China’s ABCs: San Zi Jing and Its Application in
Chinese Language Education
中华蒙学经典： 三字经
A Presentation at the 8th New York International Chinese Language
Teaching Conference
Phebe Xu Gray
徐秀丽
pgray@leeuniversity.edu
Introduction:
“A classic is a book that doesn’t have to be
written again.”
—W. E. B. Dubois (1868-1963)
• 人之初
• 性本善。。。
• 我和你
• 信连心。。。
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf1_xwMHFqA
The Origin and Development of San Zi
Jing
• Song dynasty: known for its economic
development, achievements in the arts and
literature, invention of printing, gun powder, and
the compass.
• The Imperial Examinations: The Three Character
Classic as a literacy primer; significance was
comparable to that of learning the alphabet in
the West.
• Authorship: Wang Yinglin (王应麟 1223—1296)?
a scholar’s work… national elementary textbook
throughout China since Song Dynasty.
Notable Annotators
• In addition to Wang Yinglin, various scholars in
later generations also contributed to this book.
Among them were two scholars in the Qing
dynasty,王相and He Xingsi 贺兴思, as well as
Zhang Taiyan 章太炎, a Chinese studies
intellectual in the beginning of the Republic of
China. These scholars were noted for their
compilation, annotation, and publication of this
book. Therefore it has served as the literacy
primer in China for over 700 years.
Influence to Westerners
•
•
•
•
•
Matteo Ricci (1552-1610)
Robert Morrison (1782-1834)
William Henry Medhurst (1796-1857)
H.A. Giles (1845-1935)
Friedrich Bischoff : 2005 Alexander. San tzu ching
explicated: the classical initiation to classic
Chinese couplet I to XI. Beiträge zur Kultur- und
Geistesgeschichte Asiens; Nr. 45. Wien: Verlag
der Österreichischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften, 2005.
Matteo Ricci: (1552-1610) : Ming Dynasty
利玛窦
Robert Morrison (1782-1834)：
Qing Dynasty
• Horæ
sinicæ: translations
from the popular
literature of the
Chinese. Includes San
tzu ching & Da
xue. Translation by
Robert
Morrison. London: Prin
ted for Black and Parry
by C. Stower, 1812.
William Henry Medhurst (1796-1857)
• Christian San Zi Jing
•
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1935673
H.A. Giles (1845-1935)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chinese without a Teacher (1872;
sixth edition, 1908; ninth edition,
1931)
Chinese Sketches London: Trubner &
Co., 1876.
Handbook of the Swatow Dialect
(1877)
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
(1880, London) from Pu Songling's
Liaozhai Zhiyi.
Elementary Chinese: San Zi Jing.
Shanghai: Keylly & Welsh (1900)
http://books.google.com/books?id=h4duAAAAIAAJ&printsec
=frontcover&dq=Herbert+Allen+Giles+Elementary+Chinese&s
ource=bl&ots=QltGe6Jwz&sig=z9dQQ_NtrNcWPLKvrSFDUuYGpb0&hl=en&ei=_QbuSaJsL48AbhuvD9Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=
1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Manchurian and Chinese Version
Wang Xiang Version: Qing Dynasty
He Xingsi Version: Qing Dynasty
Zhang Taiyan Version: MinGuo
Christian Evangelical Version 1: Qing
Dynasty
Gong Nong Bing San Zi Jing: 1930
Criticize Sang Zi Jing: 1960s
Zhu Yin San Zi Jing: before PinYin
Ke Ji San Zi Jing: After Pinyin
Conclusion: Suggestions for TCSL
Applications
• Learn Chinese culture through San Zi Jing
Stories
• Learn San Zi Jing content as a Classic
• Adapt Content to San Zi Jing Format