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Classical Chinese (L1-4) > Classical Chinese Lessons 1-4 > Flashcards

Classical Chinese Lessons 1-4 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the meaning of 知？

A

to know, to understand; to know how to; knowledge
eg. 小人不知德。 The petty person does not understand virtue.

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2
Q

What is the meaning of 不？

A

Not.
- 不 always negates a verb or adjective, so always expect a verb or adjective following it.
- but sometimes an adverb + verb can be taken together as a noun idea: 不知 can mean “ignorance”.

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3
Q

What is a noun idea? (L1)

A

An adverb + verb.
Eg. 不知 “ignorance”
自禁 as “self-control” (vs. “to control oneself”
不善: “evil, wickedness”

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4
Q

What does 人 mean?

A
  1. Person, people, human beings;
  2. Others, other people.
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5
Q

What does 以 mean?

A
  1. With, by means of. [coverb]
  2. In order to. [conjunction]
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6
Q

How is 以 often used?

A

As a coverb! It is used in combination with other verbs.
- serves the same purpose as English prepositions like “with,” “by means of,” and “through.”
- usually comes BEFORE the main verb and is followed by its own special object.

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7
Q

What does 命 mean?

A
  1. To command; a command.
  2. Fate; life span.
    Note; what Heaven or the gods command for you is your fate. They also command your life span.
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8
Q

What does 善 mean?

A
  1. Good, excellent, virtuous; good [thing]; excellent [thing]*.
  2. To be good or skilled at [something].
    - refers to either virtuous, moral behaviour, or to talent and skill.
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9
Q

What does 為 mean?

A

wei1 (1,3) or wei4 (2)
1. To do, to make, to be, to become.*
2. For the sake of, because of, on behalf of. (coverb)
- 君為民行德。The ruler practices virtue on behalf of the people.
-子為公就坐。 The minister proceeded to his seat for the sake of the duke.
3. [Marks a passive sentence pattern]

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10
Q

How do you use 為？

A

It is a coverb (and thus is read w/4th tone)
- It means “on behalf of” (usually) or “because of” (sometimes):
- 君為民行德。 The ruler practices virtue on behalf of the people.
- 子為其父棄酒。The son gave up ale for the sake of his father.
巨為公就坐。 The minister proceeded to his seat for the sake of the duke.

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11
Q

What does 笑 mean?

A

To laugh, to smile.
- Intransitive: 大笑 “laugh”
- Transitive: “to laugh at [someone/something]

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12
Q

What does 管 mean?

A
  • Its a name in this lesson.
  • flute, tube, pipe.
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13
Q

What does 聞 mean?

A
  1. To hear
  2. To smell.
  3. Learning, fame, reputation (ie. “what is heard”) -> also
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14
Q

巨

A
  1. Minister; subject [of a ruler]*
  2. First person pronoun when addressing a superior]*.
    - Comparable to archaic English usages like “Your Humble Servant.”
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15
Q

What does 至 mean?

A
  1. To arrive.*
  2. To go so far as; to reach the point of.
    報至死, “he took revenge to the extent of death”–he took revenge even to the extent that he risked death or killed his enemy.
  3. When, when the time came that. 至行齊, “when he went to Qi…”
  4. The ultimate, the most, the perfect.
    至善 “the most perfect good,” “the highest degree of good.”
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16
Q

What does 舉 mean?

A
  1. To raise, to lift; to mobilize [troops]; to light [a fire]*
  2. All, entire, every.
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17
Q

What does 計 mean?

A

To plan, to calculate; plans, calculate.

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18
Q

What does 起 mean?

A

To rise; to get up [from sleep].

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19
Q

What does 酒 mean?

A
  1. Alcoholic beverage.
  2. Banquet. [figurate usage.]
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20
Q

What does 飲 mean?

A

To drink.
-> In this anecdote (L4) the character is causative: “to make drink”)

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21
Q

What is a causative verb?

A

Verbs that represent letting or making someone else carry out the action of the verb. -> Context based.
- 巨坐仲父。 I provided a seat for my uncle [lit: “caused my uncle to sit”]
- 君行酒 The ruler passed around the ale [lit. “caused the ale to go.]
公趨其巨於家. The duke hurried his minister off to his house.

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22
Q

What does 齊 mean?

A
  1. The state of Qi.*
    - a state in pre-imperial China.
  2. To be equal, to be the same.
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23
Q

What does 舌 mean?

A

Tongue.

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24
Q

What does 觴 shang1 mean?

A

Cup, goblet, drinking cup; to offer a toast.

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25
Q

What does 事 mean?

A
  1. Thing, matter, affair, occupation, job.*
  2. To serve, to work for; to employ, to have as a servant.
    - usually refers to matters, affairs, and abstract things.
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26
Q

What does 信 mean?

A
  1. Trustworthy, sincere; to believe; faith; trustworthiness *.
  2. Truly, actually.
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27
Q

What does 其 mean?

A
  1. This; that; these; those; its; his; her; their. [possessive and demonstrative adjective]. *
    - Its most common is to signify “demonstrative” functions (this, that, the) or possession: 其魚 = this/that/the/her/his fish.
    其心 his mind.
    君得民心而後得其信。The ruler obtains the people’s hearts, and only then will he obtain their trust.
  2. Perhaps, probably, should. [vague modal adverb].
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28
Q

What does 厚 mean?

A

Thick; generous.

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29
Q

What does 在 mean?

A

To be located in [a place]; to be at [a place]; to exist, to be living.

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30
Q

What does 去 mean?

A
  1. To leave, to abandon. [transitive]
  2. To leave, to depart. [intransitive].
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31
Q

What does 士 mean?

A

Knight; military officer; gentleman; gentry.
- Often referred to a land-owning “middle class,” sometimes warriors, sometimes scholars.
- Socially they were located between the aristocrats and the rulers on one side, and the common people on the other.

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32
Q

What does 宿 mean?

A
  1. To roost; to lodge, to spend the night; lodging, inn.*
    - can apply to both animals roosting for the night and to humans spending the night somewhere.
  2. Previous, former.
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33
Q

What does 屋 mean?

A

House, room.

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34
Q

What does 忠 mean?

A

Loyal, faithful; loyalty.

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35
Q

What does 愛 mean?

A

To love; to cherish; to begrudge.
- Usually does NOT imply romantic love in CC.

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36
Q

What does 成 mean?

A

To complete; to accomplish; to perfect; to become.
- Common in both transitive use (君成德 “The ruler perfects his virtue”);
and intransitive (德成, “Virtue comes to perfection.”)

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37
Q

What does 所 mean?

A
  1. Place, location.
  2. [Grammatical particle; turns a verb into a direct object.]* -> It is a FUNCTION WORD. -> creates a noun that ‘receives’ a verb.
    SEE examples
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38
Q

How do you use 所？

A

It creates a noun that ‘receives’ verb:
所愛: That which is cherished.
所逃: That which is escaped
所失: That which is lost.
所死: That which is died for (the sake of)
所成: That which is succeeded/completed
If the verb in 所 takes a location as its object, then you may need to translate 所as place:
所去 the place that is abandoned
所歸: the place that is returned to.
所在: the place where [someone is located]
The person or thing carrying out the action in 所 structure is placed in a modifying position in front of the character, often connected to it by 之。
士（之）所愛 that which/what the knight loves
聖人(之)所逃: that which/what the wise person flees.
鳥(之）所去 that place the bird abandons
道(之)所在: Where the way is located.
君(之)所歸: the place that the ruler returns to.

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39
Q

What does 本 mean?

A

[Tree} root; fundamental; basics.
- 本 is often used to express important things, first things, or the essential nature of things.

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40
Q

What does 樹 mean?

A
  1. Tree. *
  2. To plant [a tree], to establish.
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41
Q

What does 歸 mean?

A

To go home; to give allegiance to; to find refuge with.
- expresses the action of going to where one “belongs”. Rivers 歸 to the sea. Vassals 歸 to their lord. Women 歸 to their husbands’ homes when they get married.

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42
Q

What does 死 mean?

A

Death; to die.
- normally intransitive (ie. it doesn’t take a direct object–you can’t “die someone”).
But in this it is followed by the direct object pronoun 之. -> 死 can take as its object the person for whom one dies (in an act of loyalty); this is usually one’s ruler or lord… 士死之 “…knights die for”

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43
Q

What does 水 mean?

A

Water.
-> sometimes used poetically for “river” (like “the waters of the Nile” in English).

44
Q

What does 淺 mean?

A

Shallow.
- As can the English word for this meaning, this character can be used literally “shallow water” or metaphorically (“shallow feelings”).

45
Q

What does 物 mean?

A

Thing; physical object.
萬物: “the ten thousand things,” is a common expression for all the things in the world.

46
Q

What does 畏 mean?

A

To fear; to be in awe of; to respect.

47
Q

What does 百 mean?

A

One hundred.

48
Q

What does 禮 mean?

A

Rites, ceremonies; politeness, etiquette, courtesy; polite, courteous.
- another very important term in Confucian thinking.

49
Q

What does 萬 mean?

A

Ten thousand.
- 萬物, “the ten thousand things,” is a common expression for all the things in the world.

50
Q

What does 貴 mean?

A

Valuable, expensive; to value; to treasure.
- In other later texts, this character indicates members of the nobility and aristocracy.

51
Q

What does 高 mean?

A

High, lofty.

52
Q

What does 魚 mean?

A

Fish.

53
Q

What does 鳥 mean?

A

Bird.

54
Q

What does 漏 mean?

A

To leak.

55
Q

What does 趨 mean?

A

To hurry; to hasten.

56
Q

What does 逃 mean?

A

To flee, to escape.

57
Q

What does 一 mean?

A

One; first; once.

58
Q

What does 下 mean?

A

Under, below; to go down, to descend, to put down ; social inferiors; to give a social inferior.
- 天下: “Under Heaven” (ie. the world).

59
Q

What does 之 mean?

A
  1. [A particle that connects nouns or noun clauses]*
  2. Him, her, it, them [direct object pronoun]
  3. To go.
60
Q

What is the function of 之?

A

It is a function word that indicates a ‘subordinate’ relation between the 2 nouns it joins together: eg. [modifier 之 modified(noun)] -> like 的
eg. 草之青 the green of the grass.
- Connects two nouns or noun phrases; it can represent either possession or description:
君之謀 the ruler’s schemes
天下之國: the states of the world
聖人之時: the era of a wise person
小人之家 the petty person’s house
君子之後: behind the gentleman
為善之家: a family that does good
爭得道之民：a people that views to obtain the Way
逆善人之謀: a plot that goes against good people.
以福報國之天: a Heaven that rewards a state with good fortune.
SEE NOTES

61
Q

What does 仁 mean?

A

Kindness, benevolence.
- One of the most important Confucian virtues.

62
Q

What does 分 mean?

A
  1. To divide up, to apportion, to share. *
  2. Share, lot, fate.
63
Q

What does 加 mean?

A
  1. To increase.
  2. To participate [in], to be of benefit.
  3. Increasingly, more. *
  4. To apply [to].
  5. Advantage, gain.
    - adverbial usage (“increasingly, more”) functions as a way to express “comparatives”. Eg. 君子不加小 “the gentleman does not become any smaller;” 小人不加聖 “The petty person does not become any wiser.”
64
Q

What does 反 mean?

A

To revolt; to go astray; to be perverse.*
2. To return.
3. On the contrary, contrary to expectations.
In all meanings, the idea of a counter-motion is implied by this character.

65
Q

What does 喜 mean?

A

To be happy; to be delighted; to enjoy [something]; joy, pleasure.

66
Q

What does 君 mean?

A
  1. Ruler, lord.*
  2. [Polite second person pronoun; compare Elizabethan English “My lord….” ]
67
Q

What does 國 mean?

A

Country, state, capital.

68
Q

What does 失 mean?

A

To lose, to be remiss, to neglect; loss, failure.

69
Q

What does 子 mean?

A
  1. Son, child.*
  2. Master. [plote suffice]
  3. You. [pronoun].
  4. “Viscount” (a feudal title]
70
Q

What does 孝 mean?

A

Filial, fialiality, filial piety.
- Another one of the most important Confucian virtues.
- 不孝 means “unfilial” or “unfiliality.”

71
Q

What does 家 mean?

A
  1. House, household, family.*
    - contrasted with 國 to represent the private realm (family, as opposed to country), or the noble families and clans that ruled the 國.
  2. School of thought.
72
Q

What does 後 mean?

A
  1. Behind, later, subsequently, afterward; to follow behind; to consider of lesser importance.*
  2. Posterity, successor, heir.
    - Can generally refer to anything that is behind sth else, 9or (verbally) a movement toward the rear or a dismissal of sth as “secondary” or “less important”
    而後： And then, only then. -> emphasizes that a first event must happen before a second event can occur.
73
Q

What does 怒 mean?

A

Angry, anger.

74
Q

What does 患 mean?

A

Grief, misfortune, disaster; to suffer, to worry about [a crisis].

75
Q

What does 惠 mean?

A

Compassion, compassionate.
- 慈惠 = a synonym compound: two words with roughly the same meaning, used together for emphasis or to create a symmetrical rhythm.

76
Q

What does 憂 mean?

A

Worry, anxiety, concern; to worry [about].

77
Q

What does 易 mean?

A
  1. Easy; easily.*
    - Often in conjunction with another verb to express the idea “easy to…”
    Eg. 易導 “easy to lead”; 易行 “easy to carry out.”
  2. Change; to change, to exchange; the Book of Changes (a Chinese classic).
78
Q

What does 時 mean?

A

Time, the times, the era.
(之)時 is often used to mark a temporal clause. Eg. 聖人治天下之時, 民爭為善, “When a sagely person governs the world, then the people view to do good.”

79
Q

What does 有 mean?

A
  1. To possess, to own, to have; possession.*
  2. being, existence; to exist, to be [in a place or among a group]. -> represents the existence of sth within a group or at a location. Eg. 有憂 “there is worry”; 君子有善人 “among gentlemen there are virtuous men.”
80
Q

What does 朝 mean?

A
  1. Morning, dawn.*
  2. First day of the lunar month.
  3. [Royal or imperial] court; to hold court, to go to court, to summon to court.
    一朝: Right away, immediately; in a brief period of time.
81
Q

What does 權 mean?

A
  1. To weigh, to balance [physical objects].
  2. Circumstances, contingencies, temporary situation. *
  3. Influence, authority, power.
    權謀: Grand strategies, provisional plans, resourcefulness. -> derives from the idea of the plans 謀 one develops in certain circumstances 權.
82
Q

What does 民 mean?

A

The common people.
- usually describes the people as a group; it is rare to see an individual called a 民, unless his commoner status is being stressed.

83
Q

What does 治 mean?

A
  1. To govern well, to put in order.*
  2. Government, administration.
84
Q

What does 焉 mean?

A
  1. [An object pronoun].*
    - generally represents a combination of 於 + object pronoun (eg. “from him,” “to her,” “toward it,” etc)
    - sometimes it is best to translate it as here or there.
  2. How. [question word].
85
Q

How does 焉 function?

A

It’s a function word: a “locative object marker.”
- It marks the ‘destination’ or ‘location’ of a verb:
天下失道，而後義生焉
- 生焉 –> 生於是 -> Arise “in that” -> Arise there/at that point (…will arise where/when 天下失道)
- Often occurs at the end of sentences, but still has this meaning.
- Try 焉 as 於是/ “in that” first, if not possible treat as a “full stop”

86
Q

What does 無 mean?

A
  1. To not have; nonpossession.*
    - is the opposite of 有.
    - 無 is a verb in itself.
  2. Nonexistence, nothingness; to not exist.
  3. “Don’t…” [negative imperative].
87
Q

What does 爭 mean?

A
  1. To vie, to compete, to struggle, to fight.*
  2. To try one’s hardest, to be eager to, to view [with others to accomplish something].
    - second use accompanies another verb , and represents the eagerness of ppl to do something. Eg. 民爭偽善 “The people struggle to/compete to do good.” (ie. they are all extremely eager to do good).
88
Q

What does 理 mean?

A

Principles; pattern, rationale; to straighten, to arrange, to put in order.

89
Q

What does 終 mean?

A

To end, to die; ending; finally.
- When meaning “to die,” this word usually implies by natural causes, after a full life (eg. 君得終 “the ruler succeeded in living out his natural life span.”)
- 終身: All one’s life, to the end of one’s life.

90
Q

What does 義 mean?

A
  1. Righteousness, justice; righteous, just.*
    - the harder, more upright side.
  2. Principles, ethical principles; principled, upright.
  3. Meaning, significance, main point.
91
Q

What does 而 mean?

A

But, and, then.
- Only connects two verbs.

92
Q

What does 而後 mean?

A

And then, only then.
- This phrase emphasizes that a first event must happen before a second event can occur.

93
Q

What does 行 mean?

A

xing1 or xing4
1. To go, to walk; to act; to conduct [affairs]; to carry out [an action]; to circulate [information, currency, etc]; to practice, to put into practice. *
2. Behaviour, conduct.
- Most importantly, the basic meaning “to go” extends to ideas of behaviour and conduct.

94
Q

What does 言 mean?

A

To speak, to say; words, speech.
- When 言 takes an object, it usually is the topic of speech. Eg. 人言禍. “People talk about disaster.”

95
Q

What does 謀 mean?

A

Plans, schemes, strategy; to plot, to plan; resourceful.
- As a verb, it takes as its object either the thing that is being planned (聖人謀善, “The wise person plans a good thing’) or the thing that is being plotted against (小人謀國, “The petty person plotted against the state.” )

96
Q

What does 身 mean?

A

Body, the self, oneself; personally; on one’s own.
終身: all one’s life, to the end of one’s life.

97
Q

What does 終身 mean?

A

All one’s life, to the end of one’s life.

98
Q

What does 道 mean?

A
  1. Road, path; skill, method; philosophy; the right way to live.*
    - usually use “the Way” to indicate the proper path in life.
  2. To speak, to say.
99
Q

What does 難 mean?

A
  1. Difficult, hard to deal with.*
    - Often used with a verb to express the idea “difficult to…” Eg. 難導 “difficult to lead”; 難行 “difficult to carry out”
  2. Difficulty, problem.
100
Q

What does 順 mean?

A

To act in accordance with, to agree with, to obey; favourable .

101
Q

What does 循 mean?

A

To follow, to comply with.
- Near synonym for 順。

102
Q

What does 逆 mean?

A

To go against [the right], to be perverse, to go awry.

103
Q

What does 慈 mean?

A

Compassion, sympathy; compassionate.

104
Q

What does 不 mean?

A

Not.
- Always negates verbs or adjectives, so always expect a verb or adjective following it.

105
Q

What does 就 mean?

A
  1. to proceed; to go to*
  2. To carry out, to accomplish
106
Q

What does 如 mean?

A
  1. To resemble; to be like.*
  2. To go [to].
  3. If, supposing.

Classical Chinese (L1-4) (3 decks)

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