Common
Knowledge of Chinese Culture
Language
Chinese is one of the most simplest, while at
the same time one of the most difficult, languages in the world: most simple from the
almost entire absence of these inflectional forms; most difficult from the combination of
different languages under one heading of Chinese; such for instance as the book language
in its two or three different forms, the Colloquial or spoken language in its different
vernaculars, and in its tones. Some people go so far as to say that Chinese has no
grammar. The language may be divided into the following:
The ancient style: the classics are
written in this style: sententious, concise, vague, and often unintelligible without
explanation.
The literary style: more diffuse,
and consequently more intelligible; it might be described as poetry written in prose on
account of rhythmus.
The spoken style: They are divided
into numerous dialects. The most common one is Mandarin.
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