A Primer in Chinese Buddhist Writings
Volume One: Foundations
Lessons in Grammar - Lesson 10: Parallel and Rhythm
Classical Chinese prose often employs parallel passages: two phrases or sentences in which the word order of the first is parallel to that of the second. This fondness for parallel often explains word choice and grammar: if a particular word is clearly a verb in the first phrase, the word in the same position of the second phrase is probably also to be taken as a verb. Similarly, the number of characters in classical Chinese texts was also often regulated. The text from which these lessons draw, the Dà běn jīng, for instance, has a particular fondness for four-character phrases. You will notice many instances in which the text could have been just as clear with three characters as four, or would have been clearer with five characters instead of four; in these instances, clarity or concision are sacrificed for rhythm. Remember that use of punctuation in Chinese is a modern phenomenon. In the absence of punctuation, regulating the number of characters in a passage provided clues to meaning and made for ease of reading. The examples below illustrate this tendency.
Example 10.1
嚴駕 | yánjià | to adorn (a vehicle), to make ready, to harness |
訖已 | qìyǐ | to finish, complete |
還 | huán | to return |
正 | zhèng | right; just so; truly |
乘 | chéng | to ride |
寶 | bǎo | precious |
車 | chē | cart, chariot |
詣 | yì | to go to |
彼 | bǐ | that |
園 | yuǎn | park |
觀 | guān | to see, to observe |
There is no semantic distinction between 即 and 即便, both of which mean “then”. Divide the following passage into four character units and you will see why the translators used 即便 instead of just 即 in the second instance.
Example 10.1
昔 | xí | in the past |
占相 | zhānxiàng | to read someone’s signs, to tell one’s fortune |
得無 | déwú | is or is not, could it be? |
乎 | hū | (interrogative) |
怒 | nù | anger |
癡 | chí | foolishness, stupidity |
承 | chéng | to bear |
用 | yòng | to use |
We have seen that the word 者 normally acts to nominalize verbs. But in the following sentences, while perhaps it serves to emphasize the character before it, the primary function is to add a fourth character to the phrase. In this passage, when the Bodhisattva shows signs of dissatisfaction with his life as a prince, his father muses...
Example 10.3
凡愚 | fányú | mundane, ordinary; ordinary people |
能 | néng | to be able to |
及 | jí | to reach, to achieve |
In the following sentences, the concluding word 也 is also primarily used to fill out the four-character phrase.
Here the Buddha explains that not everyone will understand his teachings...
Example 10.4
Compare the following two sentences which you have seen in previous lessons. Why does one conclude with the interrogative 耶?
Example 10.5
靜默 | jìngmò | quietly, silently |
思惟 | sīwéi | to think, to reflect |
Despite the restrictions imposed by the four-character phrase, there is still considerable room for variations in phrasing. Consider the two following phrases.
Page updated on 2019-02-09