Chinese Language

Question 0

What does it cultural provide the Chinese people?

Answer 0

• Gives permanence to a culture and an identity to a people, and a sense of history and cultural continuity.

Question 1

Describe the two attributes of the Chinese language

Answer 1

Both universal and diverse

Question 2

Language relationship to social realities

Answer 2

Languages are representations of social reality and culture, developed in need to adapt to physical environment in a highly cooperative way.

Question 3

汉语 hanyu

Answer 3

Language of the Han people

Question 4

Cang Jie

Answer 4

Mythical creator of the Chinese language

Question 5

Words represent what?

Answer 5

The pattern of existence

Question 6

Words connect man to what

Answer 6

The Devine

Question 7

Chinese language has a what

Answer 7

Moral and philosophical dimension

Question 8

Words grant what power

Answer 8

The power to regulate existence in the human sphere

Question 9

Shang is first dynasty with what

Answer 9

Archeological backing

Question 10

What was a major part of ruling in the Shang dynasty

Answer 10

Divination

Question 11

What are the two most important artifacts from the Shang dynasty?

Answer 11

Oracle bones and bronze vessels

Question 12

Describe the life of the elite and king of the Shang dynasty

Answer 12

Kings (wang 王) and an elite of administrative officials, militaries, and craftsmen lived in walled cities on the surplus of surrounding rural population; some territorial powers existed, controlled by members of royal clan or occasionally also by other clans

Question 13

Elite protection

Answer 13

• Elite offered protection by providing administrative, military and religious services

Question 14

How was the ruling class legitimized

Answer 14

Rituals of sacrifice and divination established and legitimized the power of the ruling court

Question 15

How many oracle bones were recovered and what were thye used for

Answer 15

Over 150,000 pieces were collected.
– 4,500 words and only 1/3 were decoded
– Questions on state affairs, battles, illness, harvest, rain, harvest, dreams, etc.

Question 16

Among the three types of ancient characters (Sumerian, Egyptian, and Chinese) Chinese is the only written language still in use.
Why?

Answer 16

• Chinese written language transcends individual dialects;
– The most stable and lasting imperial empire?
– Institutional support?
– Technological innovation: paper and printing
• A Chinese character uniquely combines three things in one: image, sound and meaning. It’s a very rich and economic language.
– Lots of cultural memory in written words
– Enormous potential for generating derivatives and forming new words.
Religious, Political and Cultural Power of Chinese words

Question 17

Language has four what?

Answer 17

Tones

Question 18

文化

Answer 18

culture

Question 19

文明

Answer 19

civilization

Question 20

文人

Answer 20

scholars

Question 21

文学

Answer 21

literature

Question 22

文物

Answer 22

cultural relic

Question 23

天文

Answer 23

astronomy

Question 24

文

Answer 24

wen means family

Question 25

Oracle bones gave written what

Answer 25

Ancient divination ceremonies gave the written script religious power that can still be seen everywhere in China today.

Question 26

What is required for elites?

Answer 26

Qualification for political elites rests on writing ability. Literacy, defined as the ability to understand and use written classical Chinese, became a tool and a manifestation of central power

Question 27

Language is a symbol of what

Answer 27

A symbol of grant imperial and central authority

Question 28

Describe multicultural Aspect of chinEse langauge

Answer 28

Adopted by Japan, Korea and other peoples as the basis of their writing system. The Chinese script was a means of communication beyond the empire’s borders as well its culture.

Question 29

Describe gender identity in the language

Answer 29

– Gender identity. Positive connotations associated with male and negative ones associated with female.
Words with “female’ component:
好​good​安 ​peace​​妙 exquisite
妒​jealous​奴 ​slave​​姦 adultery

Question 30

Family in language

Answer 30

• Family: foundation of all.
– 国家 state
– 儒家,科学家 group, association of professionals
– 有夫有婦，然後爲家 husband and wife form a family
– 父母 parent: balance of correlated opposites
– Chinese language in contemporary China

Question 31

20th century vernacular reforms did what

Answer 31

• Written language reforms in the 20th century
– Vernacular form to replace classical form
– Development of a Latinized phonetic pinyin system
– Simplification of characters
– Standardize spoken language using Beijing local dialect as the standard spoken language for the whole country.

Question 32

冩-写

Answer 32

write

Question 33

會-会

Answer 33

can

Question 34

逺-远

Answer 34

far

Question 35

Importance of handwritten

Answer 35

seeing the written character is just like seeing the person

Question 36

Calligraphy as art

Answer 36

Even today it is still the most important of the three perfections (三绝—calligraphy, painting, and poetry
– Unique in Chinese culture, comparable to painting with rich variety and design, part of Chinese art.
– Besides its aesthetic expression and value, calligraphy plays an important function of social exchange between patrons and clients in traditional society.
– Cultural symbolism of social status, power and cultural capital