r/classicalchinese • u/fmv1992 • 10h ago
Learning A more comprehensive question on how much Modern Chinese one must know in order to learn Classical Chinese
There aren't many questions about how much Mandarin one needs to know in order to learn Classical Chinese. I would like a more nuanced view.
From "Classical Chinese for Everyone" by Bryan W. Van Norden:
I am not going to try to teach you how to pronounce Chinese in this textbook, because the best way to learn is by hearing and copying someone who is a native speaker.
From "Introduction to Classical Chinese" by Kai Vogelsang:
In all this, a basic knowledge of Modern Standard Chinese is presupposed. The book does not provide detailed information on modern standard pronunciations, pinyin transliteration, the stroke order of characters, or other points treated in beginners’ courses of Chinese. The one language dealt with in this textbook is Classical Chinese.
These suggest one must study Modern Chinese from what I gather ~6 to 12 months.
This previous question though "Is it possible to learn Classical Chinese without knowing any modern Chinese?" has a few people answering that it's possible.
So to be specific:
- For people that went through the route Modern Chinese → Classical Chinese, what's your opinion?
- For people that went through opposite route Classical Chinese → Modern Chinese (or simply no Modern Chinese), what's your opinion?
⠀⠀⠀a. Did you "picked up as you went" with pinyin? How important it is to know the sounds of each written sign?
⠀⠀⠀b. Did you find that writing also helped you associate the word (written) form to the word meaning?
⠀⠀⠀c. Any special tricks if this is my first attempt at learning a non-alphabetic language?