Chapter 71 Vernacular and Classical Chinese Controversy

In Chinese language, it is difficult to make a strict distinction between vernacular and classical Chinese.Classical Chinese idioms that have been popularized can be regarded as vernacular when they are fluent in the mouth and everyone can understand them; and complete vernacular is not only difficult to set standards, but also difficult to express in words. Read, lose the beauty of the article.Therefore, at best, there are only colloquial and colloquial articles, and there is no vernacular at all. Ever since the May 4th Movement advocated vernacular, have you ever seen anyone whose articles are recognized as standard vernacular?Including Hu Shi, his articles can only be regarded as colloquial, and in colloquial articles, everyone can see how many idioms that have been popularized are used in them, which is unavoidable?Some people say that Hu Shi's vernacular prose is so good because of his solid foundation in ancient Chinese prose. What does this mean?

In today's world, we cannot allow the proliferation of Westernized Chinese, but it is difficult to compare Chinese and Western grammar. The main argument should be that Westernized Chinese has destroyed Chinese grammar, and the written sentences are not like Chinese. The human language is the way of prodigal sons. It should be natural to write according to how we Chinese speak, and the problem is simple and easy to correct.And if it is judged from Chinese and Western grammar, it will be an unsolved case that will never be clear, because our Chinese is not legal, so where is the Chinese grammar?

Our mass media, including radio and television, newspapers and magazines, have long implemented vernacular, but they are still not satisfied with it. They always think that there are many places where vernacular has not been achieved completely, and the problem is how to be regarded as complete vernacular. Who can set a standard?Where is the boundary between text and white?A certain sentence, although it is in classical Chinese, has become a colloquial language that everyone can understand. Can you discard it?If you insist on throwing it away, and use many nonsense to express the meaning of this idiom, you will not only lose the conciseness and clarity of the article, but even cause the words to fail to express the meaning.

For example, "crying with joy" is an idiom in classical Chinese, but everyone can understand it, so it should be regarded as colloquial, but if Guo Guo insists on throwing it away and rewriting it as crying with joy or shedding tears with joy, it still feels that the description is not realistic enough. , I wanted to write again because I was so happy that I couldn't speak and started to cry. Although this can barely describe the excitement of the person involved, how many words have been wasted, but the manuscript fee is worthwhile. Another example is Jixicheng Qiutaiwen, while Jushachengta is more popular and usable, but it is more popular to accumulate less to make more. It only depends on how to choose according to the context. It is still a colloquial language that is easy to hear and understand.If you insist on expressing the meaning of these four characters in vernacular, how many characters will be wasted?And so on, sentences and idioms such as brainstorming and unity of will have already become in-laws with vernacular, so why waste more words or pen and ink to engrave what kind of vernacular?There are too many to list.

The so-called classical Chinese is often limited to those who are uncommon and infrequently used. As for classical Chinese that has been colloquial, it should be regarded as vernacular.For example, the word "only" is pure classical Chinese, but now even children can easily say that I only have five yuan. Who would think that this is profane?Speaking of this, it reflects the real vernacular. Some words are not quite suitable for reading and writing. We are used to writing and speaking 168 million yuan, so why not write and say 168 million yuan? Woolen cloth?If you insist on asking the vernacular like this, is that okay?Will the public accept it?The so-called convention becomes custom, habit becomes nature, which naturally is colloquialism; colloquialism is vernacular, so how can we clarify what kind of speech is the vernacular recognized by everyone?

I always feel that too much pursuit of the vernacular will often lead to overcorrection, especially when appealing to words, it will waste space or time if it is small, and make the words and sentences of the article loose and weak, making it read like eating cotton candy.Example: I ran to the gate and he had already driven away.Isn't it concise and clear syntax?But if I was too strict and asked for the vernacular and added the time, it became that when I ran to the gate, he had already driven away.Don't you think it's cumbersome?On the contrary, it became nonsense.Another example: XXX said what and how in his speech during the ceremony, but if it is too hard to add that XXX said what and how when he spoke during the ceremony, it is not necessary to speak in vernacular at this time.It is not uncommon to see such and such in newspapers and magazines.

The advantage of ancient prose is that it can express the highest content of the topic with the least amount of text; but the disadvantage of the modern era is that it does not meet the requirements of popularization.However, today's vernacular Chinese is really too lacking in conciseness, and it often gives people a sense of tediousness and lengthiness.We can see that in the modern version of the so-called bilingual books, a good ancient text is accompanied by a vernacular translation, the number of words is often two or three times more than the original text, but the charm of reading is completely lost.When I say this, I don’t mean to be old-fashioned, but I’m saying that the reverse effect of our excessive pursuit of vernacular Chinese is to make vernacular Chinese out of shape. The natural development of the world, why not regret it!

If someone regards market slang and the words of peddlers and pawns as the model of vernacular Chinese, that is really a misunderstanding. It is not harmful to quote a sentence or two occasionally, but if the whole text is in this tone, it will become the decline of vernacular. Mad.The language commonly used in a country represents the cultural level of a country, which is closely related to national accomplishment and social etiquette.This is also the case in foreign countries. No matter what a person's status is, if he speaks nonsense in slang, he will be looked down upon. The purpose of our nine-year national education is to improve the cultural level of ordinary citizens. Our mass media The vernacular language used should also meet this requirement, and it is the social responsibility to maintain a fairly elegant level of vernacular language so that ordinary citizens can develop good language habits and expressive skills.

I don't think that overemphasizing the vernacular can achieve some unknown state of the best vernacular.Of course, Westernized Chinese vernacular is especially undesirable.Regardless of whether it is Chinese or foreign, vernacular is the most difficult to write, and there is no generally accepted standard, but we always maintain the national style of Chinese grammar and maintain the cultural level of Chinese language, so as not to become white in this generation. In the early years, several scholars wanted to compile a Chinese vernacular dictionary.But at the beginning, there was a feeling of being at a loss. The reason was how to divide the classical Chinese in the vernacular and the vernacular in the classical Chinese?What we have to do today is to re-digest the Chinese language, not to create another vernacular.

Strictly speaking, there is only speech in the world, and there is no vernacular at all.Where does white come from?White what!