Zu-yan Chen

This book establishes “Confucian Literature” as a multidisciplinary genre. By breaking down the barriers between literature and philosophy, this book opens the field of Chinese literature to new interpretive methods, and brings Confucian values to readers through literature. The anthology is a selection of 28 literary works—12 poems and 16 prose pieces—by 21 authors from the Tang and Song Dynasties (618–1279). The translations, arranged side by side with the original texts, strive to remain as faithful as possible to the wording of the source material, and conveying its meaning, style, and beauty. The commentary investigates philosophical discourse, locates Confucian values, and points to where literature joins philosophy.

This book establishes “Confucian Literature” as a multidisciplinary genre. By breaking down the barriers between literature and philosophy, this book opens the field of Chinese literature to new interpretive methods, and brings Confucian values to readers through literature. The anthology is a selection of 28 literary works—12 poems and 16 prose pieces—by 21 authors from the Tang and Song Dynasties (618–1279). The translations, arranged side by side with the original texts, strive to remain as faithful as possible to the wording of the source material, and conveying its meaning, style, and beauty. The commentary investigates philosophical discourse, locates Confucian values, and points to where literature joins philosophy.

The Chinese poetic tradition, which dates back to almost 1,000 B. C., is one of the most cherished parts of the nation’s cultural heritage. This collection of translated classical poems are a stunning chronicle of Chinese life, culture and history, and remain as compelling today as ever. Moreover, their vitality and evocative imagery demonstrate why Chinese poetry was so inspiring to modern Western poets, particularly Ezra Pound and the Imagist movement. Organized by theme and with containing works by some of the most esteemed Chinese poets, this anthology is sure to delight every reader.

Traditionally, reading and writing are believed to be separate but related language processes and teachers follow the conventional wisdom of teaching in-depth reading, with writing as a tag-on issue. Therefore, there exists an increasingly urgent call for a well-rounded reading-writing curriculum and a theoretically-informed, empirically-based, student-centered advanced textbook that aims to develop the synergy between reading and writing. Reading to Write: A Textbook of Advanced Chinese is intended to fill this significant gap. It treats reading and writing as integrative parts and interactive skills in Chinese language teaching, putting them hand-in-hand, supplementing each other.

Traditionally, reading and writing are believed to be separate but related language processes and teachers follow the conventional wisdom of teaching in-depth reading, with writing as a tag-on issue. Therefore, there exists an increasingly urgent call for a well-rounded reading-writing curriculum and a theoretically-informed, empirically-based, student-centered advanced textbook that aims to develop the synergy between reading and writing. Reading to Write: A Textbook of Advanced Chinese is intended to fill this significant gap. It treats reading and writing as integrative parts and interactive skills in Chinese language teaching, putting them hand-in-hand, supplementing each other.

"Cultural Chinese: Readings in Art, Literature, and History" is an advanced language textbook with a new approach to cultural integration and immersion. In this unique book, culture becomes the very core of language learning, transitioning its role from context to text. This textbook is ideal for courses in advanced Chinese and Chinese culture. Third- and fourth-year students and instructors will find themselves deeply immersed in the very fabric of Chinese culture that governs personal behavior and directs social dynamics. Features: each of nine lessons features a distinctive topic of Chinese culture that serves as a portal to Chinese perceptions and perspectives; main text of each lesson begins with a brief introduction and is further illustrated with two historical or mythological stories that inform Chinese values and attitudes; additional mini-stories that challenge students' abilities of cultural interpretation; includes a total of twenty-seven stories familiar to every educated Chinese person that will prepare students for meaningful communication and understanding; and, each lesson includes more than ten sections of exercises intertwined with culture, including vocabulary and idioms, historical information, linguistic points, translation exercises, and online research required for debate, composition, and storytelling.

"Confucius' Analects" is an innovative textbook for teaching and learning Chinese language and culture at the advanced level. It combines classical and modern Chinese language skills, Chinese culture, and expository and narrative writing practice. "Confucius' Analects" is a central work of East Asian intellectual history that permeates Chinese and East Asian thought and values today. Students seeking to develop advanced language proficiency need to be familiar with the Analects in order to understand the wealth of literary allusions that appear in modern as well as classical Chinese writings. A selection of 82 passages, which are all educational and practical for present-day students, are grouped thematically into four parts - knowledge, morality, wisdom, and government - and covers Confucian teachings from personal cultivation to social contribution. Features: A quadrupled text system includes quotations from the Analects, modern Chinese translations of these passages, short essays of exegesis that elaborate on the major points, and historical Chinese stories that illustrate the theme; Vocabulary expansion sections show how monosyllabic classical words have each expanded into ten selected modern bisyllabic words; Almost 300 idioms and corresponding exercises teach their rhetorical value and provide cultural exposure; Sections on function words help students to understand classical Chinese; Extensive writing practice in each chapter includes debate, composition, storytelling, and topical research - all requiring internet research; and, Audio files of recitation of the "Analects" passages by a native speaker are available online for free. Designed for students who have studied Chinese for three years in college or an equivalent, this textbook is ideal for students of advanced Chinese, classical Chinese, and Chinese culture. Knowledge of classical Chinese is not a prerequisite.

An innovative approach to teaching Chinese language and culture, using folk and popular songs. Offering an innovative approach to language learning, Chinese through Song helps students develop their language proficiency and music appreciation through the use of folk, popular, and art songs. Because songs emphasize the color, pronunciation, and intonation of every syllable, they can be a valuable tool for improving a student's spoken language skills. By learning and performing the songs in this book, students will expand their vocabularies and improve their pronunciation, voice projection, and language expression-all while learning about Chinese culture in a fun and stimulating way. This revised and expanded edition includes thirty songs, many of them new to this edition. They feature lucid and vivid language, as well as beautiful and relatively simple melodies. They are good for voice development and can be practiced in different modes of performance, including solos, duets, rounds, and musical dramas. Each chapter comprises up to seven sections: (1) a song, including sheet music and lyrics in Chinese characters and pinyin Romanization; (2) a line-by-line English translation; (3) a vocabulary list designed for students who have completed at least one year of Chinese; (4) cultural notes that help students understand the historical and social context of the song; (5) language notes on the use of key words and important sentence patterns; (6) singing instructions, including remarks on interpretation and performance; and (7) language exercises for both classroom practice and homework assignments. Chinese through Song may be used in several ways: as the main textbook for an interdisciplinary, intermediate-level course, emphasizing both language acquisition and musical performance; as a supplement to regular Chinese language classes, from elementary through advanced levels; as a resource for extracurricular activities (for example, a Chinese chorus or a performance at a Chinese New Year party); and as a general songbook.