墨西哥合眾國憲制總統山龐缽荼·訖牢提耶謹致書於阿美利加國候任總統川普·杜赧閣下

十月二十五日布告大意，講移民、販毒、關稅等事。

恐閣下未知，八方之民，踏墨土，以至貴國南境，本邦已詳定策以濟之。因此，按貴國關邊衛局，癸卯十一月·甲辰十一月之間，遇捕者四分減三。並且其半依法，與關邊衛局約期，而後抵境，故移民眾隊不復來也。雖然，彼此須齊心勠力，新謀移農工之策，以遂貴國所需，且治所使民家背井離鄉。如美國但留兵費小分，以配於治亂富民之政，則斯必治離鄉之本由。

至於芬太尼毒禍，敝邦不忍公害，常使知卑志，雖貴國之事，甘助防毒流。元日至今，墨軍與檢察官沒收諸毒多種、銃砲一萬三百四十支，並拘捕犯販毒施暴者一萬五千六百四十人。今墨國議會將革憲，類芬太尼之製造、流通、販賣爲重罪不准保釋者也。然人皆知所以爲之者，化合物自亞州國邦入加、美、墨者是也。鄰好協作不急也乎？

閣下已知，銃砲由美國私運於本國中之事。墨官沒贓銃，自貴國來者什七也。本國未製彼銃，未用彼人造之毒。此多凶死，以饜彼嗜，不幸哉夫。

川普總統閣下，移民及毒禍，不爲威逼與關稅所治。所以治之者，協力互諒，以共定急難也。來稅必報往稅，至危共同營業。誠是共同也，如通用汽車、斯窒蘭蒂斯、彿達汽車公司，八十年前來茲以住營；何科關稅而危之乎哉？夫輕率之計豈可也？施則墨美貨價騰湧，百姓失業而已。

北美洲之豐富，在維我貿易鄰好。唯此使能競他群。是故，若康平互諒，莫善於協商對話。希彼此屬員速會而議調和。

甲辰十月廿六日

There are no shortage of letters between the Chinese emperor and subordinate states, but how about between the tributary kings themselves as equals? I am trying to learn the conventions of letter writing between them so I might emulate them. Formal letters between foreign officials of equal rank or office might also be interesting as well. I had imagined that the 王彝回咨 section of the 歷代寶案 would be helpful for this, but I have no access to that book. Any similar sort of material would be greatly appreciated.

Reddit八首 2023.6/13

(一)

三電勤勉意氣驕，拜師遙測展望豪。

安度課業十五載^1 ，迷走學園第六朝^2 。

目前責任屢圖避，初來志向未忍聊。

驚懼肇生鈴響裡，夢醒瑞迪景蕭條。

(二)

六十小時意固良，高壓竭力進學昌。

立誓硼^3 秋化鵬展，發憤氖^3 夏作鷃藏。

鑽研無果智熔毀^4 ，誇談有處心流亡。

可嘆爾後虛實逆，暫離瑞迪驚不祥。

(三)

一覽首頁^5 傲博聞，沉浸寰宇時事紛。

須臾美選^6 如入戲，頃刻烏戰^7 似臨門。

心憂末日怠視事，眼奪先機競撰文。

正務停擺離校緩，縱橫瑞迪失自尊。

(四)

宿疾窮追現實難，暢談深處此地安。

千頁留言恆訴苦，四方吐怨暫致歡。

廣場眾笑心深鎖，迴廊獨哭身緊纏。

唯恐取暖似作繭，自縛瑞迪滿羞慚。

(五)

為學熱忱自幼持，瑞迪言簡藏新知。

憑空旌旗引入勝^8 ，奇想輿圖發遐思^9 。

今朝電資避不見，昨日史地醉入癡。

無異電玩溺幻境，不察光陰自推遲。

(六)

兔穴^10 詭譎久為錮，算法陰險滅專注。

十秒影音得動情，一句言辭足煽怒。

閱讀文件略細微，收集資料偏直路。

情緒低亢隨推噓，始覺瑞迪肇腦霧！

(七)

三方應用禁令頒，瑞迪大亂起義傳。

億眾譁然異處走，萬版震怒同期關。

資深版主利器損，新至潛者^11 體驗殘。

社群淪喪抖音化，可恨貪婪殺論壇。

(八)

既悟瑞迪癮害源，深知勒戒道路艱。

塵世冷酷誘逃避，雲端溫柔喚流連。

三年打鬧卒趨止，六度徘徊莫復延^12 。

徒留汙點當自警，悔過奮進追人前。

Explanations:

1. Until the Junior year of college.

2. Grad school (2 different elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, undergrad are the first 5 periods).

3. I use chemical elements for year numbering, starting from 2011. So these means 2015 and 2020.

4. Meltdown (English calque)

5. Reddit is the self-called "the front page of the Internet".

6. The United States election

7. The Ukraine War

8. r/vexillology

9. r/imaginarymaps and r/mapporn

10. Rabbit hole (English calque)

11. Lurker (English calque)

12. When I wrote this poem, my reddit account is roughly 3 years old and I have tried quitting Reddit for 6 times but to no avail.

Note: these poems are written amid the API controversy protests.

I am ethnically Heilongjiang Manchu (sahaliyan ula Jugun). My mother is from Mohe city and my father grew up in Mudanjiang (Mudan Ekin Hoton). I have learned and read about the Manchu/Jurchen culture and history out of interest. A few months ago, i visited Heilongjiang China to visit my family. While i was there, my grandmother showed me a very old replica of a message that Ningguta Ala Khan of Hada hoton clan sent to Emperor Zhu Houzhao of Ming about a military alliance between Hada Hoton and Ming against the rising Jianzhou Jurchens in the south (However this alliance was broken when Ningguta allied himself with the Oirat Mongols). On this replica, there was the Mongolic - script on the left, and on the right there was Chinese. I did a bit more research and i saw that many stone temples and other buildings in Northern Manchuria at this time period would have both Mongolic script and Chinese. Does anyone here know why this would be?

Considering the I Ching is one of the 5 classics of ancient China's literature, I been wondering if I Ching was used as a guide book by itself read in a cover to cover manner without practising divination? Or alternatively as a work of philosophy sans the use of coins, yarrow sticks, burning turtle shells, and other fortune telling methods?

I ask because I read the Analects a while back and I vaguely remember the I Ching mentioned in the text. That there are claims of Confucius keeping a copy of the book throughout history. I also learned from reading on a blog that the I Ching is also mentioned in another of the Five Classics, the Spring and Autumn Annals.

So considering how its so associated with Confucianism and referenced in multiple classic literature in Chinese history, I'm wondering if the I Ching was ever used just for the sake of reading it from front page to back without using divinatory tools like yarrow stalks? Like did scholars study philosophy by reading it? Without divination, did people use the book to search for guidance in daily life in the way modern people skim across the Bible today for advice?

Have literary critics throughout history praised its writing style (which can be poetic at least in the translations I read)?

With how so tied the I Ching is with various philosophical systems, ancient Chinese literature, and the intelligentsia throughout history, I'm curious about this.

This is a subreddit post that will be posted every two weeks on Wednesday, where community members can share what texts they've been reading, any interesting excerpts, or even ask for recommendations!

Hey team! I'm looking for help or guidance about how to identify the characters on this chop. It was bought 35 years ago in Guanghzou and allegedly says my name. However, I'm not so sure it actually does. I've shared it with three friends who can read Chinese (including one older generation) but none of them could interpret the characters and they suspect it might be a more ancient script. I haven't had any luck with Google lens either. When I put my name through a translator, it also doesn't come up with any characters that match the ones here. Is there any meaning to the characters on this chop? Thanks in advance for any help or advice ❤️

I am working on a translation of a speech by Wei Zheng in the 貞觀政要. In the passage, Wei Zheng argues that the conquered Turks are not fully human, thus they cannot be trusted to guard a strategic point (in response to another politician who said that they can be trusted to do so).

Would anyone be willing to offer comments on my translation of the passage?

I am particularly struggling with the meaning of 河北 in this context. Does this just refer to anywhere north of the Yellow River? Is it the name of a specific location? I don't think it is the province of 河北, because my understanding is that that name is relatively new.

Here is the original:

秘書監魏徵曰：「匈奴自古至今，未有如斯之破敗，此是上天剿絕，宗廟神武。且其世寇中國，萬姓冤仇，陛下以其為降，不能誅滅，即宜遣發河北，居其舊土。匈奴人面獸心，非我族類，強必寇盜，弱則卑伏，不顧恩義，其天性也

Here is my translation:

The Secretary of the Imperial Library, Wei Zheng, said, “From ancient times until now, these Xiongnu [here, he is referring to the Turks as if they are the same people as the Xiongnu who disappeared centuries before] have never experienced a defeat like this. This eradication was from Heaven above. It was the might of the gods of [our] ancestral temple. Furthermore, they have, for generations, raided China. The people hated this injustice. Your majesty has accepted their surrender, and you cannot just exterminate them, so it would be appropriate to send them north of the Yellow River, to their old lands. The Xiongnu have human faces but the hearts of animals. They are not of our race. When they are strong, they are always going to go robbing and plundering. When they are weak, they will be humble and submissive. They are not moved by love and kindness, this is their nature…

Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

What do you think of this translation?

奉天承運，皇帝詔曰：

朕纘膺大寶，臨御寰區，兢惕弗遑，宵旰靡寧，思祖宗之丕業，慮蒼生之休戚。邇來觀政綱之弛懈，察冗員之駢繁，國帑虛糜，民生凋敝，朕甚憂之。爰命巨賈伊隆·馬斯克(Elon Musk)，才雋智敏，兼以赤忱之士維韋克·拉馬斯瓦米(Vivek Ramaswamy)，秉節懷忠，特敕此二人執掌「政務效率司」（DOGE），整飭朝章，釐革弊政。務期精簡機關之臃腫，裁汰冗員之齷齪，杜絕虛耗之痼疾，重塑政綱之圭臬，俾國帑充盈，黎庶康阜。馬斯克亦奏曰：「此舉必能醍醐灌頂，振聾發聵，凡尸位素餐、貪墨蠹蟲，定將繩之以典，懲一儆百！」.......

川普皇帝陛下御後繪

Original Text

隹王五十年，不豫，王念日之多鬲，恐坠保训。戊子自演水①，己丑昧爽至□②，病，述保训，令史书之。

王若曰：发，朕疾适甚，恐不汝及训。昔前人传保，必受之以詷③。今朕疾允病，恐弗念终，汝以箸受之。钦哉，勿淫！昔舜旧作小人，亲耕於鬲茅。恐，救中④。自诣厥志，不讳於庶万眚之多欲，厥有施於上下远埶，乃易立埶诣，测阴阳之物⑤，咸川不逆。舜既得中，言不易实变名，身兹备，惟允，翼翼不懈，用作三降之德⑥。帝尧嘉之，用受厥绪。

於呼！祗之哉！昔微矵中於河，以复有易，有易伓厥罪。微亡害，乃追中於河。微寺弗忘，传贻子孙，至於成唐，祗备不懈，用受大命。於呼！发，敬哉！朕闻兹不旧，命未有所延。今汝祗备毋懈，其有所由矣。不及尔身受大命，敬哉，毋淫！日不足，唯宿不羕。⑦”

释文：（周文王）王五十年，身体不豫，王考虑到自己时日无多，恐怕没有机会讲述遗训。他在戊子这天从演水出发，一天后，在己丑日的清晨，到了某处，病倒了。于是讲述遗训，命令史官（恐怕与后世概念不同）记录下来。

王这样说：发儿，我的病已经很严重了，怕你没法听到我的诫告。从前古人传授教训，一定要急言传授。但今天我的疾病的确很严重，恐怕不能考虑到最后了，你就在接受这写在简牍的遗训罢。要警惕啊，勿作骄纵恣肆之人！从前舜曾是底层民众，在鬲茅这个地方亲力耕种。感到疑惑，就开始探寻“中”道，自己精进自己的德行，不顾忌众人的自然欲求，竟在社会上下远近之中树立起旗帜（或积攒起恩惠），于是更改准则，测定阴阳历法，所有的土地都不背叛。舜已经达到了“中”的标准，于是不改变名实，（名与实的变动）只有自己能够达到要求，才算可以（接受），恭敬而不懈怠，（最终）实行了多次降服苗人的德业。帝尧表彰嘉奖他，让他做了自己的继承人。

啊呀！多么谨慎呀！从前商王上甲微从河伯处借助“中”道，以用于报有易氏之仇。有易氏伏罪，微也不做进一步的侵害。他追念河伯的“中”道，牢牢记住不遗忘。还在子孙后代中传承，一直到成唐（成汤）。成汤谨慎完备自己的品德不懈怠，以此获得了天命。啊呀！发儿，慎重谨慎吧！我知道这个道理也不久啊，没能借此延长自己的性命。现在你（去实行）谨慎不懈怠，也有了理由了罢！唉！我看不到你身受天命的时候了！慎重谨慎吧，不要骄纵恣肆啊！只有白天这样也不够，晚上睡着了也别懈怠！

①    这里[演水]二字很有可能实际上是一个字

②    是否有“至”存疑，此处有将近10字缺漏，若无“至”，则此时文武王都在丰，遗嘱实为口授，史官在旁记载。

③    有通“诵”或通“同”等多种说法

④    由于原简此处不清，识读方法较多，“救”一般理解为“求”，而“恐“除去本身歧义外，也有可能为“工”

⑤    破绽之一，阴阳合称以目前证据而言，始于战国，此前或相对出现，但极少合称，详见引文2

⑥    难解，这里是望文生义，解释说法不一而足。

⑦    似乎是文王的名言，在《逸周书》中的多篇中存在文王父子说出类似的话的情节，具体意义不明

Hi everyone, (unsure if it's the correct flair)

This semester I have begun to take an introductory class of Classical Chinese. We are using Fuller and Pullyblank primers in the classroom. We meet once a week for 3 hours and do the exercise and use dictionaries to help translate characters. Good online dictionaries like Zdic are in Chinese so I cannot rely on them much because the google auto translate does a very bad job. Do you guys have any recommendations for Classical Chinese to English dictionaries? (in print or online). I am already using the Digital Dictionary of Buddhism when required.

Apart from this, are there any beginner friendly resources for Classical Chinese that I could use to self learn? Especially, those curated for kids because I find it easier to learn from them than academic or adult level books. Like imagine someone someone in K-4 wants to learn Classical Chinese. What kind of resources would you use for them?

I have always been rather intrigued by this two characters, due to their structure, but they seem to be very rare in modern Chinese, 淼 only appearing in compounds and 沝... I don't think if it's ever used.

Because of this, I was wondering if these characters were ever used alone in CC texts, and, if so, what meaning(s) these two characters had.

Just asking in comparison to European languages. One of the things you find when you look further back in time is that the Ancient version of Greek, English, [insert your preferred language], somehow in the old days, they had five genders, verb agreement that don't exist today and just lots of shenanigans and so the modern language is notable for the simplification of the language, especially in terms of Grammar.

In Chinese, it's the reverse. The further back in time you go, the more simpler the language was, this includes the fact that Chinese was originally monosyllabic but now it is polysyllabic. Why is the progression of Chinese language that it becomes more complicated whereas with European languages, it's the other way around?

Hello, I wanted to ask. Is there some website with all the classical chinese texts? Or the major ones like laozi and zhuangzi but in classical chinese? thanks

This is a subreddit post that will be posted every two weeks on Wednesday, where community members can share what texts they've been reading, any interesting excerpts, or even ask for recommendations!

What are some useful resources for checking transmission history of CC texts? In my discipline (classics) the transmission of Latin and Greek texts from antiquity through the Middle Ages down to the present is a major focus of scholarly attention and debate, and there are resources like BNP's Dictionary of Greek and Latin Authors and Texts which lists the transmission history of each individual text (papyri & manuscripts, scholia, critical editions, translations, etc.). I would like to know if similar resources exist for the study of Chinese classics, I have been able to track down the textual history of individual works (Ctext and Chinese wikipedia are helpful in this regard), but so far I haven't found a site or publication that compiles them, at least for the major works. Do they exist? Thanks for your help in advance.

Yesterday I found a site that had the whole Han Feizi translated in English, but now I lost it and I can't find it anymore. Do you know where I can find an English translation? I particularly need chapters 32 (外储说左上) and 30 (内储说上).

I have very basic knowledge of modern Chinese (enough to translate a text with a dictionary), and I did a few classes of CC at university, which I mostly forgot. I am now reading Classical Chinese for Everyone just to get a taste of the language, see if I would like to deepen my knowledge of the language, and be able to parse some basic texts.

In the first chapter, it explains 也 as a copula, and shows it used both with nouns (犬獸也) and with stative verbs (山高也). However, I am unsure about two things:

1. It seems like, with stative verbs, the stative verb itself is enough, so I could write 山高. Would the meaning change in any way? The book says that 也 is often used with general, universal truths... Would this mean that 山高也 means 'mountains (by definition) are tall', and 山高 would mean 'a mountain is tall'?

2. Can I omit the copula with nominals? Would 犬獸 work, for instance?

i need it for my university's research, i find it on a chinese a site but i can't buy it because i'm not from china

Dear All,

I am a non-native student of the Chinese language with non-language major educational background. (I am tax attorney.) I speak modern Chinese pretty well (C1), so I decided to take up some classical Chinese. I found a teacher on italki/preply, and have been doing it for 1,5 years or so. We did the 成语故事, and started with unabridged texts, for me it was 韩非子 first, and 徕民 from 商君书. Teacher is OK with Shang Jun Shu, but I think he finds it a bit boring, and may like other texts.

So what would you read? When I studied Latin, the first unabridged text is generally De bello Gallico, and Anabasis for Greek etc. Is there any text in Chinese that is considered "easy" (like the ones mentioned in Latin or Greek), or difficult (like Cicero or Pindar)?

Please note that I did not major Chinese at the uni, so unfortunately I have very limited understanding of the classical Chinese culture.

I did a translation of Poem #1 in Li Bai's cycle of poems called "Six Border Strong point Songs."

I wanted to share this translation with yall and see if anyone had any feedback on how I can improve this translation.

My translation:

Six Border Strongpoint Songs
#1
In June, the Tianshan Mountains are still snowed in,
there are no flowers, only the cold.
From the flute, I hear the song, “Snapping Willow,”
we have not seen springtime.
At dawn, we battle, following the golden drum,
at night, we wrap ourselves in our jade saddles.
I hope to take my sword at my waist,
and straight up behead some folks from Loulan.

Here is the original:

五月天山雪，無花祗有寒。
笛中聞折柳，春色未曾看。
曉戰隨金鼓，宵眠抱玉鞍。
願將腰下劒，直爲斬樓蘭

I have a friend who is really into an animated series about mythical animals called 有兽焉. I am wondering if this title is in Classical Chinese, or if it is trying to give off a CC vibe. I especially ask because of 焉, which seems to be a particle in CC (my knowledge of CC is very lacking).

How could it be translated into English?

Thank you very much!

This is a subreddit post that will be posted every two weeks on Wednesday, where community members can share what texts they've been reading, any interesting excerpts, or even ask for recommendations!

I was recently reading about li qinzaho"s and hers husband's hobby of collceting inscriptions and how she made a catalogue of all the inscriptions she collected it sound like an amazing thing. It got me wondering is it still possible to collcect inscriptions ?