L11 directions 2

Lesson 11 - Directions part 2

New Vocabulary   

自	zì	(by) oneself, from, since
前	qián	front, former
後	hòu	back, rear, later
左	zuǒ	left
右	yòu	right
楚	chǔ	Chu Learn more
秦	qín	Qin Learn more
乎	hū	interrogative

Grammar notes: 乎 and personal pronouns

乎 makes a statement into a yes/no question:

得之 - (someone) got it?

得之乎 - did (subject) get it?

If there is already a question word in the sentence, 乎 will not be used (we haven't learnt any yet).

Personal pronouns

Classical Chinese doesn't really use pronouns in the same way as English. The term used to refer to someone will depend on the relationship between (a) the speaker and listener, and (b) the listener and referent, and (c) the speaker and referent. The term used will also be determined by the role the referent plays in the relationship or in the world in general - for example, wife, emperor, husband, mother, slave, or friend. It was very important to the ancient Chinese to recognise the correct relationships, and pronouns were selected accordingly. 

In general, 1st person pronouns would be humble or deferential (like English 'your humble servant') and 2nd person pronouns would be honorific (like 'your excellency') - 3rd person pronouns would depend on the relationship of speaker and listener (e.g. my humble friend vs. your exalted friend)

With family relations, this gets very complicated - there are special terms of address for 'a friend's wife' and 'my servant' and 'the emperor's sister', etc...

Below is a list of some of the more common pronouns so you can get an idea of how it worked:

Selected words that refer to the speaker (1st person)

吾 wú，我，余 yú，予 yú -- basic words for 'I' - these don't imply a specific relationship but as they are not deferential or humble, they would only be used towards people of a lower status.

臣 chén - your servant / vassal - used by an inferior rank when talking to a King or lord

弟 dì - 'your younger brother' - used by men towards older men, not necessarily brothers, but ones playing the role of older brother.

own name (e.g. 丘 qiū) - 'Qiu' - a personal name. This was Confucius's name, so if he says 'Qiū' he is talking about himself.

小人，鄙人 bǐrén，愚 yú，不肖 búxiào，某 mǒu - petty, humble, stupid, or worthless - deferential names for oneself.

寡人 guǎrén, 朕 zhèn- 1st person pronoun used only by the emperor

妾 qiè  -your concubine - deferential name used by a wife when talking to a husband

Selected words that refer to the listener (2nd person)

爾 ěr, 汝 rǔ  -- basic words for 'You' - these would be considered rude unless spoken to an inferior

兄 xiōng -- 'older brother' -- used to an older man playing the part of older brother

子 zǐ -- 'my lord'

君 jūn  -- 'my ruler'

陛下 bìxià -- 'your majesty'

足下 zúxià -- 'sir' -- used toward people of one's own age

 Selected words that refer to another (3nd person)

彼 bǐ - 'he, she' -- general (plain or rude) term

小女 xiǎonǚ -- my (small) daughter

令兄 lìngxiōng -- your (beloved) older brother

 

 楚王

Study

1. 知之乎？
2. 國大乎？ 
3. 自楚
4. 自前
5. 君之左右手
6. 自殺其父
7. 自知
8. 後王
9. 王無後
10. 左之不左，右之不右。

(select below to see meanings:)

1. Do you know it / does he know it?

2. Is the country big?

3. from Chu

4. from before

5. the (left and right) hands of the ruler

6. (subject) killed his own father

7. (subject) knows himself

8. Later king(s), a later king

9. The king has no offspring

10. (subject) made it go left but it would not go left, made it go right but it would not go right (for example, describing a stubborn horse)

Practice
Write in Chinese:

1. The king of Qin got the world.
2. Do you have it?
3. In the South there is the king of Chu.
4. The troops did not advance
5. Since ancient times
6. To either side of the king
7. The doors in front and behind of the household

(select below to see answers:)

1. 秦王得天下 2. 有之乎？ 3. 南有楚王 4. 人馬不前 5. 自古 6. 王之左右 7. 家之前後門

Poetic interlude 1

A poem - Autumn Thoughts

New Vocabulary

馬致遠  Mǎ Zhìyuǎn - Author - Learn more
天淨沙 tiān jìng shā - 'Tianjing sands' the name of the melody to which these words were set
秋 qiū - autumn
思 sī - to think, thoughts
枯 kū - dried, withered
藤 téng - vine
老 lǎo - old
樹 shù - tree
昏 hūn - dusk
鴉 yā - crow
橋 qiáo - bridge
流 liú - to flow
瘦 shòu - thin (of people or animals)
夕 xī - evening
陽 yáng - as in Yin and Yang - here it means 'sunlight'
斷 duàn - broken
腸 cháng - intestines
斷腸 duàncháng - heart-broken
在 zài - to be located in
涯 yá - border, bank
天涯 tiānyá - 'bank of the sky' = horizon

source

The poem:

天淨沙－秋思
馬致遠

枯藤老樹昏鴉
小橋流水人家
古道西風瘦馬
夕陽西下
斷腸人在天涯
(select below for my literal  - not literary - translation)

A withered vine around an old tree; crows at dusk
A small bridge above a flowing stream; people's houses.
On the old road, the West wind. A thin horse.
The evening sun sets in the West.
A heart-broken man on the horizon.

L10 verbs 2

Lesson 10 - Common verbs part 2

 

New Vocabulary   

 

殺	shā	to (try to) kill
救	jiù	to (try to) save
視	shì	to look at
聽	tīng	to listen, heed, accept
聞	wén	to hear, hear about
用	yòng	to use
走	zǒu	to run, flee (not to walk)
其	qí	its, his, her, their, the

 

Grammar note: 其

 

其 is a word which replaces a subject pronoun + 之  

 

For example:

王之馬 = the king's horse

其馬 = his horse

 

Sometimes the subject can be understood to be 'the general situation', in which case 其 means something closer to the English 'the'.

 

 

 孟子

Study

1. 大之。

2. 見其母。

3. 君不聽。

4. 殺其父。

5. 下聽其上。

6. 不二其心。

7. 其君用之。

8. 救不得。

9. 聞大魚。

10. 視之不見，聽之不聞

 

From 孟子 (Mencius - Learn more):

11. 君之視臣如手足，則臣視君如腹心。

  Supplementary Words

   如 rú = like

   則 zé = then

   腹 fù = stomach

 

(select below to see meanings:)

 

1. (subject understood) made it bigger OR considered it to be big.

2. (subject understood) saw his/her mother

3. The ruler did not listen/heed

4. (subject understood) killed his/her/the father

5. The lowers obey the uppers.

6. (subject understood) did not divide his/her heart.

7. His ruler used (employed) him.

8. (subject understood) tried to save but could not

9. (subject understood) heard about the big fish.I

10. (He) saw him and did not look, heard him and did not listen (Chinese saying meaning to ignore someone disrespectfully)

11. If the ruler sees his subjects as hands and feet, then the subjects will see the ruler as their stomach and heart.

Practice
Write in Chinese:

1. (someone) galloped his horse.

2. I looked at it.

3. I don't know its name.

4. (someone) heard about the way.

5. the way to save the country

6. (someone) listened to his words.

7. a person who has no use

(select below to see answers:)

1. 走（其）馬　2.我視之　3.我不知其名　4.聞道　5.救國之道　6.聽其言　7.無用之人