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Classical Chinese vs. Modern Chinese

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 2319 Intermediate
Anyone who's come across a passage of classical Chinese in their studies of modern Chinese knows it all too well. Classical Chinese is incredibly different from modern Chinese. In this lesson, two students talk about the differences between ancient and modern language.
Thu Nov 14 2013 | Dilu, John
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Detailed Vocabulary
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SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
背 bèi to memorize
古文 gǔwén classical Chinese
古代 gǔdài ancient times
书面语 shūmiànyǔ formal language
有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？
yǒu péng zì yuǎn fāng lái ，bù yì yuè hū ？yǒu péng zì yuǎn fāng lái ，bù yì yuè hū ？
A close friend comes from a far away place. Is that not a reason to celebrate? A close friend comes from a far away place. Is that not a reason to celebrate?
你在背什么啊，什么“乎乎乎”的？
nǐ zài bèi shénme a ，shénme “hū hū hū ”de ？
What are you memorizing? What's this “hūhūhū” stuff?
我在背古文。
wǒ zài bèi gǔwén 。
I'm memorizing classical Chinese.
古文是古代人说的话吗？
gǔwén shì gǔdài rén shuō de huà ma ？
Is classical Chinese what people a long time ago spoke?
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