What is ancient Chinese?

Ancient Chinese refers to the language used by ancient Han people, which is the written and spoken language in ancient China.

Ancient Chinese includes ancient classical Chinese and ancient vernacular Chinese, which are usually referred to as ancient Chinese and vernacular Chinese for short. Ancient Chinese refers to the written language used by the ancient Han people in formal occasions and literary works, with strict grammar, vocabulary and grammatical rules. Ancient Chinese is the official written language of ancient times, which is mainly used in classic works, historical books and literary works. Classical Chinese has unique language features and cultural connotations, and is an important part of China traditional culture.

Vernacular writing refers to the spoken language used in people's daily life. Its grammar and vocabulary are relatively simple, easy to understand and express orally. Vernacular writing was also widely used in ancient times, especially in folk literature, drama, novels and so on.

There are great differences between ancient Chinese and modern Chinese in grammar, vocabulary and usage, but there are also some connections. Modern Chinese is developed from ancient Chinese, so there are still some words and usages of ancient Chinese in modern Chinese. At the same time, the study of ancient Chinese is also helpful to understand the language structure and cultural connotation of modern Chinese.

Benefits of learning ancient Chinese:

1. Understand the traditional culture of China: Ancient Chinese is an important part of China culture. Learning ancient Chinese can help us better understand the profound connotation and ideological essence of China traditional culture, and understand the thoughts, values and lifestyles of ancient people.

2. Improve the level of modern Chinese: Although there are great differences between ancient Chinese and modern Chinese, there are also many similarities. By studying ancient Chinese, we can have a deeper understanding of the language structure and usage of modern Chinese and improve our oral and written expression ability.

3. Expand the way of thinking: The study of ancient Chinese requires us to think deeply and understand the meaning and connotation of language, which is helpful to cultivate our logical thinking and speculative ability. It can also broaden our cultural horizons and let us better understand the similarities and differences between different cultures.

4. Enhance cultural self-confidence: Learning ancient Chinese can help us better understand the culture and history of our own nation and enhance our cultural self-confidence and cultural identity. This helps us to maintain our self-awareness and cultural characteristics under the background of globalization.

5. Academic research value: Learning ancient Chinese is of great value to academic research. No matter the study of China's history, literature, philosophy or other fields, we need some knowledge of ancient Chinese. By studying ancient Chinese, we can better understand the previous research results and provide a broader vision and methods for our academic research.