Why do Chinese students still need to learn classical Chinese in senior school? What are the benefits learning them?

为什么中国高中生还要学习文言文？学习文言文有什么好处？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Ruoyu Liu

Because they are called Classical Chinese - just like the masterpieces of Shakespeare, the values of classics won’t change over time. The promotion of vernacular Chinese (白话文) against Classical Chinese in early 20th century was aiming to allow people with little education to read texts, articles and books, but those Chinese scholars were not against great works written in Classical Chinese per se.

因为文言文就像莎士比亚的杰作一样，经典文学的价值不会随着时间的流逝而改变。20世纪初，反对文言文的白话文运动旨在让没有受过多少教育的人也可以看得懂文章和书本，但那些中国学者并不反对用文言文写就的伟大文学作品。

Also, Classical Chinese education is more than practical use and benefits, it serves as ties between past and present. If someone really asks me what’s point of learning Classical Chinese, my answer would be - to be a more interesting person.

此外，文言文教育不仅关乎实际运用和好处，它更是历史和现在的纽带。如果真的有人问我学习文言文的意义是什么，我会回答——做一个更有趣的人。

My ex-girlfriend was from Guangdong province, I met her when I was studying in Guangzhou. Geographically, my birthplace (Shannx province) is 2,200 km away from hers. Linguistically, we even spoke different languages - she spoke Cantonese with her parents and I spoke Shaanx Hua (a dialect of Mandarin) at home, but both of us could speak Standard Mandarin.

我的前女友是广东人，我是在广州读书时认识她的。在地理位置上，我出生的地方陕西省与她相距2200公里。在语言上，我们说的是不同的方言——她和父母说粤语，我在家说陕西话(普通话的一种方言)，但我们都会说标准普通话。

One year I took her to my hometown for travelling, she was so excited as i’an was famous for many cultural legacies. We visited the Huaqing Pool(华清池), a complex of hot springs at the foot of Mount Li, also a place famous for the scene of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang’ romance with his consort Yang Guifei. As we were wandering in Huaqing Pool, I started to recite Chang hen ge(长恨歌), one of the greatest poems we had learned at high school.

有一年我带她去西安旅游，她很兴奋，因为西安是闻名天下的文明古都。我们参观了位于骊山脚下的温泉宫—华清池，这里因为唐玄宗和妻子杨贵妃的爱情而为世人传颂。当我们在华清池漫步时，我开始背诵《长恨歌》，这是我们高中时学过的最出色的诗歌之一。

“春寒赐浴华清池”(She was privileged to bathe in Huaqing Pool on a cold day of spring), I said.

She smiled and continued, “温泉水滑洗凝脂”(Washing her creamy skin with slippery water of the warm spring).

“春寒赐浴华清池”(她有幸在春寒料峭之时沐浴于华清池里)，我起了个头。

她笑了笑，顺着背下去：“温泉水滑洗凝脂”(用温润的泉水拂洗如玉的肌肤)。

And then both of us recited the whole poem one sentence after another, when we came to the final part(Tang Poems):

在天愿作比翼鸟, 在地愿为连理枝。

Let’s be two birds in the sky flying side by side.

Let’s be two branches on the earth inseparably tied.

I held her hand and said, “Hope this is also a commitment between you and me”.

然后我们俩一人一句地背诵全诗，背到最后一节：

在天愿作比翼鸟, 在地愿为连理枝。

愿我们变成天上并肩飞翔的小鸟。

愿我们化为地上相依相偎的树枝。

我握着她的手说：“希望这也能成为你我之间的誓言。”

(Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei)

玄宗皇帝和杨贵妃

After that we also visited Qinglong Temple (青龙寺) at Leyou Yuan (乐游原), I asked her “Do you remember the poem ‘Climbing Leyou Yuan’ (登乐游原) written by Li Shangyin (李商隐)? We are now at Leyou Yuan!”. Her face lit up and said “Really?! We’ve learned that poem for years, it’s mind blowing, like I’m touching the history!” And both of us recited the whole poem again:

之后，我们还参观了乐游原的青龙寺，我问她：“你还记得李商隐的《登乐游原》吗？”我们现在就在乐游原呢！”她的脸色一下明亮了起来，说：“真的吗？这首诗我们好多年前就学过了，简直让人震撼，我感觉我正在触碰历史！”我们两人又把整首诗背诵了一遍：

向晚意不适，驱车登古原。

夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏。

Evening approaches finding my spirit indisposed,

So I rode a buggy up the historic site.

Sunset is ever so beautiful,

Regrettably as dusk fades, impends night.

傍晚来临了，我心神不安，

坐上一辆马车去历史遗址转转。

日落是如此的美丽，

但遗憾的是夜幕也即将降临。

It’s been years since we had broken up, but those romantic memories still remains today.

虽然我们已分手多年，但我仍记得那些浪漫的回忆。

You see, what makes a Chinese have emotional attachments to a place which is over 2000 km away from her hometown is just a poem written 1200 years ago - in fact, many places in China became famous are due to poems and articles written in ancient times.

你看，让一个中国人对离家两千多公里的地方产生感情，只需一首写于1200年前的诗——事实上，中国有许多地方都因为古诗和古文名噪天下。

Living in i’an, a city used to be the imperial capitals of many dynasties, one of the “privileges” we have is that we can witness the whole city becomes “ancient” on a snowy day.

Usually I would do some readings on a snowy night, every time I would pick up Zhang Dai (张岱)’s “湖心亭看雪” and read it again:

生活在西安，这座曾经是许多朝代帝都的城市，我们拥有的“特权”之一就是可以在雪天见证整个城市的“古韵之美”。

平时我会在下雪的夜晚静心阅读，每次我都再读一遍张岱的《湖心亭看雪》：

雾凇沆砀，天与云、与山、与水，上下一白。湖上影子，惟长堤一痕、湖心亭一点、与余舟一芥、舟中人两三粒而已。

This is one of my favourite Classical Chinese articles learned in high school, it is admired for the elegant way it paints a beautiful winter scene in a few brush strokes. As I read it during a snowy night I could almost feel what Zhang Dai felt when composing this article.

这是我高中时最喜欢的文言文之一，它以简练精妙的文笔描绘了一幅美丽的冬日景色。当我在一个雪夜读到这篇文章时，我几乎也能切身体会到张岱写这篇文章时的感受。

Years ago I visited Pavilion of Prince Teng(滕王阁) also because another masterpiece written by Wang Bo(王勃).

几年前，我参观了滕王阁，也是因为王勃的这篇千古名文《滕王阁序》。

披绣闼，俯雕甍，山原旷其盈视，川泽纡其骇瞩。闾阎扑地，钟鸣鼎食之家；舸舰弥津，青雀黄龙之舳。云销雨霁，彩彻区明。落霞与孤鹜齐飞，秋水共长天一色。渔舟唱晚，响穷彭蠡之滨，雁阵惊寒，声断衡阳之浦。

（Pavilion of Prince Teng）

(滕王阁)

The Classical Chinese we learned also had shaped our values.

我们学习的文言文也塑造了我们的价值观。

When a Christian told me that “God loves everyone”, then the quote of Dao De ing (道德经) written 2500 years ago came to my mind:

当基督徒告诉我“上帝爱众人”，我可以引用2500年前的《道德经》：

天地不仁，以万物为刍狗。

Heaven and earth do not act from (the impulse of) any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt with.

天地并不会因任何祷告祈愿而慈悲；他们就像对待草地上的狗一样对待众生。

If he continued to tell me that God used the flood to punish human beings, then I would recall another quote from another Chinese philosopher Xun Kuang

如果基督徒继续说上帝用洪水来惩罚人类，那么我会引用另一位中国哲学家荀子的话（310 BC - 235 BC）：天行有常，不为尧存，不为桀亡。

Heaven operates on consistent principles. These principles did not exst for the sake of Yao, and did not die away for the sake of Jie.

天地的运行有常理原则，不是因为尧才出现，也不会因为桀而消失。

The Chinese spirit of making us better and stronger can be summarized into Qian of I Ching, which was written 3000 years ago:

中华民族自强不息的精神可以概括为3000年前的易经《乾》：

天行健，君子以自強不息。

Heaven, in its motion, (gives the idea of) strength. The superior man, in accordance with this, nerves himself to ceaseless activity.

天的运动刚强劲健，君子处事，应像天一样，力求进步，刚毅坚卓，发奋图强，永不停息。

If someone asked me what’s the real reason behind China’s reluctance to accept middle east refugees, well Chinese philosopher Mengzi (孟子) had given the answer 2300 years ago:

如果有人问我中国不愿接受中东难民的真正原因是什么，中国哲学家孟子早在2300年前就给出了答案：

人必自侮，然後人侮之；家必自毀，而後人毀之；國必自伐，而後人伐之。《太甲》曰：『天作孽，猶可違；自作孽，不可活。── 《孟子 · 離婁上》

A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him. A family must first destroy itself, and then others will destroy it. A State must first smite itself, and then others will smite it. This is illustrated in the passage of the Tai Jia, "When Heaven sends down calamities, it is still possible to escape them. When we occasion the calamities ourselves, it is not possible any longer to live. ── ‘Li Lou I · Mengzi’

一个人肯定是先有自取侮辱的行为，别人才会侮辱他；一个家肯定是先有自甘毁灭的行为，别人才会毁坏它；一个国家肯定是先有自取讨伐的原因，别人才会讨伐它。《太甲》中有句话就说明了这一点：“天降祸患，尚能避之。”若我们自己人为制造灾难，我们就没有活路了。──《離婁I · 孟子》

If someone asks what are the life goals of educated Chinese, then I would quote what Zhang Zai, a neo-Confucian philosopher had outlined during Song Dynasty:

如果有人问受过教育的中国人有什么人生目标，我会引用宋朝儒家哲学家张载的话：

为天地立心，为生民立命，为往圣继绝学，为万世开太平。

To ordain conscience for Heaven and Earth; to secure life and fortune for the people; to continue the lost teachings of the past sages; to establish peace for all generations to come.

为社会建立精神价值系统；保护人民的生命和财富；辩证地传承前贤的学问；为子孙后代创立万世太平。

As an ordinary Chinese, I’m doing the part of “to continue the lost teachings of past sages”. This is part of my book collection at home.

作为一个普通的中国人，我也在“为往圣继绝学”尽我绵薄之力。这是我家中藏书的一角。

And one of my best friends just started his political career this year. His parents are ordinary workers in a chemical plant, he worked so hard at school and ranked the No.5 among 300 thousand students during the national exam. Currently he has completed a PhD degree in Peking University, one of the Top 2 university in China, and has been appointed to a village in Fujian where he’s supposed to work for two years before getting promoted. On the first of his work he posted some words on Wechat:

我有个最好的朋友今年刚刚开始走上政途。他的父母是化工厂的普通工人，他在学校很努力，在全国考试中名列30万名学生中的第五名。目前，他已经在中国排名前二的大学之一北京大学完成了博士学位，并被委派到福建一个村庄工作，他要在福建工作两年之后才能升职。他为了第一份工作在微信上发了这样的文字：

愿自己不忘初心，不负百姓。

Hope I will never forget my original will and will never let the people down.

Hantani Sadahiko

Actually, Japanese also learn Chinese classics in high school. The class is called "漢文(kanbun).".

事实上，日本人在高中阶段也要学习中国的古文。这个课程叫做“漢文(kanbun)”。 

Cerulany

Modern Chinese is like a simplified version of classical Chinese, in which you have less characters to remember and less grammar (if any at all) to comprehend.

Learning classical Chinese is like upgrading one's Chinese skill to its full power, similar to learning C++ (and its libraries) after C.

现代汉语就像文言文的简体版，你需要记住的汉字少了，需要理解的语法也少了。

学习文言文就像把一个人的汉语技能提升到最高水平，类似于在C语言之后又学习了C++。

The upgraded skill gives you the ability to:

(1) directly comprehend what the author says (not necessarily means) within the time range of 2000 years or even more

(2) be able to understand and express complicated meaning using ridiculously simple words, such as quotes or idioms, which classical Chinese has tons of

技能升级后，你可以：

(1) 直接理解2000年甚至更早之前的作者的想法

(2) 能够用非常简单的词语理解和表达复杂的意思，如名言、成语，这在文言文中比比皆是

Aesthetic beauty

审美品味

Classical Chinese poem can be written like this:

中国古诗可以这么写：

两个黄鹂鸣翠柳

一行白鹭上青天

窗含西岭千秋雪

门泊东吴万里船

or like this:

或者像这样：

Not only is it rhythmic geometrically, but also phonetically.

Some poets may take days even months to decide the choice of one character, that is how they made them so elegant.

不仅看起来格式有规律，读起来也很有韵律。

有些诗人可能要花上几天甚至几个月的时间来推敲一个汉字，这就是诗文如此优美的原因。

Dan Kim

For the same reason they teach Shakespeare in English speaking countries. It’s highly educational to read and understand how the language that you use have evolved and expressed in the past. It’s culturally enlightening and an effective way to learn about history of your language. Aside from linguistic perspective, Shakespeare’s writings still represent how we still tell our stories. Chinese classics serve a very similar purpose, and most countries with their own language do teach their kids about linguistic and literary history of their people.

这跟英语国家学习莎士比亚是一样的。阅读和理解你所使用的语言在历史上是如何演变和表达是很有教育意义的。这在文化上具有启发性，是学习语言演变历史的有效方法。除了语言学的角度，莎士比亚的作品仍然展示了我们是如何讲述故事的。中国的古文也起到了类似的作用，大多数使用自己语言的国家都会让孩子们学习自己民族的语言和文学史。

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