Language of the Dragon: A Classical Chinese Reader (1) (C&t Asian Language Series)

by Gregory Chiang

In this popular textbook for learners of classical Chinese, Chiang offers a systematic and clear analysis of classical Chinese (wenyan) grammar, using 20 readings from texts of the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, and early Han periods. The texts are written in modern Chinese, and each reading draws connections between the modern and classical forms of the language. Written exercises are included. As a prerequisite for this course, students should have studied at least three years of modern Chinese. The text is in traditional Chinese characters and English. A vocabulary glossary by pinyin and four in-depth grammar-oriented appendices are also included.

372 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1998

Reviews

[Brady Turpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not good at Classical Chinese; I took a year in college and read this and still don't quite get it. That being said, I did find this textbook to be clear, helpful, and progressive in difficulty. If Classical Chinese is feeling like your thing, I don't see why you couldn't/shouldn't use this text.

[Yilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been an immensely helpful textbook on Classical Chinese for me, a heritage speaker of Mandarin who moved abroad when I was quite young, before I got a chance to study Classical Chinese. It's progressive in difficulty, offers word-by-word definitions, and teaches bits of grammar with each text. I am feeling more confident accessing simple and intermediate Classical Chinese texts on my own after studying it thoroughly with a tutor's help. It's a great fit if you're like me and need something to bridge fluency in Mandarin and being able to read advanced Classical Chinese textbooks aimed at Chinese university students, like 王力‘s 古代汉语.

[Jonathan Mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

the course that uses this book is great. The book is just so-so, and doesn't really offer anything you can't get off 百度百科.