12
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How do I look up a graph in 說文通訓定聲?
How to look up an entry in 《說文通訓定聲》?
前言 Introduction
一般中文字典的內容是按部首字形分類排列。
《說文通訓定聲》則是依音韻分類排列。
從內容順序來看，作者 朱駿聲 是假設讀者已熟悉字的音韻。
所以，他先列出自創的「古韻十八部」做為「總目」，然後才是各部的內容。
The contents of common Chinese ...
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11
votes
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What is the 行 in 行有餘力？
行 here means "to do" or "to perform".
行：實行；實踐 to do; to perform; to practice
有：還有 still have
餘：多餘的 superfluous; surplus; excess
力：能力 ability; capability
行有餘力，
After doing these and still having ...
- 1,511
10
votes
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Write date and time using 文言?
Some disagreements with above.
Though '七曜' did exist in Chinese philosophy and literature from the very beginning, it is almost certain that the practice of using '七曜' to notate the seven days of a ...
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10
votes
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What does 荠麦之茂，荠麦之有 in 《猗兰操》 mean? 韩愈《猗兰操》“荠麦之茂，荠麦之有”一句作何解释？
薺麥之茂，薺麥之有。
薺麥之茂生，薺麥之因有。
薺麥之茂生，因薺麥之有。
薺麥茂於雪霜之時，乃因薺麥之內有。
薺麥能茂生於雪霜之時，乃因薺麥之內在本有。
The buckwheat(?) can grow well in the snow because of its inherent ability.
君子之傷，君子之守。
君子之傷厄，君子之見守。
君子之傷厄，見君子之守。
君子居於艱難之境，...
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10
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Has Unicode included these Classical Chinese characters?
𢂎 U+2208E
𦩳 U+26A73
𥸷 U+25E37
𤭹 U+24B79
𠰉 U+20C09
𢮿 U+22BBF
𦧴 U+269F4
𢜫 U+2272B
𤍐 U+24350
𢃛 U+220DB
𤟔 U+247D4
𣩒 U+23A52
𩵖 U+29D56
𪇇 U+2A1C7
𩬱 U+29B31
𤜅 U+24705
﨣 U+FA23
𥺝 U+25E9D
髟＋忿？(...
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10
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Difference of 青 and 黑
青 does not mean black in modern Chinese (likely due to semantic transition). It can mean black in classical Chinese, but that does not mean its meaning is ambiguous either, given the context is ...
- 5,595
9
votes
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Why is 景 written "wrong" on the Nestorian Stele?
This is a 隸書 form of 景. According to the references cited in the 教育部異體字字典, it occurs on steles from the Tang dynasty.
Sometimes these variations are done for ease of cutting, or because certain ...
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8
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What is the usage of 蔑 as a negation word in classical chinese?
Here's a good English definition and explanation with an example sentence to get you started:
A Students Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese
2 negative particle of the perfective: had not, ...
Mou某♦
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8
votes
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What is the difference between 吾 and 我 in 文言文？
The first thing to point out is that「吾」(Baxter-Sagart: /*ŋˤa/) and「我」(Baxter-Sagart: /*ŋˤajʔ/) are cognate. They mean exactly the same thing, and were interchangeable to a very large degree; as the ...
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7
votes
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Why did people sometimes call Liu Bei "明将军"?
It's an honorific, meaning "illustrious" or "enlightened general", and as such is not specific to Liu Bei.
For example, in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Pei Song's annotations ...
- 4,335
6
votes
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Ancient forms of characters
I'm afraid different people may use these terms in slightly different ways. But the way I understand it,
standard form 標準體 is one of several ways of writing a character, chosen as standard in a ...
- 1,660
6
votes
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Need help with Classical Chinese
the post card is a replication of a painting, which is in the palace museum (故宫博物院). imo, the quality is, unacceptable. here's a better image of the painting:
about the text, traditionally, one read ...
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6
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非 at the beginning of a sentence - Classical Chinese
1.[非] XXX,[不能] YYY = [not having] XXX, [cannot] YYY
"非 XXX 不能" is a relative clause; "YYY" is a verb clause
Example:
[非]孟子造道之深,[不能]形容至此也= [Not having] 孟子造道之深,[cannot]形容至此也
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5
votes
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What are the etymologies of 局 and 局面?
The etymology of 局
1st interpretation
促也。从口在尺下，復局之。『說文解字』
促也。以㬪韵爲訓。从口在尺下復局之。尺所以指厈規榘事也。口在尺下。三緘其口之意。『說文解字注』
Upper part of 局 represents 尺 (ruler), alluding to rules and canons.
Lower (inside) part ...
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5
votes
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What's the etymology and significance of yuenyeung (鴛鴦)?
鴛鴦 is actually the name of a bird; more specifically, the mandarin duck.
Here's an image:
(Look at how cute they are!)
In Chinese culture, the mandarin duck is a symbol of lovers, much like ...
- 250
5
votes
How to identify 使動用法 in Classical Chinese?
the correct interpretation should be 使衆人誇贊[游者] (cause everyone to praise [the traveller]).
imo, such interpretation is incorrect.
越無車﹒有游者得車於晉楚之郊﹒輻朽而輪敗﹒輗折而轅毀﹒無所可用﹒然以其鄉之未嘗有也﹒舟載以歸而誇諸人﹒觀者聞其誇而信之﹒...
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5
votes
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"食人" in Classical Chinese of the 先秦 period
in the book of mencius 孟子, chapter 梁惠王上:
此率獸而食人也
roughly means
This is leading on beasts to devour men.
https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=gb&id=12876#s10026702
in the same book, chapter 滕文公上:
...
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5
votes
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What does 苦 mean here?
The whole sentence may be translated to 'The Ansu Prefecture was troubled by (the damages of) the waters of Xu'.
In classical Chinese, parts of speech are easily mutable (詞類活用). Here is a typical ...
- 5,595
5
votes
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Can someone explain 衣锦尚炯 character by character?
You probably mean 衣錦尚絅 here.
衣：to wear
锦：brocade (clothes)
尚：to add
絅：unlined outer garment, usually made from linen
Literally the phrase means "To wear brocade inside, and add linen overall robe ...
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5
votes
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How to grammatically analyze 三国之一 in 大都不过三国之一?
祭仲曰・都城過百雉・國之害也・先王之制・大都不過參國之一・中・五之一・小・九之一・今京不度・非制也・君將不堪
the verse of the question is from 傳 隱公元年
三 is temporarily used as a verb, meaning to divide into three parts
you’re correct, the character “參 (...
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4
votes
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What is meaning of the sentence 「夫非盡人之子與」?
夫 is a particle that you can ignore in this sentence.
Here, 非 is a negation, in this case as part of a rhetorical question with 與: Is it not? (or, in this case: Are we not?)
盡 in this text means all....
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4
votes
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For a long time, I caused the <wide world> to be <manlang 漫浪>
Thanks for an intro to a great piece by Im Jae (sp? 林悌‧愁城誌). Do you know of any English or Chinese studies or translations of his work?
I found it pretty difficult writing, a pastiche of the 尚書, ...
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4
votes
天干、地支、八卦和六十四卦 Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, 8 Trigrams and 64 Hexagrams
Brief answer.
Yes. Some modern Chinese words are developed from these conceptions.
坤 in 八卦 represents the earth, female, Yin.
From these meanings, words like 乾坤 (the world. lit. Heaven and earth), ...
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4
votes
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How to translate the phrase 利而物利章 in context?
after reading other literary chinese texts, here's my approach :)
君道何如 - what is the principle(s) of sovereign
利而物利章 - this verse is very tricky, i would interpret it as "利而物利" + "章"
the first "利" ...
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4
votes
how to translate "何如" in 呂氏春秋?
there're 7 occurrences of "何如" in 呂氏春秋:
http://ctext.org/lv-shi-chun-qiu/zh?searchu=何如
translate "何如" as "how" is appropriate, in some of them.
１ 季冬紀﹒不侵 http://ctext.org/lv-shi-chun-qiu/bu-qin/zh?...
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4
votes
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Problem in understanding classical Chinese sentences
對揚王休﹒用作尊彝
this verse come from the inscription on 免尊
對 - 報答, to requite
揚 - 讚揚, to praise
王 - the king, or ruler
休 - 樹蔭 shade of a tree --> 庇蔭 to shield --> 美德 virtue
用作 - ~ use for
尊彝 - 彝 is ...
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4
votes
Three Chinese characters (?) on the entrance of the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh city (Characters identified: 寶藏院)
it's 寶藏院, roughly "the courtyard (院) of treasure (寶藏)"
the right one is 寶:
http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E5%AF%B6
middle one is 藏:
http://humanum.arts.cuhk....
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4
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are there any free bilingual sources of chinese proverb?
the internet archive is your friend. unfortunately, it's blocked in "that area" :(
the first one: a handbook of the chinese language, by james summers, printed in 1863
in page 95 & page 97, ...
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4
votes
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How many supplies did Liu Bei have at Dangyang?
Yes, 兩 used to have many more meanings.
In the details section of zdic, there's the following additional meanings:
(4) 匹(长四丈)
归夫人鱼轩,重锦三十两。——《左传·闵公二年》
(5) 通“辆”。车一乘 [used for buses,carts,etc.]
武王戎车三百两。—...
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votes
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A better translation of 假作真时真亦假，无为有处有还无。
One of the quotes you give is from David Hawkes, published, translation. It goes as follows:
Truth becomes fiction when the fiction’s true;
Real becomes not-real where the unreal’s real.
You can ...
Mou某♦
- 35.7k
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