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Lesson #1 – Usage of 之
Modern Usage
長江三角洲是中國經濟最發達的地區之一 (… 最發達地區的其中一個)
The Yangtze River Delta is one of China’s most economically developed regions.
他們之中 70%在60歲以下 (他們之中… 他們的中間… )
70% of them are under the age of 60.
湖中有五個小島, 人稱之為藍島 (人稱之… 把它叫做…)
There are five small islands in the lake which they are known as the “Blue Islands”.
Classical Usage
1 As a pronoun – he, she, it, they, etc.
2 As possessive indicator – the ending ‘s or ‘, “of”
a. 為, be, become, serve as, 是, 算作
b. 是, this, that, 這個, 那個
In knowing it, is to know. In not knowing, then [admit] in not knowing it. This is knowing!
正派的就任用它, 邪惡的就離開它, 正確的就實行它, 錯誤的就改正它
[Those who are] upright then use them, [Those who are] evil, then leave them, [That which are] proper, then implement them and [That which are] in error, then rectify them.
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子不教, 父之過, 教不嚴, 師之惰 (三字經)
a. 過, fault, 過失, 過錯
b. 惰. laziness, 懶惰
兒女不教育是父親的過錯, 教育不嚴是老師的懶惰.
Children who are not educated are the fault of the father, when education is not strict, it is the laziness of the teacher.
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父母之年, 不可不知也. 一則以喜, 一則以懼. (論語. 里仁)
a. 年, age, 年齡
b. 一則, on one hand, 一面
c. 以, because of this, 因為這個
父母的年齡, 不可不知道, 一面高興 [他們的] 長壽, 另方面担心[他們的] 衰老.
Parent’s age, one cannot not know! On one hand, [there is ] joy because of their longevity, [but] on the other, fear for their senescence.
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君子之交淡若水, 小人之交甘若醴 (莊子. 山木)
a. 醴 sweet wine
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人之性如水, 置之圓則圓, 置之方則方 (晉書. 傅玄傳)
a. 置 place, 放
Nature of man is like water, place it in a round [container], its [shape will be] round, place it in a square [container], its [shape will be] square.
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上之為政, 得下之情則治, 不得下之情則亂 (墨子. 尚同上)
a. 上, superiors, those in charge i.e. rulers
b. 下, beneath, under
施政者治理國家, [如果] 了解到下面的情況, [社會] 就會安定下來, [如果] 不了解下面的情況, [社會] 就亂起來了.
Fourth usage. 之 is used as a grammatical function to change the clause 上為政 (removal of 之) , “those in superior positions because of governance” into a subject as a noun phrase, “those in charge of governance”.
Higher ups in charge of governance, [if] understanding the circumstances of lower levels, then there will be order, in not understanding the circumstances of lower levels, then there will be chaos.
Note: it will be better to translate “of” as “at” in English but this might confuse those wanting to learn Chinese.
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喜怒哀樂之動乎中, 必見乎外. (宋. 歐陽修. 辨左氏)
a. 動, unleashed. Launch mobilize, 發動, 發源
b. 乎, at, 在, 於
Fourth usage.
Fourth usage.
寒冷季節的時間很長但陽光燦爛的時間却很短
種樹的人很少但拔樹的人很多
The first 之 is fourth usage to turn the sentence into a subject clause.
王坐於堂上, 有牽牛而過堂下者. 王見之曰: 牛何之?
對曰: 將以衅鐘. 王曰: 舍之. (孟子. 梁惠王上)
a. 何, where, 那兒
b. 衅鐘, bell consecration with blood of a sacrificial animal
c. 舍, old variant of 捨, to release, abandon, give up, let go, give alms, 捨棄, 放生, 放開
梁惠王坐在殿堂上, 有個人牽着牛從堂下經過. 梁惠王看到了他, 就問: 帶着牛去那裡? 那個人回答: 將來用衅鐘. 梁惠王說: 放了它吧.
The king (referring to King Liang Hui) sat in the administrative palace hall. There was a cow being shepherded by a person as they passed by the building. The king saw him and asked: Where is the cow led (going) to? [The man] replied: To be used as sacrifice to consecrate a bell. The king said, “Release it.”
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Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
3 As a verb – “to go”
4 As grammatical function to eliminate the independence of a sentence, (取消句子獨立性), i.e., turning clauses into noun phrases.
Subject + 之 + predicate, that is somebody + 之 + do something to be transformed/translated as somebody doing something as subject.
Examples
知之為知之, 不知為不知, 是知也. (論語. 為政)
4 As grammatical function to eliminate the independence of a sentence, (取消句子獨立性), i.e., turning clauses into noun phrases.
Subject + 之 + predicate, that is somebody + 之 + do something to be transformed/translated as somebody doing something as subject.
Examples
知之為知之, 不知為不知, 是知也. (論語. 為政)
a. 為, be, become, serve as, 是, 算作
b. 是, this, that, 這個, 那個
c.之, some knowledge or matter 某些知識或某些事
[如果] 知道它就是知道, 不知道就[承認] 不知道, 這就是知道啊
In knowing it, is to know. In not knowing, then [admit] in not knowing it. This is knowing!
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民不畏死, 奈何以死懼之? (老子. 道德經)
a. 奈何, how? A rhetoric question, 怎麽, 反問
b. 以, to use, 用
平民不怕死怎麼 [能]嚇唬他們呢?
[When] people are not afraid of death, how can death be used to frighten them?
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正則用之, 邪則去之, 是則行之, 非則改之. (宋. 蘇軾. 論時政伏)
a. 正, Righteous, 端正, 正派
民不畏死, 奈何以死懼之? (老子. 道德經)
a. 奈何, how? A rhetoric question, 怎麽, 反問
b. 以, to use, 用
平民不怕死怎麼 [能]嚇唬他們呢?
[When] people are not afraid of death, how can death be used to frighten them?
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正則用之, 邪則去之, 是則行之, 非則改之. (宋. 蘇軾. 論時政伏)
a. 正, Righteous, 端正, 正派
b. 邪, Evil doers, 邪惡
c. 去, remove, leave, 離開
d. 是, right, proper, 正確
e. 行, implement, carry out, put into practice, 實行
f. 非, wrong [doing] , mistake, 錯誤
正派的就任用它, 邪惡的就離開它, 正確的就實行它, 錯誤的就改正它
[Those who are] upright then use them, [Those who are] evil, then leave them, [That which are] proper, then implement them and [That which are] in error, then rectify them.
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子不教, 父之過, 教不嚴, 師之惰 (三字經)
a. 過, fault, 過失, 過錯
b. 惰. laziness, 懶惰
兒女不教育是父親的過錯, 教育不嚴是老師的懶惰.
Children who are not educated are the fault of the father, when education is not strict, it is the laziness of the teacher.
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父母之年, 不可不知也. 一則以喜, 一則以懼. (論語. 里仁)
a. 年, age, 年齡
b. 一則, on one hand, 一面
c. 以, because of this, 因為這個
父母的年齡, 不可不知道, 一面高興 [他們的] 長壽, 另方面担心[他們的] 衰老.
Parent’s age, one cannot not know! On one hand, [there is ] joy because of their longevity, [but] on the other, fear for their senescence.
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君子之交淡若水, 小人之交甘若醴 (莊子. 山木)
a. 醴 sweet wine
君子的交往淡得像白水小人的交往甜得像甜酒.
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人之性如水, 置之圓則圓, 置之方則方 (晉書. 傅玄傳)
a. 置 place, 放
Nature of man is like water, place it in a round [container], its [shape will be] round, place it in a square [container], its [shape will be] square.
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上之為政, 得下之情則治, 不得下之情則亂 (墨子. 尚同上)
a. 上, superiors, those in charge i.e. rulers
b. 下, beneath, under
c. 為, for, in, because of
d. 政, politics, governance,
e. 治, to govern, to rule, to control,
f. 得, to obtain, to understand,
g. 情, situation, circumstance, 情况
施政者治理國家, [如果] 了解到下面的情況, [社會] 就會安定下來, [如果] 不了解下面的情況, [社會] 就亂起來了.
Fourth usage. 之 is used as a grammatical function to change the clause 上為政 (removal of 之) , “those in superior positions because of governance” into a subject as a noun phrase, “those in charge of governance”.
Higher ups in charge of governance, [if] understanding the circumstances of lower levels, then there will be order, in not understanding the circumstances of lower levels, then there will be chaos.
Note: it will be better to translate “of” as “at” in English but this might confuse those wanting to learn Chinese.
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喜怒哀樂之動乎中, 必見乎外. (宋. 歐陽修. 辨左氏)
a. 動, unleashed. Launch mobilize, 發動, 發源
b. 乎, at, 在, 於
c. 中 , interior, in the heart 內心
d. 見, One of the more obscure meaning is 現 and is pronounced as such 現 is a later addition for differentiation since it is commonly used. A recent example is 她 which was introduced in early 20th Century when western literature was translated into Chinese.
e. 外, exterior
Fourth usage.
喜, 怒, 哀, 樂發自於心, 一定表現在外表
Joy, anger, sorrow, [and] pleasure unleased inwardly, will appear outwardly.
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Joy, anger, sorrow, [and] pleasure unleased inwardly, will appear outwardly.
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物之不齊, 物之情也 (孟子.藤文公上)
a. 齊, of the same kind, uniform, 相同
a. 齊, of the same kind, uniform, 相同
b. 情, matter, affair, situation (here it refers to feelings or mood), 情况, 本性 (本意為感情, 情緒)
Fourth usage.
事物不一樣, [這是] 事物本來的情况
Things are not of the same, [this is] the nature of things.
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父母之愛子, 則為之計深遠 (戰國策. 趙策)
a. 計, plan, 安排, 計劃
Things are not of the same, [this is] the nature of things.
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父母之愛子, 則為之計深遠 (戰國策. 趙策)
a. 計, plan, 安排, 計劃
Fourth usage
父母愛兒女, 就會為他們做深入長期的打算
[Due to] the love of parents, they will therefore plan far and deep for them.
Note: When 之 is removed, the subject noun phrase becomes a sentence “parents love their children” and the subject is “parents”
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人之德於我也, 我不可忘池, 吾有德於人也, 不可不忘也. (戰國策. 魏策)
a. 德, benevolence, favors, kindness, 恩德
b. 於, towards, 對
c. 不可不忘, double negation – so the two nots cancel each other out and becomes just one 可忘
父母愛兒女, 就會為他們做深入長期的打算
[Due to] the love of parents, they will therefore plan far and deep for them.
Note: When 之 is removed, the subject noun phrase becomes a sentence “parents love their children” and the subject is “parents”
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人之德於我也, 我不可忘池, 吾有德於人也, 不可不忘也. (戰國策. 魏策)
a. 德, benevolence, favors, kindness, 恩德
b. 於, towards, 對
c. 不可不忘, double negation – so the two nots cancel each other out and becomes just one 可忘
人對我有恩德, 我不可以忘記, 我對人有恩德, 我[應該]可以忘掉.
Fourth Usage. 之 is used to turn the sentence into a subject noun clause.
[When] treated with kindness from others, I must not forget. Kindness from me to other, I should forget.
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人心之不同, 如其面焉 (左傳.襄公三十一年)
a. 心, heart, here implies “within the heart” or thoughts.
b. 面, face, 臉
c. 焉, ah, alas, is that so? 啊, 呢
人想法不一樣, 就好像他們臉容都有各不同
Fourth Usage. By removing 之, 人心不同 is an independent statement. By adding 之, it becomes the subject with a predicate following.
Fourth Usage. 之 is used to turn the sentence into a subject noun clause.
[When] treated with kindness from others, I must not forget. Kindness from me to other, I should forget.
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人心之不同, 如其面焉 (左傳.襄公三十一年)
a. 心, heart, here implies “within the heart” or thoughts.
b. 面, face, 臉
c. 焉, ah, alas, is that so? 啊, 呢
人想法不一樣, 就好像他們臉容都有各不同
Fourth Usage. By removing 之, 人心不同 is an independent statement. By adding 之, it becomes the subject with a predicate following.
Within the hearts of men are not the same, alas just like their faces.
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寒之之日長而暴之之日短
植之之人寡而拔之之人多 (宋.王安石.乞出表二)
a. 暴, expose to the sun, to warm up in the sun, 日曬
b. 植, to plant, 種植
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寒之之日長而暴之之日短
植之之人寡而拔之之人多 (宋.王安石.乞出表二)
a. 暴, expose to the sun, to warm up in the sun, 日曬
b. 植, to plant, 種植
c. 寡, alone, few 少
d. 拔, pull out, in this context, to mar or destroy
寒冷季節的時間很長但陽光燦爛的時間却很短
種樹的人很少但拔樹的人很多
The first 之 is fourth usage to turn the sentence into a subject clause.
Days of cold are long and days of warmth are short,
Planting of trees has few people and pulling of trees are many. (in other words, more consumers than producers)
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Planting of trees has few people and pulling of trees are many. (in other words, more consumers than producers)
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蜀之鄙有二僧, 其一貧, 其一富,
貧者語於富者曰: 吾欲之南海, 何如? (清.彭端叔.白鶴堂集.為學)
a. 蜀, Szechuan, 四川
b. 鄙, remote area, 邊遠的地方
c. 僧, Buddhist monk, 和尚
四川邊遠的地方有兩個的和尚, 其中一個貧窮, 一個富有. 窮和尚對富有地說, 我想去南海, 怎樣?
Of Szechuan, there are two Buddhist monks. One is rich and the other poor. The poor one said to the rich one: “I would like to go to the Southern Seas. How about it?”
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a. 蜀, Szechuan, 四川
b. 鄙, remote area, 邊遠的地方
c. 僧, Buddhist monk, 和尚
四川邊遠的地方有兩個的和尚, 其中一個貧窮, 一個富有. 窮和尚對富有地說, 我想去南海, 怎樣?
Of Szechuan, there are two Buddhist monks. One is rich and the other poor. The poor one said to the rich one: “I would like to go to the Southern Seas. How about it?”
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王坐於堂上, 有牽牛而過堂下者. 王見之曰: 牛何之?
對曰: 將以衅鐘. 王曰: 舍之. (孟子. 梁惠王上)
a. 何, where, 那兒
b. 衅鐘, bell consecration with blood of a sacrificial animal
c. 舍, old variant of 捨, to release, abandon, give up, let go, give alms, 捨棄, 放生, 放開
梁惠王坐在殿堂上, 有個人牽着牛從堂下經過. 梁惠王看到了他, 就問: 帶着牛去那裡? 那個人回答: 將來用衅鐘. 梁惠王說: 放了它吧.
The king (referring to King Liang Hui) sat in the administrative palace hall. There was a cow being shepherded by a person as they passed by the building. The king saw him and asked: Where is the cow led (going) to? [The man] replied: To be used as sacrifice to consecrate a bell. The king said, “Release it.”
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Tuesday, January 17, 2023
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