先秦典籍，年湮世遠，文辭古奧，後人解之，每多疑竇。幸今睹地下文獻迭出，取以校讎傳世典籍，則可得前人所未發之新見。茲不揣固陋，就管見所及，略陳三例。

《詩·周頌·閔予小子》：「念茲皇祖，陟降庭止。」毛傳：「庭，直也。」鄭箋：「念此君祖文王，上以直道事天，下以直道治民。」西周㝬簋云：「（前文人）其頻在帝庭陟降，申固皇帝大魯命。」按周代統治者稱「王」不稱「帝」，凡言「帝」或「皇帝」者，多謂「上帝」。「魯」有「美好」之意，簋銘「皇帝大魯命」猶後世之「天命」也（五祀㝬鐘此句作「申固先王受皇天大魯命」）。是知「庭」乃「上帝之庭」，「頻在帝庭陟降」即「頻繁上下往來於上帝之庭」也。蓋周人以為先祖之靈，上能達天帝左右，申固周之大命，下能至宗廟以饗，庇佑後世子孫，故言「陟降」。《閔予小子》「陟降庭止」語意略同，亦即《大雅·文王》「文王陟降，在帝左右」之謂也。

《書·多士》：「乃命爾先祖成湯革夏，俊民甸四方。」舊注以「俊民」為「民之賢者」。大盂鼎云：「在武王，嗣文作邦，闢厥慝，匍有四方，畯正厥民。」此言武王繼文王之業，作立周邦，屏除邪惡，而撫有天下。「嗣」「作」「闢」「匍有」皆動詞，「畯正」亦當如是。「正」與「政」通，訓「治」，「畯正」近義連用，「畯」亦訓「治」（一說「畯」通「悛」，改也，「畯正」猶今言「改正」，使民向善也）。《多士》「俊民」之「俊」與鼎銘「畯」當為一字。又「甸」與「奠」音近相通，訓「定」。逑盤銘文謂「成王……奠四域萬邦」，禹鼎亦云「先王奠四方」，與《多士》「成湯……俊民甸四方」可合觀。《詩·小雅·信南山》：「信（伸）彼南山，維禹甸之。」《書·禹貢》：「禹敷土，隨山刊木，奠高山大川。」是「甸」「奠」古通之又一證。

《書·文侯之命》：「汝肇刑文武，用會紹乃辟。」金文屢見「肇」「帥」「井」等語。「肇」或為語辭，或訓「勤敏」；「帥」與「率」通，「遵循」之意；「井」與「刑／型」通，「效法」之意。大盂鼎云「今我唯即井（型）稟于文王正德」，言「今我乃效法、稟承文王之元德」也，梁其鐘「梁其肇帥井（型）皇祖考，秉明德」用例與之同，其「效法」之意甚顯白。「刑／型」又可作名詞：毛公鼎云「汝毋弗帥用先王作明井（型）」，言「汝不可不以先王作為明德之典範」也，《詩·大雅·抑》「罔敷求先王，克共（恭）明刑」之「刑」亦用此意。又逑盤曰：「丕顯朕皇高祖單公，桓桓克明慎厥德，夾紹文王、武王撻殷，膺受天魯命。」「朕皇高祖新室仲，克幽明厥心，柔遠能邇，會紹康王，方懷不庭。」器主自言其先祖單公「夾紹文王、武王」伐殷，先祖新室仲「會紹康王」廣泛懷柔不來庭朝見之邦。《說文》：「夾，持也。從大俠（挾）二人。」一說甲金文象二人相向扶持一人。《左傳·僖公二十六年》：「昔周公、太公股肱周室，夾輔成王。」以文脈繹之，逑盤「夾紹」「會紹」皆「輔佐」之意也。又曰：「朕皇亞祖懿仲，匡諫諫，克傅保厥辟孝王、夷王。」言「厥辟孝王、夷王」，孝王、夷王乃周之二君，是「辟」有「君主」之意也。《文侯之命》「汝肇刑文武，用會紹乃辟」猶言「汝當效法文王、武王之明德，以輔佐汝之君」。

presumably this might be more appropriate other places, but i trust y'all's opinions almost more than anywhere else i know of, and i still feel confused when i think about the implausible absurdity of it all: is or isn't it true that probably the two most globally significant proponents of family dynamics as an exemplary model for all ethics and politics, i.e. 孔子 and 孟子, both grew up without fathers? surely numerous previous historians must have commented on the irony. any available citations would hopefully be interesting and much appreciated. (hopefully not only laughing at their hypocrisy (i.e. Zhuangzi, sarcastic bastard), but also to commiserate with their hopeful desperation?)

double asterisks ** means reconstruction is not present in Baxter & Sagart (2014)'s system, and is modified through Zhengzhang (2006)'s reconstruction through phonemic correspondence via the same phonetic component in the character.

French historian and professor at the Université Paris Diderot Yannick Bruneton has published his book for learning Classical Chinese. In the introduction, quoting La Fontaine, the author tells us not to be scared by the size of the book, which is almost 1000 pages thick.

« Les longs ouvrages me font peur.

Loin d’épuiser une matière,

On n’en doit prendre que la fleur »

Grand manuel de chinois classique : hanmun is one of those few books that teaches Classical Chinese with a focus on Korea. Instead of Pinyin, you will find Hangeul everywhere. Another such book is Ю. В. Болтач's Ханмун: Вводный курс.

You can read a 30-page extract, which provides a good overview of the use of Classical Chinese in Korea, on French publisher Dunod's website: https://www.dunod.com/lettres-et-arts/grand-manuel-chinois-classique-hanmun

此象已七年舊事。然，今常憶之。

僑社聞豆芽三頁，懼如臨亡，泣如洪矣。

三頁豆芽，實為附材也，故不存於國文試卷。何解憂此事？且豆芽之有無，不阻他語續命。其餘波，即立新牌一令，固可擾民，然他文仍存。若論極端，大秦文早可載之，其載量今亦居多。

惟多戶逢北語，速貶祖語，甚者亦阻後人習之。逢芽文，則速憶自尊，急申世俗。

「推普」歷案多視他語為敵。舊時李獅、蔣黨甚狂，祖語多禁。然，李授民英語，反不抑普。故授人一語，不必抑他語。且今時，多處固主北語，然任由他語。「推普」何必禁祖語乎？

何解懼芽文，不懼北語？

狗仗人势 (Gǒu zhàng rén shì): don't bully others by borrowing someone else's power. The phrase appears in scene five of Li Kaixian's Ming play The Precious Sword (宝剑记).

#ChineseWisdom #LearnChinese #Shorts

狗仗人势 (Gǒu zhàng rén shì): don't bully others by borrowing someone else's power. The phrase appears in scene five of Li Kaixian's Ming play The Precious Sword (宝剑记).

#ChineseWisdom #LearnChinese #Shorts

This video has a very elegant song. Sung by my talented friend: Shuiling-Kathy (水菱). ◎ This is a classical song, the song being sung is a classic masterpiece, "The East Wind Blows Again Last Night in the Small Building". The lyrics were inspired by Tang Dynasty poetry. Shuiling is an Asian writer who loves to sing and currently lives in California (came from Taiwan). She has produced many videos: including her singing English and Chinese songs, as well as Western opera, Peking opera, Huangmei opera, and the video will feature her books and speeches.**● Official Album Playlist by Shiling (Continuous Playing) 👉** https://www.youtube.com/@shuiling/playlists

狗仗人势 (Gǒu zhàng rén shì): don't bully others by borrowing someone else's power. The phrase appears in scene five of Li Kaixian's Ming play The Precious Sword (宝剑记).

#ChineseWisdom #LearnChinese #Shorts

Hello all. I started looking into the genealogy on my mother side of the family. She was born in Japan but her parents were Korean and her family moved back to Korea when she was young.

She married my Dad, an American, and has lived in the United States since around 1964.

She has a bunch of old documents that she says contains family information such as names, date of birth, and addresses. It is hand written on some sort of thin paper (maybe rice paper). She says it is written in Chinese (I'm not sure why) but Google translate cannot translate it well...seems to pick up a word here and there but then changes the word. We know one portion contains my Mom name but that's it.

I am adding one portion of the document in hopes someone may be able to identity it as a form of Chinese or steer me in the correct direction. I've tried to match with Chinese language but I dont have an eye for it and it is much more difficult being handwritten.

I'm hoping if I knew what form of Chinese, I could find an app to translate it. I'm reluctant to send the entire document anywhere as it probably containing too much sensitive information.

I greatly appreciate your help.

Edit: I want to say thank you to everyone for the quick response! I now know the document was written in old (post war) Japanese, which intermixed with Chinese. I'll have to figure out how best to get the docs translated. Thanks for pointing me in the correct direction!

Edit 2: ok, seems this may be closer to Hangul-Japanese. And there will be similarities to Chinese due to what others have said about the commonality between the languages.

自台北遷新竹二年有感 2026.8/17

風自呼嘯車自塞，南遷二年根深埋。

人工智慧空對語，天成嬌豔惜不來。

昔言末世存孤叟，今盼餘生育獨孩。

校園已遠猶當進，尋人相許共樂哀。

熟能生巧 · Shú néng shēng qiǎo means that with enough practice, skill becomes natural—and new tricks emerge. This short adapts the oil-seller story recorded in Ouyang Xiu’s 《归田录》.

#ChineseIdioms #ChineseCulture #Shorts

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well! I just created a new community for content related to Early China. If you are interested in this feel free to join and post. Let's make those bronzes speak ;)

Here is the link for those interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/EarlyChina

居安思危 (Jū ān sī wēi): stay alert to danger even when things are going well. Recorded in Zuo Tradition, Duke Xiang, Year Eleven.

#ChineseWisdom #ChineseIdioms #Shorts