Course Description
A continuation of Advanced Chinese III focusing on translation, analysis of grammar, and the semantic range and use of commonly occurring classical Chinese words. Readings include selections of the early classics through later imperial works.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In addition to undergraduate course assignments, graduate
students will be assigned an oral presentation and a substantive
final research paper. The oral presentation will provide an
integrated, synthetic, and critical review of secondary
materials bearing on topics or texts covered in the course. The
final research paper will use primary documents in classical
Chinese and will demonstrate mastery of the course materials as
well as a critical and synthetic grasp of issues and fields in
traditional Chinese writings.
Athena Title
Readings in Classical Chinese
Prerequisite
CHNS 4110/6110
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
To increase students’ fluency in reading classical Chinese, both for further study of literary texts and to improve formal reading and writing in modern standard Chinese.
Topical Outline
Week 1: “The King’s Regulations” (from Xunzi) judgemental sentences with nominal predicates Week 2: “Cao Gui Discusses Warfare” (from the Zuo Tradition) The particle ye Week 3: Selections from the Analects narrative sentences Week 4: “Zou Ji’s Remonstrance” (from Schemes of the Warring States) types of verbs Week 5: “Letter in Reply to Liu Yi” (Zong Chen, 1525-1560) the aspectual particle yi Week 6: “Account of a Peachstone Boat” (Wei Xueyi fl. 17th c.) the particle yan Week 7: “Biographies of Eunuchs” (from Ouyang Xiu’s New History of the Five Dynasties) negation of sentences, particles expressing negation Week 8: “The Original Way” (Han Yu, 768-824) interrogative sentences, question particles Week 9: Selected Poems of the Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties personal pronouns Week 10: “Second Letter to the Qing Emperor” (Kang Youwei, 1857-1927) demonstrative pronouns Week 11: “Letter to Li Hongzhang” (Sun Wen, 1866-1925) the particle zhe Week 12: “Discourse on China as a Youthful Country” (Liang Qichao, 1873-1929) the nominalizing particle suo Week 13: “Revolutionary Army” (Zou Rong, 1885-1905) conjunctions Week 14: “Autobiography at Thirty” (Liang Qichao, 1891- 1962) prepositions Week 15: “A Modest Proposal to Improve Literature” (Hu Shi, 1873-1929) emphatic sentence initial and sentence final particles
General Education Core
CORE IV: World Languages and Global Culture