Classical Chinese: A Basic Reader

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Classical Chinese is the most comprehensive and authoritative textbook on the language, literature, philosophy, history, and religion of premodern China. Rigorously and extensively field-tested and fine-tuned for years in classroom settings, it sets a new standard for the field. Originally published in three volumes, Classical Chinese appears here

Reviews

Praise for Classical Chinese: "Without question a significant contribution to the field. There is no textbook of this kind available. It provides the student with a comprehensive grammar of classical Chinese with clear and readable explanations in both English and modern Chinese. By fully utilizing both languages in one text, the authors of this reader have created a teaching tool that will have wide appeal and applicability. The translations are accurate and felicitous."--Catherine Swatek, University of British Columbia Praise for Classical Chinese: "This reader addresses a huge gap in Chinese language textbook offerings--that is, a basic introduction to classical Chinese. It is far superior to previous such works: the texts reflect a more logical progression from simple structures to more complex ones, and the grammatical explanations are more structured and more detailed. The book also does an excellent job of reinforcing past patterns, and further serves as an introduction to Chinese culture and literature."--Kimberly Besio, Colby College

Author Bio

Naiying Yuan and Haitao Tang are lecturers emeritus in the Department of East Asian Languages at Princeton University. James Geiss (1950-2000) earned his PhD from Princeton University in 1979 and was a lifelong Ming scholar. Together, they are the coauthors of several books on classical Chinese, including Classical Chinese: Introduction to Grammar (Princeton).