Read Tang Poetry to Learn Japanese Kanji ()

Author: Ji Chengqiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Tang poetry is a treasure of traditional Chinese literature and a carrier for Japanese literature and art to absorb Chinese civilization. This book, through a comparison of 80 Tang poems in both Chinese and Japanese, helps you better understand the two countries' writing systems, become familiar with their languages, distinguish their characters, and master Japanese kanji. An experienced teacher once said, if a foreign language is compared to a human body, then grammar is the skeleton and meridians, and words are the blood and muscles. I strongly agree with this statement. For beginners of Japanese, how can one memorize Japanese kanji? To achieve twice the result with half the effort and study effectively, I suggest not rote memorizing but learning them along with Tang poems. This way, Japanese kanji can "come alive" in living sentences that convey various pieces of information. Each section of this book is based on a single Tang poem. First, it provides the kanji-on reading of the Japanese Tang poem, followed by the translation of the Japanese Tang poem and the original Chinese Tang poem. Then, in the order of Japanese kanji, it lists the on-reading, kun-reading, (familiarized character reading), and a comparison of Japanese characters, vocabulary, and meanings between Chinese and Japanese. This book aims to make it easier for beginners to learn Japanese kanji and can serve as a reference for readers with a basic knowledge of Japanese who enjoy Tang poetry.