L06136 - CHINESE PHILOLOGY

courses
ID:
L06136
Duration (hours):
36
CFU:
6
SSD:
LINGUE E LETTERATURE DELLA CINA E DELL'ASIA SUD-ORIENTALE
Located in:
PESCARA
Url:
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES/CORSO GENERICO Year: 3
Year:
2025
Course Catalogue:
https://unich.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/af/2025?co...

Overview

Date/time interval

Secondo Semestre (15/02/2026 - 25/05/2026)

Syllabus

Course Objectives


The course is designed to equip students with foundational knowledge of Classical Chinese, covering both typological and syntactic-grammatical aspects. This knowledge will be imparted through theoretical and practical approaches, utilizing a classical language manual and texts introduced during the course. These materials enable students to observe, recognize, and familiarize themselves with syntactic-grammatical structures in practical usage. As certain formulas and structures inherent to Classical Chinese are regularly encountered in modern Chinese, the course aims to enhance students' comprehension of modern texts and refine their translation skills through ongoing comparisons between the two linguistic systems. By studying texts, students will also build a repertoire of several hundred characters found in modern Chinese, thereby expanding both their vocabulary and their understanding, considering the diachronic perspective, of the nuances and semantic implications associated with various characters. Lastly, delving into texts from the Confucian and Taoist traditions proves beneficial for acquiring socio-cultural knowledge crucial for better understanding and navigating the contemporary Chinese context with greater confidence.

Course Prerequisites


Proficiency in the Chinese language, enabling accurate character writing, and familiarity with the Pinyin phonetic transcription system. No further prerequisites are required.

Teaching Methods


The course comprises 48 hours of in-person lectures (equivalent to 8 credit units) distributed over two weekly sessions throughout the second semester.
One session concentrates on the more theoretical, linguistic, and syntactic-grammatical facets of Classical Chinese, while the other session delves into the texts presented, translated, and discussed in class.
All texts will be composed in non-simplified Chinese.
Attendance is voluntary but strongly encouraged.
The final exam will be identical for both those who attend regularly and those who do not.

Assessment Methods


The examination consists of an oral discussion on the topics covered during the course. It is divided into two parts: the first includes 4-5 questions aimed at assessing the understanding of theoretical, linguistic, and syntactic-grammatical concepts taught in the course; the second involves the reading, translation, and commentary of some of the texts presented during the course. The final evaluation, graded on a scale of thirty, will be derived from the average of the scores obtained in the two respective parts. It will be considered sufficient if the student demonstrates a basic understanding of the topics and texts covered during the course. The grade will be higher if the student displays an in-depth knowledge of the subjects and texts and is able to approach and critically analyze them.

Texts


- Textbook: M.A. Fuller, “An Introduction to Literary Chinese”. Cambridge (Mass.), Harvard U.P., 2004 (1999), pp. 1-110 (Introduction and Units 1-10)
- Texts: Reading, translation, and commentary on the passages presented during the course. The texts are in non-simplified Chinese and will be provided at the end of the course.
- Reading of at least two of the following works (in Italian translation):
a) Tao Te Ching [a cura di J.J.L. Duyvendak]. Milano: Adelphi, 1990 (1973)
b) Zhuang-zi [a cura di Liou Kia-hway]. Milano: Adelphi, 1990 (1982)
c) Mencio, in Testi confuciani (trad F. Tomassini). Torino: UTET-Classici delle religioni, 1977, pp. 269-453
d) Confucio: I Dialoghi [a cura di T. Lippiello]. Torino: Einaudi, 2003

- Reading at least two of the following essays:
a) A. Cheng, ‘Zhuangzi all’ascolto del Dao’, in Storia del pensiero cinese. Vol. I. Torino: Einaudi, 2000 (1997): pp. 99-130
b) A. Cheng, ‘Il Dao del non-agire nel Laozi’, in Storia del pensiero cinese. Vol. I. Torino: Einaudi, 2000 (1997): pp. 181-206
c) A. Cheng, ‘Mencio, erede spirituale di Confucio’, in Storia del pensiero cinese. Vol. I. Torino: Einaudi, 2000 (1997): pp. 149-179
d) A. Cheng, ‘La scommessa di Confucio sull’uomo’, in Storia del pensiero cinese. Vol. I. Torino: Einaudi, 2000 (1997): pp. 43-77

Recommended readings (for students wishing to delve deeper into some of the topics covered during the course):
- M. Scarpari, A. Andreini, Grammatica della lingua cinese classica. Milano: Hoepli, 2020
- E. G. Pulleyblanc, Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1995
- J. Norman, Chinese. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 2002 (1988)

Additional teaching material in Italian or English will be provided by the instructor during the course.

Contents


Understanding linguistic and grammatical concepts in Classical Chinese.
Analyzing and translating historical, literary, and philosophical texts from ancient China.
Gaining insight into the historical and cultural context of ancient China, with a specific focus on major schools of thought, particularly Confucianism and Taoism.

Course Language


Italian

More information


Non-attending students are invited to contact the instructor by the end of the course.

Degrees

Degrees

FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES 
Bachelor’s Degree
3 years
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