理解得细致、真切。 b.有些地方，要求把大概介绍得确切不误也并不容易，例如《庄子·逍遥游》开头用力形容鹏鸟的神奇，并拿小的鸴鸠与之对比，可是在庄子的心目中，鹏飞南冥究竟算逍遥还是不能算逍遥呢？很难定。可是介绍，似乎就不能脚踩两只船；舍一取一，错了就会误人，并没法补救。 （2）隔靴搔痒的缺点，跳到诸子范围以外就会更显著。就以史部为例，可以试试，用这个办法介绍《史记·魏其武安侯列传》，看看原来的神采还能剩下多少。 （3）由史部再往外跳，到集部，碰见诗词曲之类，那就一定会一筹莫展。 总之，翻译和介绍内容的办法，纵使可以负担继承文化遗产的任务，也是力量有限，一木之孤难支大厦。 十三、读物的供应 上面许多地方说明，对于文言，不能都不学，或说得积极一些，总得有人学，这“人”，多一些也好。有人学文言，就要有地方印文言典籍。近些年来，印的文言典籍不少，经过整理而印的文言典籍尤其多，总的说是成绩很大。但是就满足学文言的需要说，还得百尺竿头，更进一步。我的意见是，要有计划，针对需要。前面谈先尝后买的阶段，说为了尝得多，品得准，要有计划地印一套丛书。这是个小建筑。还要有大建筑，供已经决定买的人享用。这，我想借用球赛的术语来说明，需要文言读物的读者可以大致分为三级，编成队，曰“甲级队”“乙级队”“丙级队”。近年来整理古籍，已印和计划印的书很不少，其中绝大多数是古香古色，阳春白雪。这些书，大部分可以由甲级队选用。——有的甲级队也未必选用，如《佛藏》和《道藏》之类，急印不急印似乎应该待商。为了与下面所说区别，我们可以称这些古香古色的为“原本”。原本，其中多数不合乙级队之需；少数篇幅不很长的，经过整理的，乙级队也可以用，如周祖谟先生整理的和《洛阳伽蓝记》之类就是。为了乙级队选用，有些应读而难读的（主要原因是篇幅太长），宜于印“节要本”。最典型的例是，甲级队必读，乙纵队想读，啃不动，有了节要本（可以仍用胡三省注），就不再有困难。这类事，也宜于有个班子承包，先搞个全面的，即乙级队阅读书目，然后看看哪些市面上已有；没有的，哪些宜于印原本，哪些宜于印节要本，规划已定，落实到出版机构，稳步前进。为丙级队，也应该用这个办法，所不同的是所选种数要少，篇幅要短（过长的用选本），程度要浅，而且必须整理加新注的。这样，有了规划，认真执行，就像在居民区设了粮店，需要吃粮的就可以随买随吃了。 十四、为个人想想 以上谈学文言，都是就整个社会说的，社会由各个人组成，自然不能不涉及个人。但是有的人宁愿舍远求近，为他自己想想。这显然只能泛泛说，因为人的条件不同，走的道路就难得一致。这里假定来询问的这位是有相当的文化程度，能写通现代文，并接触过文言的，我要怎样为他或她设计呢？可以先开除一小批准备学与本国史有密切关系的某些专业的（如中国经济史、中国文学史之类），以及所学虽非历史，可是最好参考文言典籍的（如文学概论、语音学之类），因为他们要用文言，当然不能不学。剩下的一大批人，我想这样说：学文言，要用不少时间和精力，不会，一样可以处理日常事务（包括公事），所以不是非学不可。This is one side.但是还有另一面，你有机会学而没有学会，因而不能读《楚辞》，不能读《左传》《史记》，不能读《孟子》，不能读《全唐诗》《宋六十名家词》，等等，损失也实在不小。说是损失，意义有二：（1）文言典籍是知识的宝库，你没有钥匙，打不开锁，从宝库门前过空手而还，这当然是损失。 （2）宝库中有相当大一部分是艺术品，这是我们都看重的精神食粮，显然，你不会文言就不能吃，表面看来关系不大，实际不然。这要靠个人体验，难于详说。 “我有时回想，昔年涉览文言典籍，消耗的时间和精力确实不少，也许不值得。继而一想，因为勉强会了文言，我有时就能够念念《楚辞·九歌》，念念《史记·伯夷列传》，念念杜甫《秋兴八首》，等等，这常常使我能够在愁苦中得到一点欢娱，凄凉中得到一点安慰，以盈余补亏损，也许还有些剩余也说不定。总之，多学会一种语言总是好的，何况这种语言是本土的，与现代语有血肉的联系呢。 有关学文言的话说了不少，可以总结一下了。这很简单，是：（一）文言是很有用但不是非用不可的工具。（二）就国家说，应该使任何人都有学会文言的机会，但同时容许任何人有不学的自由。（三）就个人说，学不学要看各种条件，这是说可以不学；但有学会的机会而不利用，总是个不小的损失。 1984年8月