Vernacular Chinese

Vernacular Chinese (pinyin: báihuà; Wade-Giles: paihua) is a style or register of the written Chinese language essentially modeled after the spoken language and associated with Standard Mandarin. This term is not to be confused with the various present-day vernacular spoken varieties of Chinese. Since the early twentieth century, Vernacular Chinese has been the standard of writing for speakers of all varieties of spoken Chinese throughout China, succeeding Classical Chinese, the former written standard used in China since the time of Confucius. The term Standard Wr ...

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Written Cantonese refers to the written language used to write colloquial standard Cantonese using Chinese characters. Cantonese is usually referred to as a spoken variant, and not as a written variant. Spoken vernacular Cantonese differs from standard written Chinese. Written Chinese spoken word for word sounds overly formal and distant in Cantonese. As a result, the necessity of having a written script which matched the spoken verse increased over time. This resulted in the generation of additional Chinese characters to compl ...

Including:

• Written Cantonese - History
• Written Cantonese - Cantonese characters
• Written Cantonese - Synonyms
• Written Cantonese - Cognates
• Written Cantonese - Native words
• Written Cantonese - Loanwords
• Written Cantonese - Particles
• Written Cantonese - Cantonese words
• Written Cantonese - Loanwords
• Written Cantonese - Cantonese character formation
• Written Cantonese - Borrowings
• Written Cantonese - Marked Phonetic Loans
• Written Cantonese - Derived characters
• Written Cantonese - Colloquial usage

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The Chinese written language consists of a writing system stretching back nearly 4000 years. Its logographic writing system employs a large number of symbols, known as characters, to represent individual words or morphemes. The writing system is considered to have also been a unifying force for much of Chinese history, transcending differences in spoken language. From the time of the Qin Dynasty onwards, a standard written language (at first Classical Chinese and later Vernacular Chinese) has always been in place to bridge the diverge ...

Including:

• Chinese written language - Written standards
• Chinese written language - Transcending intelligibility of speech
• Chinese written language - Chinese characters
• Chinese written language - Character forms
• Chinese written language - Writing direction

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An acrolect is a register of a spoken language that is considered formal and high-style. In the early 1970s Derek Bickerton proposed the words acrolect, mesolect, and basilect to refer to the phenomenon of code-switching used by some users of creole languages who also have some fluency in the standard language upon which the contact language is based. The words subsequently were generalized to refer to code-s ...

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China listen ▶ (help·info) (Traditional: 中國; Simplified: 中国; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōngguó; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo) refers to a number of states and cultures that have existed and are viewed as having succeeded one another in continental East Asia, dating back nearly 5,000 years. Modern China has been described as both a single civilization and multiple civilizations, as a single state or multiple states, ...

Including:

• China - Terminology
• China - Zhongguo
• China - China
• China - History
• China - Chinese Pre-history
• China - Political history
• China - Territory
• China - Historical overview
• China - Historical political divisions
• China - Geography and climate
• China - Society
• China - Demographics
• China - Culture
• China - Religion
• China - Arts scholarship and literature
• China - Science and technology
• China - Miscellaneous topics

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The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, Pinyin: Hànyǔ, 华语/華語, Huáyǔ or 中文, Zhōngwén) forms part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. About one-fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language, making it the language with the most native speakers. In general, all varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. However, Chinese is also distinguished for a high level of internal diversity. Regional variation between different variants/dialects is comparable t ...

Including:

• Chinese language - Spoken Chinese
• Chinese language - Language or language family?
• Chinese language - Written Chinese
• Chinese language - Chinese characters
• Chinese language - History
• Chinese language - Influence on other languages
• Chinese language - Sounds
• Chinese language - Romanization
• Chinese language - Other Transcriptions
• Chinese language - Morphology
• Chinese language - Loanwords
• Chinese language - Grammar

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Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of very old forms of Chinese , making it very different from any modern spoken form of Chinese. Classical Chinese was once used for almost all formal correspondence before the 20th century, not only in China but also in Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Among Chinese speakers, classical Chinese has been largely replaced by Vernacular Chinese (baihua), a style of writing that is closer to modern spoken Chinese, while speakers of non-Chinese languages have largely ab ...

Including:

• Classical Chinese - Definitions
• Classical Chinese - Pronunciation
• Classical Chinese - Grammar and Lexicon
• Classical Chinese - Teaching and Use

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Sacred Heart Cathedral of Guangzhou - Sai Kung - San Da - Sangokushi - Saisiyat - Sakya - Salar - Salween River - Sally Yeh - Samjeondo Monument - Sammi Cheng - Sampan - Samguk Sagi - Sammo Hung - Samson Chiu - San Min Chu I - Sanguo Zhi - Sanjiang - SARS virus - Science and technology in China - Scripture for Humane Kings - Seal script - Second Manchu expedition to Korea - Second Opium War - Secretariat of the Communist Party of China - Self-Strengthening Movement - Senkaku Islands - Seven Little Fortunes - Seven Yea ...

See also:

List of China-related topics M-Z, List of China-related topics M-Z - M, List of China-related topics M-Z - N, List of China-related topics M-Z - O, List of China-related topics M-Z - P, List of China-related topics M-Z - Q, List of China-related topics M-Z - R, List of China-related topics M-Z - S, List of China-related topics M-Z - T, List of China-related topics M-Z - U, List of China-related topics M-Z - V, List of China-related topics M-Z - W, List of China-related topics M-Z - X, List of China-related topics M-Z - Y, List of China-related topics M-Z - Z

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The map on the right depicts the subdivisions ("languages" or "dialect groups") within Chinese. The traditionally recognized seven main groups, in order of population size are: Mandarin 北方 or 官話/官话 (old name) Wu 吳/吴 Cantonese 粵/粤 Min 閩/闽 Xiang 湘 Hakka 客家 or 客 Gan 贛/赣 Chinese linguists have recently distinguished 3 more groups from the traditional seven: Jin 晉/晋 from Mandarin Hui 徽 from Wu ...

See also:

Chinese language, Chinese language - Spoken Chinese, Chinese language - Language or language family?, Chinese language - Written Chinese, Chinese language - Chinese characters, Chinese language - History, Chinese language - Influence on other languages, Chinese language - Sounds, Chinese language - Romanization, Chinese language - Other Transcriptions, Chinese language - Morphology, Chinese language - Loanwords, Chinese language - Grammar

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In imperial times, the pronoun for "I" is commonly omitted when speaking politely or to someone with higher social status. "I" is usually replaced with special pronouns to address specific situations. Examples include 寡人 guǎrén during early Chinese history and 朕 zhèn after the Qin dynasty when the Emperor is speaking to his subjects. When the subjects speak to the Emperor, they address th ...

See also:

Chinese pronouns, Chinese pronouns - The possessive pronoun, Chinese pronouns - The reflexive pronoun, Chinese pronouns - Pronouns in imperial times and self-deprecatory, Chinese pronouns - Inclusive and exclusive first-person plural

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This AS-level examination is also usually taken along with other examinations. It assesses the ability of students in using the Chinese language and their understanding of Chinese culture. Introduced in 1993, the examination comprises of tests in: practical writing (paper 1A); reading comprehension (paper 1B); questions on culture (paper 2); listening (paper 3); oral skills assessm ...

See also:

Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - Background, Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - The Use of English Examination, Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - The Chinese Language and Culture Examination, Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - Controversy of new format, Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - List of the subjects 2005, Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination - Future development

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The map on the right depicts the subdivisions ("languages" or "dialect groups") within Chinese. The traditionally recognized seven main groups, in order of population size are: Mandarin 北方话/北方話 or 官話/官话 (old name) Wu 吳/吴 Cantonese 粵/粤 Min 閩/闽 Xiang 湘 Hakka 客家 or 客 Gan 贛/赣 Chinese linguists have recently distinguished 3 more groups from the traditional seven: ...

See also:

Chinese language, Chinese language - Spoken Chinese, Chinese language - Language or language family?, Chinese language - Written Chinese, Chinese language - Chinese characters, Chinese language - History, Chinese language - Influence on other languages, Chinese language - Sounds, Chinese language - Romanization, Chinese language - Other Transcriptions, Chinese language - Morphology, Chinese language - Loanwords, Chinese language - Grammar

Read more here: » Chinese language: Encyclopedia II - Chinese language - Spoken Chinese

China - Zhongguo. China is called Zhongguo in Mandarin Chinese (Simplified: 中国, Traditional: 中國; also romanized as Jhongguo or Chung-kuo), which is usually translated as "Middle Kingdom", but could also be translated as "Central State" or "Central Country". Zhong (中) means "middle" or "center" while guo (国 or 國) means "country," "kingdom," "state," or "land", referring to the claim that China stood at the centre of that society's "known world", s ...

See also:

China, China - Terminology, China - Zhongguo, China - China, China - History, China - Chinese Pre-history, China - Political history, China - Territory, China - Historical overview, China - Historical political divisions, China - Geography and climate, China - Society, China - Demographics, China - Culture, China - Religion, China - Arts scholarship and literature, China - Science and technology, China - Miscellaneous topics

Read more here: » China: Encyclopedia II - China - Terminology

Chinese characters are not alphabetic and do not reflect sound changes, and the tentative reconstruction of Old Chinese is an endeavour only a few centuries old. As a result, Classical Chinese is not read with a reconstruction of Old Chinese pronunciation; instead, it is either read with the pronunciations of the reader's own variety of Chinese, such as modern Mandarin or Cantonese; or, in varieties of Chinese that have it (e.g. Southern Min), a special set of pronunciation used for Classical Chinese or vocabulary and usage borrowed from Cla ...

See also:

Classical Chinese, Classical Chinese - Definitions, Classical Chinese - Pronunciation, Classical Chinese - Grammar and Lexicon, Classical Chinese - Teaching and Use

Read more here: » Classical Chinese: Encyclopedia II - Classical Chinese - Pronunciation

Over a hundred ethnic groups have existed in China. In terms of numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group in China is the Han, which is a group so diverse in its culture and language that some conceive of it as a larger overarching group bringing together many smaller, distinct ethnic groups sharing common traits in language and culture. Throughout history, many ethnic groups have been assimilated into neighbouring ethnicities or disappeared without a trace. Several previously distinct ethnic groups have been Sinicized into the Han, cau ...

See also:

Chinese society, Chinese society - Demographics, Chinese society - Culture, Chinese society - Gender, Chinese society - Hong Kong, Chinese society - Socio-economic development, Chinese society - Culture, Chinese society - Individualism and collectivism, Chinese society - Social relations, Chinese society - Civil society

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Written Cantonese contains many characters not used in standard written Chinese in order to transcribe colloquially spoken words. Because written Cantonese is not really a standard written language, there can be many discrepancies in the way certain words are written. In the 1990s, the government of Hong Kong attempted to standardize this set of characters and released the Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set for use in electronic communication. Even still, there is often no consensus on what characters are often the "correct" ones to use.< ...

See also:

Written Cantonese, Written Cantonese - History, Written Cantonese - Cantonese characters, Written Cantonese - Synonyms, Written Cantonese - Cognates, Written Cantonese - Native words, Written Cantonese - Loanwords, Written Cantonese - Particles, Written Cantonese - Cantonese words, Written Cantonese - Loanwords, Written Cantonese - Cantonese character formation, Written Cantonese - Borrowings, Written Cantonese - Marked Phonetic Loans, Written Cantonese - Derived characters, Written Cantonese - Colloquial usage

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Gan is spoken over most of the northern two-thirds of Jiangxi Province, as well as smaller areas in Anhui, Fujian, Hunan and Hubei. Gan linguistics - Dialects. The Nanchang variety is the canonical representative of the group. The mountainous geography of Jiangxi has resulted in a high degree of fragmentation, with many mutually unintelligible varieties. Speakers typically identify their speech as being that of a par ...

See also:

Gan linguistics, Gan linguistics - Classification, Gan linguistics - Geographical distribution, Gan linguistics - Dialects, Gan linguistics - Writing system, Gan linguistics - External link

Read more here: » Gan linguistics: Encyclopedia II - Gan linguistics - Geographical distribution

The standardized phonology of Standard Mandarin is reproduced below. Actual reproduction varies widely among speakers, as everyone (including national leaders) inadvertently introduces elements of his/her own native dialect. By contrast, television and radio announcers are usually chosen for their pronunciation accuracy. Below is the phonology of Standard Mandarin. Standard Mandarin - Initials. The following is the initial inventory of Standard Mandarin as represente ...

See also:

Standard Mandarin, Standard Mandarin - History, Standard Mandarin - Phonology, Standard Mandarin - Initials, Standard Mandarin - Finals, Standard Mandarin - Tones, Standard Mandarin - Romanization, Standard Mandarin - Grammar, Standard Mandarin - Standard Mandarin and Beijing dialect, Standard Mandarin - Standard Mandarin and other dialects, Standard Mandarin - Accents, Standard Mandarin - Role of standard Mandarin

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March of the Volunteers was written by Tian Han in 1934 for a play he was writing at the time. Popular stories suggest, however, that he wrote it on a tobacco paper after being arrested in Shanghai and thrown into a Kuomintang jail in 1935. The song, with a minor alteration, became the theme song of the patriotic film Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm (风云儿女, 1935), a story about an intellectual who leaves to fight in the First Sino-Japanese War. It was one of many songs that were promoted secretly among the population as part of the anti-Japanese resistance ...

See also:

March of the Volunteers, March of the Volunteers - Origins as National Anthem, March of the Volunteers - Cultural Revolution and later history, March of the Volunteers - Lyrics Current and Original, March of the Volunteers - Lyrics 1978-1982

Read more here: » March of the Volunteers: Encyclopedia II - March of the Volunteers - Origins as National Anthem

Republic of China - Republican China 1911-1949. The original founding of the Republic centered on the Three Principles of the People (san min zhuyi): nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood. Nationalism meant standing up to Japanese and European interference, democracy meant elected rule modeled after Japan's parliament, and people's livelihood or socialism, meant government regulation of the means of production. Another lesser known principle that the Republic was founded upon was "five races under one u ...

See also:

Republic of China, Republic of China - History, Republic of China - Republican China 1911-1949, Republic of China - The Republic of China on Taiwan 1945-present, Republic of China - Politics, Republic of China - Republican China 1911-1949, Republic of China - Republic of China on Taiwan 1949-Present, Republic of China - Current Political Issues, Republic of China - Political divisions, Republic of China - Foreign relations, Republic of China - Republican China 1911-1949, Republic of China - Republic of China on Taiwan 1949-Present, Republic of China - Military, Republic of China - Militaries of Republican China 1911-1949, Republic of China - Military of the Republic of China on Taiwan, Republic of China - Economy, Republic of China - Economy of Republican China 1912-1949, Republic of China - Economy of Taiwan history and current situtation, Republic of China - Culture, Republic of China - Culture of Republican China 1912-1949, Republic of China - Culture of Taiwan, Republic of China - Calendrical system, Republic of China - Miscellaneous topics

Read more here: » Republic of China: Encyclopedia II - Republic of China - Politics