How is Classical Chinese called in Classical Chinese?

[diannao]

Hi all,

Classical Chinese is commonly called 文言文, Wényánwén, but if I'm not mistaken, this is a Mandarin word for Classical Chinese.

I'd like to know how Classical Chinese is called in Classical Chinese itself.

Thanks for your answer!

Take care,

diannao

[jbradfor]

writing ;)

In some ways that seems to be a strange question. As I understand it, back then, 文言文 was the only way people wrote, and hence the term 文言文 is a retronym that was created only when different writing styles were created.

But I look forward to someone proving me wrong and I will learn something.

[aristotle1990]

I think the answer is 文言, though this is used in contrast with 白話 -- back when all there was was 文言文, there was no such thing as "classical Chinese", there was just "Chinese", or 漢語. (Or yeah, "writing".)

[skylee]

古文？

PS - From the link in the post above.

唐宋以降，文士崇古非今，尚先秦古文，設規矩，定典模。

[aristotle1990]

Wikipedia makes it clear:

While the terms Classical Chinese and Literary Chinese are often used interchangeably, Sinologists generally agree that they are in fact different. "Classical" Chinese (古文 "Ancient writing") refers to the written language of China from the Zhou Dynasty, and especially the Spring and Autumn Period, through to the end of the Han Dynasty (AD 220). Classical Chinese is therefore the language used in many of China's most influential books, such as the Analects of Confucius, the Mencius and the Tao Te Ching. (The language of even older texts, such as the Classic of Poetry, is sometimes called Old Chinese, or pre-Classical.)

Literary Chinese (文言文, "Literary writing", or more colloquially just 文言 wényán) is the form of written Chinese used from the end of the Han Dynasty to the early 20th century when it was replaced by vernacular written Chinese. During this period the dialects of China became more and more disparate and thus the Classical written language became less and less representative of the spoken language. Although authors sought to write in the style of the Classics, the similarity decreased over the centuries due to their imperfect understanding of the older language, the influence of their own speech, and the addition of new words.

漢語大詞典 says of 古文:

指秦以前的文獻典籍。

《史記‧太史公自序》：“年十歲，則誦古文。”

司馬貞索隱：“遷及事伏生，是學誦《古文尚書》。

劉氏以為《左傳》、《國語》、《系本》等書。是亦名古文也。”

王國維《觀堂集林‧＜史記＞所謂古文說》：“故太史公修《史記》時所據古書若《五帝德》，若《帝繫姓》……凡先秦六國遺書非當時寫本者皆謂之古文。”

漢許慎《＜說文解字＞敘》：“其偁《易孟氏》、《書孔氏》、《詩毛氏》……皆古文也。”

段玉裁注：“古書之言古文者有二：一謂‘壁中經籍’，一謂倉頡所製文字。”

So definitely a literary term referring to pre-Qin works. As for 文言, before 五四 it apparently referred either to 華美之言 or 文章:

《北史‧元偉傳》：“及尉遲迥伐蜀，以偉為司錄，書檄文言，皆偉所為。”

唐梁肅《修禪道場碑》：“汝，吾徒也，盍紀於文言，刻諸金石。”

章炳麟《文學總略》：“凡感於文言者，在其得我心。”

[diannao]

Thanks for your answers!