Ancient Chinese, Volume III

Name: Ancient Chinese, Volume III
ISBN: 9787101132458

Wang LiZhonghua Book Company2018

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Word count: 383K words
Chapters: 20
Series: Ancient Chinese (Revised and Reset Edition)
ISBN: 9787101132458

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Summary

This is the third of the four volumes of the textbook Ancient Chinese (Revised and Reset Edition), edited by Wang Li. Continuing from the first two volumes, it covers Units 8 through 11 and serves as a core textbook for intermediate and advanced learners of classical Chinese. The book retains the classic three-part structure of selected texts, common words, and general surveys of classical Chinese, with selected texts as the core and the other two parts organized around them. As for the selections, Unit 8 includes famous pieces from the Records of the Grand Historian, the Book of Han, and other classics; Unit 9 collects letters and memorials by Jia Yi, Zou Yang, Mei Cheng, Sima Qian, Yang Yun, Li Mi, and others; Unit 10 features classical prose by Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, and others; and Unit 11 selects works from the Six Dynasties to the early Tang by Shen Yue, Tao Hongjing, Wu Jun, Liu Xie, Xiao Tong, Yu Xin, Wang Bo, and others, covering parallel prose and rhymed prose. Each unit is provided with explanations of common words (about three hundred characters in total for Units 8 through 11) and general surveys of classical Chinese, covering cultural knowledge such as ancient astronomy, calendrics, music theory, geography, officialdom, the imperial examinations, names, etiquette and customs, the patriarchal clan system, palaces, carriages and horses, food and drink, clothing and adornments, and implements, as well as grammatical and stylistic knowledge including the features of classical prose genres, punctuation of ancient books, and the composition of parallel prose. The content of this volume is noticeably more difficult than the first two and is an important foundational reader for learning to read classical Chinese, for graduate entrance examinations, and for research in literature and history.

Editor's review

第三册常被自学者忽视，其实它才是王力本《古代汉语》真正“上量”的一册：前两册以先秦两汉散文为主，本册则把《史记》《汉书》的史传文、汉代书信奏疏、唐宋八大家的古文与六朝骈文一并铺开，一条从汉魏到唐宋的文体演変线索由此成形。选目极见功力——《报任安书》《陈情表》《滕王阁序》《文心雕龙》诸篇都是读懂古代书面语绕不开的关节。更难得的是通论部分：天文历法、职官科举、姓名宗法、宫室车马这些“文化常识”，恰恰是今天读古书最容易卡住的地方，本册把这些知识系统补齐，等于给文选配了一部小型古代文化词典。校订重排本重新排版，字号疏朗、繁体字形清晰，便于朗读与批注。若你只打算读一册王力本，第三册的收益往往最直接；若是备考或自修，与前两册合读，方见体系之完整。

Who it's for

A good fit for

汉语言文学、历史、文献学等专业已学完先秦两汉文选的本科生
准备古代汉语方向考研、需要系统复习通论与常用词的考生
能读浅近文言、希望攻克六朝骈文与唐宋古文的自学者
中学语文教师，欲补充天文历法、职官科举等文化常识
文史爱好者，想借名篇选集摸清汉魏至唐宋文章脉络者

Not a good fit for

毫无文言基础、未读过第一、二册的零起点读者，直接上手会吃力
只想要现代汉语白话讲解、不愿直面繁体原文与古注的读者
寻找文学鉴赏类随笔而非系统教材的休闲读者

Reading tips

建议先读完第一、二册，或至少熟悉常见虚词与《左传》类先秦文选再进入本册。
按单元顺序推进：先自读文选并试译，再对照注释，最后精读常用词与通论部分。
通论中的天文历法、职官科举内容可单独做成笔记卡片，日后读史书时随时查阅。
骈文单元（第十一单元）宜出声诵读，体会对偶与用典，再回看“骈体文的构成”两章。

About the publisher

Zhonghua Book Company China · Founded in 1912

Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.

Unit 8
Selected Texts: Records of the Grand Historian (Biographies of the Marquis of Huaiyin; Biographies of the Marquis of Weiqi and the Marquis of Wuan); Book of Han (Treatise on Literature: Summary of the Various Schools; Biography of Huo Guang)
Common Words (8)
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (19) Ancient Cultural Knowledge (1): Astronomy, Calendrics, Music Theory
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (20) Ancient Cultural Knowledge (2): Geography, Officialdom, Imperial Examinations
Unit 9
Selected Texts: Jia Yi, “Memorial on the Accumulation of Grain”; Zou Yang, “Letter from Prison to the King of Liang”; Mei Cheng, “Letter to the King of Wu Remonstrating Against Rebellion”; Sima Qian, “Letter in Reply to Ren An”; Yang Yun, “Letter in Reply to Sun Huizong”; Li Mi, “Memorial Expressing My Feelings”
Common Words (9)
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (21) Ancient Cultural Knowledge (3): Names, Etiquette and Customs, Patriarchal Clan System
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (22) Ancient Cultural Knowledge (4): Palaces, Carriages and Horses, Food and Drink, Clothing and Adornments, Implements
Unit 10
Selected Texts: Han Yu, “Letter in Reply to Li Yi,” “Preface on Sending Meng Dongye Off,” “Preface on Sending Li Yuan Back to Pangu,” “Epitaph for Liu Zihou”; Liu Zongyuan, “Preface to the Poems of Yuxi,” “Letter in Reply to Wei Zhongli on the Way of Teachers,” “Anecdotes of Vice Minister Duan,” “Record of the New Hall of the Prefect of Yongzhou”; Ouyang Xiu, “Record of the Pavilion of the Drunkard”; Wang Anshi, “Record of a Visit to Mount Baochan”; Su Shi, “On Jia Yi,” “Record of the Pavilion of Welcoming Rain”
Common Words (10)
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (23) The Genres of Classical Prose and Their Features
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (24) Punctuation of Ancient Books
Unit 11
Selected Texts: Shen Yue, “On the Biography of Xie Lingyun”; Tao Hongjing, “Letter in Reply to Secretary Xie”; Wu Jun, “Letter to Gu Zhang”; Liu Xie, The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: “Emotion and Literary Expression,” “Casting and Cutting”; Xiao Tong, “Preface to the Selections of Refined Literature”; Yu Xin, “Preface to the Rhapsody Lamenting the South”; Wang Bo, “Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng”
Common Words (11)
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (25) The Composition of Parallel Prose (Part 1)
General Survey of Classical Chinese: (26) The Composition of Parallel Prose (Part 2)

FAQ

这本书是整套《古代汉语》还是只有第三册？

这是四册本教材中的第三册，收录第八至第十一单元，并不包含第一、二、四册的内容。若需完整体系，需另配其他三册。

第三册大概从哪个水平开始？

它承接前两册的先秦两汉文选，进入《史记》《汉书》、汉代书信奏疏与唐宋古文、六朝骈文，难度明显上台阶，通常适合已具备基础文言语感的大学本科生或自学者。

ISBN 9787101132458 和 9787101000849 有什么区别？

前者是中华书局2018年6月出版的校订重排本（第四版）第三册；后者是较早印次的同名第三册书号。内容体系一致，选购时以版次和印刷时间较新的本子为宜。

书中的“常用词”和“通论”是重点吗？

是。本册每个单元都配常用词释义与古汉语通论，后者集中讲天文历法、职官科举、姓名宗法、宫室车马以及古文文体、句读、骈文构成，是读懂古书的关键知识，不宜跳过。

繁体字排版会不会读起来困难？

正文为繁体，但校订重排本字形清晰、注音与注释规范，配合常用词和通论逐步适应即可；初学者可先对照简体译本或辅导书辅助理解。

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About the author

Wang Li Author · Chinese · 1900–1986

Wang Li (1900–1986), courtesy name Liaoyi, was a native of Bobai, Guangxi, and one of the founders of modern Chinese linguistics as well as a professor at Peking University. He devoted his life to the teaching and study of Chinese, making outstanding contributions to phonology, grammar, lexicology, the history of the Chinese language, prosody, and script reform. His works include A Modern Chinese Grammar, A Draft History of the Chinese Language, and A History of Chinese Linguistics, and he was editor-in-chief of Ancient Chinese. His writings combine scholarly depth with readability. More than thirty of his titles are held in this collection, covering textbooks on ancient Chinese, the history of Chinese grammar, and common knowledge of ancient Chinese culture. They are often found in categories such as literary appreciation, culture, language and writing, and examinations, and are suitable for language learners and readers interested in literature and history.