VOL.II　THE　CHINESE　TEXT.

CONTENTS.

Directions　to　the　Student

Chinese　Sounds　I

Chinese　Sounds　II

Chinese　Text　of　Lessons　1-30

Directions　to　the　Student

［NOTE.—The　Chinese　Text　of　Chinese　Sounds，Parts　I　and　II，is　given　for　reference　only，and　is　not　intended　to　be　learned.　It　will　be　useful　also　in　the　case　of　a　student　going　to　a　part　of　the　country　where　a　somewhat　different　form　of　Mandarin　is　spoken，in　which　case　a　Chinese　teacher　can　be　asked　to　read　the　text　from　the　Chinese　character，and　the　student　can　note　the　variations　in　pronunciation.］

1.When　Lesson　I　has　been　mastered　orally　turn　to　the　Chinese　Text.Follow　the　directions　given　in　the　following　paragraphs　and　in　the　Notes，learning　to　recognise　and　write　the　assigned　Radicals　first，and　then　the　characters　in　the　Vocabulary.

1.When　Lesson　I　has　been　mastered　orally　turn　to　the　Chinese　Text.Follow　the　directions　given　in　the　following　paragraphs　and　in　the　Notes，learning　to　recognise　and　write　the　assigned　Radicals　first，and　then　the　characters　in　the　Vocabulary.[1]

NOTE.—The　Chinese　Characters　will　be　found　much　less　difficult　to　learn　if　the　order　here　suggested　is　followed.The　oral　work　should　always　be　a　lesson　ahead　of　the　written.

2.With　regard　to　the　recognition　of　characters　many　students　find　what　is　called　the　analytic　method　helpful；i.e.，by　analyzing　any　given　character　into　its　component　elements，　and　nothing　its　historical　developments，the　meaning　of　the　character　is　impressed　upon　the　memory.Others，however，find　this　only　an　additional　burden　upon　the　memory，and　prefer　to　learn　the　characters　as　they　are　without　regard　to　their　component　parts.

3.Those　to　whom　the　analytic　method　appeals　will　find　the　archaic　forms　with　the　Remarks　in　the　Table　of　Radicals，Appendix　I，and　the　analysis　of　the　characters　in　Lessons　1-4　given　in　Appendix　II，helpful.

4.From　Lesson　5　onwards　only　the　numbers　of　those　Radicals　which　have　not　previous　ly　occurred　are　given.In　the　case　of　those　which　he　has　already　learned　it　will　be　good　practice　for　the　student　to　recognise　them　for　himself　in　their　new　combinations.

5.The　Phonetics　will　be　easily　found　in　Sootill’s　Pocket　Dictionary　.Look　up　the　character　under　its　Romanized　Spelling　in　Part　II　among　the　small　characters.The　number　given　is　the　number　of　the　Phonetic　in　Part　I.For　further　analysis　and　archaic　forms　see　Wilder　&　Ingram’s　Analysis　of　Chinese　Characters　.Another　Pocket　Dictionary　which　will　be　found　useful　and　complementary　to　Soothill’s　is　Fenn’s　Five　Thousand　Dictionary　in　which　the　Radical　of　each　character　is　given.

6.With　a　view　to　the　use　of　dictionaries　later　the　student　will　do　well　to　learn　to　discover　the　Radical　of　a　given　character　for　himself.In　doing　so，although　absolute　consistency　cannot　be　assured，the　following　general　rules　will　be　helpful：—　（1）Nearly　all　characters，when　not　Radicals　themselves，are　composed　of　two　parts，either　side　by　side　or　one　above　the　other.

（2）When　the　two　parts　are　side　by　side　the　Radical　is　generally　on　the　left，except　Nos.18，19，59，67，76，79，163，which　are　generally　on　the　right.

（3）When　one　part　of　the　character　is　above　the　other　the　lower　part　is　generally　the　Radical，except　Nos.8，14，40，87，116，118，122，140，which　are　usually　above.

7.In　the　writing　of　characters　two　things　are　important　viz：their　form　and　the　order　in　which　the　strokes　forming　them　are　written.

8.With　regard　to　form　the　student　will　find　it　most　satisfactory　to　trace　with　pencil　or　ordinary　pen　the　characters　as　given　in　the　Radical　Table（Appendix　I）and　in　the　Vocabularies.In　tracing　each　character　he　need　not　trouble　himself　about　the　difference　in　the　thickness　and　thinness　of　the　strokes，which　can　only　be　reproduced　with　the　brush-pen　and　is　not　essential，especially　in　these　days　when　every　up-to-date　Chinese　writes　with　a　fountain　pen　or　pencil.The　points　which　are　essential　to　a　well-formed　character　are　the　correct　balance　of　the　several　parts　and　the　proper　direction　of　the　strokes.

9.Chinese　authorities　give　the　character　yung　，eternal　as　furnishing　the　best　example　of　the　elementary　strokes　used　in

writing.These　strikes　are：—1，the　dot　on　the　top（R.3）；2，the　horizontal　stroke　（R.1）；3，the　perpendicular　stroke　with　a　hook　at　the　bottom（R.6）；4，on　the　left　hand　side，a　downward　stroke　to　the　left　（R.4）；with　which　is　joined　another　horizontal；5，on　the　right-hand　side，a　downward　stroke　to　the　right　，above　which　is　another　stroke　to　the　left.Other　strokes，or　modifications　of　the　above　are：-6，the　straight　（without　the　hook）either　tapering　or　thickened　at　the　bottom；perpendicular　（R.2）and　7，the　spike　a　tapering　slant　stroke　written　upwards　from　left　to　right.Note　carefully　the　difference　between　5　and　7　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　direction　of　the　stroke.Further　interesting　particulars　and　their　manner　of　writing　will　be　found　in　a　small　but　useful　book　by　F.W.Baller　entitled　the　A　.B　.C　.　of　Chinese　Writing　，and　a　more　exhaustive　treatment　in　How　to　write　Chinese　，　by　J.Dyer　Ball.

10.It　may　seem　that　the　order　in　which　the　strokes　of　a　character　are　written　is　unimportant.That　is　not　the　case.Apart　from　the　fact　that　the　order　of　writing　will　imperceptibly　affect　the　direction　of　the　strokes，the　most　elementary　knowledge　of　Psychology　will　teach　us　that　to　learn　to　write　the　strokes　in　a　certain　order　will　prove　a　very　material　aid　to　memory，and　if　they　are　always　written　in　the　same　order　it　may　as　well　be　the　correct　order.

This　order　is　given　in　a　parallel　column　in　the　two　Tables　of　the　Appendix.　Two　general　rules　will　serve　as　a　guide：—　（1）Top　strokes，　or　the　top　part　of　the　character，to　be　written　before　the　bottom　strokes，or　bottom　part　of　the　character.

（2）Left-hand　strokes，or　left-hand　part　of　the　character，to　be　written　before　the　bottom　strokes，or　bottom　part　of　the　character.

Other　rules，supplementary　to，or　qualifying　the　above　are：—

（3）The　base　line，if　any，to　be　written　last　of　all.

（4）Horizontals　before　perpendiculars.

（5）A　surrounding　square，with　the　exception　of　the　base　line，to　be　written　first.

（6）Perpendiculars，when　they　have　other　elements　on　their　two　sides，are　written　first；when　they　pass　through　the　rest　of　the　character　they　are　written　last.

The　student　will　notice　examples　of　these　rules　as　he　writes　the　Radicals　and　characters　in　the　Vocabularies.

11.When　the　student　has　learned　both　to　recognize　and　write　the　characters　in　the　Vocabulary　he　should　write　out　the　Exercise　in　character　from　the　Transcription.By　the　time　he　has　finished　this　he　will　find　that　the　characters　are　fairly　well　fixed　in　his　memory.His　next　and　final　step　will　be　to　write　the　exercise　in　character　from　the　Translation.

*　*　*

[1]　The　Romanized　spelling　in　the　Chinese　Vocabularies　and　in　the　Appendices　is　according　to　Wade’s　system　as　used　in　most　Dictionaries.