Classical Chinese for Everyone: A Guide for Absolute Beginners (English and Chinese Edition)

Nice little book, 13 lessons taken from ancient sources, with each concept broken down and explained in detail. You don't need to know modern Chinese, but I can't imagine using this as your first exposure to Chinese study. Unlike many textbooks, there is no direct translation of the Chinese passages, just a lot of help to get you there on your own. It really underscores the ambiguous nature of literary Chinese, how a very few words can convey complex meanings. If you're thinking of tackling Fuller or Rouzer, this would be a good place to get your feet wet and see what you're getting into. Author also gives recommendations of other books for further study.Overall, an excellent resource to point you in the right direction and give you some fundamentals to build upon.

Dr. Van Norden's "Classical Chinese for Everybody" is exactly what it says. This wonderful book makes the first steps in reading and appreciating Classical Chinese fun and extremely accessible. The pace is gentle without being slow, or worse, boring, and the student begins reading actual literary texts from the first lesson. The student does not absolutely need to know any Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin), though of course it is a huge help if he does. All vocabulary and grammar notes have the (traditional) Chinese characters, their modern pinyin equivalents (thank you, Dr. Van Norden!), and the English. The book is not without a good deal of humor as well. The texts chosen for translation and analysis are appropriate for the beginner, helping to build his confidence and increasing his enjoyment. Those who know some Modern Chinese will find the going a little easier since Van Norden draws parallels (where appropriate) between the ancient and modern usages (e.g., with subordinating particles). For those who want to compare their own textual translations with scholarly translations, Van Norden refers them to his own book on Chinese philosophy, but accepted translation of the "Analects" and the "Dao De Jing" can easily be found online. I do recommend to the serious student the excellent "Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese", since this will help to clarify both meanings and usage and can be invaluable to both the beginner and scholar alike.

A great way to be initiated into the mysteries of classical Chinese literature. Having studied modern Chinese before, I've used it as a stepping stone on my way to Rouzer. It was a quick and highly enjoyable read. If you are completely new to Chinese, you should still be able to make your way through the book without too much trouble -- and that is its unique appeal. Afterwards, when you read one of those bilingual editions of Chinese philosophical classics where every character is glossed, the sentence structure, if not always clear, will no longer read like word salad. That said, I'm not convinced that it's possible to really learn classical Chinese without studying modern Chinese first. Snippets of classic texts are fine for illustrating grammar, but I doubt anyone would be willing to memorize thousands of characters using word lists and flash cards alone, without the aid of graded readers with tons of artificial text, which -- as far as I know -- exist only for modern Chinese. There is just not enough repetition in the classics to suffice for that purpose.

Funny writing. Very hard if you don't have the translations though - at least for me. It might not be as intuitive, but Van Norden sure likes to make you think hard on things. A great start.

Provided essential knowledge not available in the many other books I've had on classical Chinese texts.

A great way to get into Classical Chinese. Enjoying it very much!

This is a very handy reference for learning Classical Chinese (literary Chinese) The author uses writings attributed to Confucius as the basis for vocabulary and grammar points, and makes it more interesting with explanatory notes. I recommend it for anyone who has a genuine interest in learning.