Chinese linguistics

Author: Chen Mengjia
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: From autumn 1937 to autumn 1944, Professor Chen Mengjia taught Chinese Philology at Southwest Associated University in Kunming, lecturing on the study of Chinese characters. In summer 1939, Professor Chen compiled his lecture notes into a book titled An Introductory Textbook of Chinese Philology, divided into seven chapters. The seventh chapter, "Materials of Ancient Characters," only included the section "Oracle Bone Script," leaving it unfinished. By 1943, Professor Chen added two chapters on Chinese Philology, self-titled A Revised Edition, which contained some overlapping content with the 1939 version. In autumn 1944, at the recommendation of Mr. Fei Zhengqing and Mr. Jin Yuelin, Professor Chen went to the University of Chicago in the United States to teach Chinese Paleography, with his lecture notes printed in English under the title An Introduction to Chinese Paleography (translated as "An Outline of Chinese Paleography"). This book is the lecture notes of Professor Chen Mengjia's course on "The Study of Chinese Characters" at Southwest Associated University, and the manuscript has never been published. Although it is an old lecture note from over six decades ago, some of its insights are still relevant today, as they have been refined and corrected in Professor Chen's later works. However, certain viewpoints presented in this lecture note remain valuable for reference. Moreover, Professor Chen established a unique system of philology in this text, which reflects the characteristics of his scholarship and is an extremely precious resource for studying Professor Chen himself. This book also holds significant reference value in the history of academic research. The content includes: An Introductory Textbook of Chinese Philology and The Study of Chinese Characters, elucidating the author's research perspectives on Chinese philology.