OF MANDARIN LESSONS, BASED ON IDIOM, ST REV. C. W. MATEER, D.D., LL.D. Revised Edition. SHANGHAI: AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN MISSION PRESS. 19C6. TO REMOVE THE DIFFICULTIES AND OPEN THE WAY TO A MORE THOROUGH ACQUISITION OF THE CHINESE SPOKEN LANGUAGE IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. French BK-Peiping. PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. T is now twenty-five years since I began to make lessons for begiuners in Mandarin. I had at that time little thought of ever printing them, or of the extent to which they would finally grow. At first I made only twenty lessons, but subsequently added a few at a time, until the number reached fifty. The plan originally adopted was substantially that which has now been wrought out to completion. These fifty lessons were copied out and used by beginners for about ten years, when, upou the arrival of a considerable number of new missionaries in Shautung, I revised the lessons already made. and added others on the same plan, increasing the number to one hundred and seven. The extent to which these were copied and used led me, about five years ago, to take up the whole work with a view to preparing it for publication. I extended and perfected the plan, added new lessons and thoroughly revised and recast the lessons already made. The plan of the course is its distinguishing feature. Each lesson is conPlan. structed to illustrate one or more idioms which constitute its "subject;" the word idiom being taken in a somewhat loose and comprehensive sense. The subjects were not evolved by the application to Chinese of Western grammatical principles and ideas, but were gathered directly from the mandarin colloquial by a careful observation of its peculiar forms and methods. They are somewhat heterogeneous, it is true, but not more so than the language they are intended to teach. The plan is believed to afford a number of important advantages, of which the following are the chief:- 1. It facilitates a thoroughly progressive arrangement by which the peculiarities of the language are set forth in a natural order, proceeding from the simpler to the more complex and difficult. 2. The student, instead of groping his way through a maze of bewildering idioms, explained in a haphazard way in notes and vocabularies, and often falling a victim to hasty and false generalizations, has given to him in each lesson an intelligible idiom, which is fully explained in the subject, and strongly impressed by the abundant illustrations contained in the lesson. These idioms thus become to him so many laudmarks of progress, and by their acquisition he is made master of the whole structure of the language. 3. The subjects of the lessous, which embrace all the most difficult and important features of the language, being thus singled out and made prominent, are, on this account, much more carefully explained and illustrated than would be the case on a different system. 4. The fact that the lessons are composed of detached and independent sentences, gives opportunity for the introduction of a wider range of subject matter, of style and of idiom than could be secured on any other plan. 5. A large number of the lessons bring to view classes of particles and key words approximately synonymous, yet differing in use and in their shades of meaning. By the study of these lessons the student will acquire a range and variety of expression not easily acquired in any other way. The prime defect of many mandarin speakers is that having got hold of one such word or expression, they are content to ring the changes on it alone, all oblivious to the fact that there are various other cognate forms of similar import yet differing by varying uses and shades of meaning. The result is a monotonous style, wanting both in vigor and perspicuity. That the plan incidentally involves some disadvantages, is freely admitted. All great gains involve minor losses. The chief disadvantages are the following: 1. The arrangement according to idioms necessitates the keeping back of certain common and useful forms of expression for an inconveniently long time. This difficulty was frequently felt in arranging the order of the lessons. It drew from my Chinese assistant the remark, that each particular lessou seemed to be clamoring to get in first. The difficulty, however, will not be felt by the learner, and the disadvantage it might other wise be to him, has been largely obviated by anticipating many such words and phrases, and will be further obviated by following the method of study recommended. (See Introduction: Directions to the student). 2. Lessons which introduce a considerable number of nearly synonymous words are liable to confuse the learner with distinctions for which he is not yet prepared, and which his memory cannot retain. This difficulty, which results from the richness of the language, may be largely obviated by a judicious method of study. While going over the whole lesson carefully, let the student fix in his memory one or two of the more important words for present use, not being too much disturbed that he is not able to retain the others. When subsequently they are heard in conversation or met with in books, they will seem like old acquaintances, and will in this way presently become familiar and their accurate use be acquired. 3. The sentences being disconnected, are harder to understand and more likely to While this is no doubt true, be misunderstood than if they stood in connected discourse. it is largely obviated by accurate translations and by suitable notes and explanations, and is more than compensated by the superior opportunity thus afforded for the ready introduction of every class of idiom and every style of expression. The prevalent style is colloquial, because the object of the book is to Style. teach the spoken language as distinguished from the language of books; nevertheless there will be found, especially in the latter half, a considerable mixture I shall probably be criticised for of high Mandarin and of expressions taken from books. introducing too much colloquial and too many localisms that there is much misconception as to the extent to which many of these so called localisms prevail. It does not follow that every expression not commonly seen in Mandarin books, is necessarily local. I have found by investigation that many such expressions are practically general. Moreover, a useful expression that prevails throughout two or three provinces and has an authorized writing, is not to be rejected as local. A man may not himself desire to use all these colloquial forms, yet it is very important to understand them when used by others, as they constantly are by the Chinese. The chief advantage which the Chinaman has in conversation over the average foreigner is his ability to use and to understand these colloquialisms. It must not be supposed, however, that every sort of colloquialism known to the author or his assistants has been introduced. Care has been taken to exclude purely local expressions, especially such as have no authorized writing, as also to exclude, to a considerable extent, that useless colloquial verbiage which characterizes all dialects to a greater or less degree, and which is unnecessary and undesirable in one who would use Chinese to the best advantage. As far as possible local peculiarities are noted as such and are not repeated. A more important argument for the use of colloquial is, that general Mandarin, as it is called, is too narrow in its range to answer all the ends of speech, and has constantly to be reinforced from both the colloquial and the Wen-li. If the speaker of it attempts to go beyond the narrow range of thought which it covers, he will find himself at a loss for words, and will be compelled to resort to round-about forms and labored expla nations, in striking contrast with the straightforward and expressive language of him who commands the abundant resources of the colloquial. He may indeed call in the assistance of the Wên-li, if his attainments are adequate, but it will be at the expense of speaking in a pedantic and pretentious style unintelligible to the great majority. Another point worthy of attention, especially on the part of those who desire to persuade and impress others in public address, is that labored phraseology and paraphrastic expressions are fatal to oratory, which requires not only weighty and impressive thoughts, but also vivid and expressive language which fulfils its office as the arrow flies to the mark. On the other hand it is not unlikely that I shall be criticised for having introduced too much book language. With reference to this criticism, I would say that very few learn Mandarin who do not at the same time wish to know something of the book style. Moreover, the line of demarcation between Mandarin and Wên-li is but vaguely defined. They pass into each other by insensible gradations. It will be found also that the book language of these lessons consists almost entirely of those ready-made and pithy book ex • By useless verbiage I mean the ever-recurring and superfluous use of such words as 7, ₺, 114. 個,嗎,呢,來去,etc |