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VIII. LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 1. Why was so much emphasis placed on reforming the Chinese writing system during the New Culture Movement after the fall of the Qing Dynasty? . Its script and vocabulary were difficult for commoners to learn.
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1. Why was so much emphasis placed on reforming the Chinese writing system during the New Culture Movement after the fall of the Qing Dynasty?
Its script and vocabulary were difficult for commoners to learn.
2. The first dictionary of English was published in 1604. When was the first dictionary of Chinese, the Erh-ya (爾雅), published?
3. Although Chinese characters are now often written horizontally and read from left to right, what was the traditional practice of Chinese writing and reading?
4. What is the main reason that China has many mutually unintelligible dialects?
5. What do XuShen (許慎), a Chinese scholar of the 2nd century, and Samuel Johnson, a British author of the 18th century have in common?
6. The basic idea behind the early Chinese writing was to represent objects by using what?
7. What is meant by the Chinese saying “pulling a tiger’s whiskers”?
8. What is meant by the Chinese proverb “When you ride a tiger it is hard to dismount”?
Before you undertake a dangerous task, you must consider all the risks. It can also be used to describe someone who gets himself into a trouble that is difficult to resolve.
9. What is meant by the Chinese proverb “playing music to an ox”?
10. What is meant by the Chinese proverb “Men should worry about becoming famous just as pigs should worry about becoming fat”?
Just as a fattened pig will soon be slaughtered, a famous man will invariably be attacked.
11. What English language proverb is comparable to the Chinese saying: “If you do not mend a small hole, you will suffer later from a larger hole”?
12. What is meant by the Chinese proverb “Add legs to a snake after you finish drawing it”?
Spoil a good thing by something unnecessary; a useless addition, or an unneeded action.
13. What is meant by the Chinese proverb “Beat the grass to startle the snake”, one of the renowned Thirty-six Strategies?
When you cannot detect the opponent's plans launch a direct, but brief, attack and observe your opponent reactions. His behavior will reveal his strategy.
14. What is meant by the Chinese proverb “to negotiate with a tiger for its skin”?
It is foolish to try to get a tyrant to act against his own vital interests.
16. What do people say to each other when visiting over Chinese New Year?
17. During the Shang dynasty, early Chinese characters were used in divination. These divinations were usually carved on what kinds of materials?
18. According to XuShen’sShuoWenJieZi, The Lexicography of Chinese Characters, he lists Chinese characters in six categories: pictographs, simple indicatives, compound indicatives, phono-semantic compound characters, borrowed characters and derived characters. About 90% of the characters are from which category?
19. Fengshui is a Chinese concept much practiced by people who believe in the importance of the proper alignment of buildings and objects in relation with nature. What does the term literally mean in English?
20. Which famous Chinese novel tells the story of Monkey who helped the Tang Monk in his journey west?
21. Approximately how many Chinese characters are commonly used today?
7,000.There are over 80,000 Chinese characters, but most of them are seldom used today. The most frequently used 7,000 characters cover about 99.5% of usage. A standard Chinese dictionary may include about 10,000 words.
22. Currently what written language is the world’s most widely used language?
