Primer

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

Vocabulary
嚴駕 yánjià to adorn (a vehicle), to make ready, to harness
訖已 qìyǐ to finish, complete
huán to return
zhèng right; just so; truly
chéng to ride
bǎo precious
chē cart, chariot
to go to
that
yuǎn park
guān to see, to observe

There is no semantic distinction between and 便, both of which mean “then”. Divide the following passage into four character units and you will see why the translators used 便 instead of just in the second instance.

Example 10.1

Vocabulary
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?
(interrogative)
anger
chí foolishness, stupidity
chéng to bear
yòng to use

We have seen that the word 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

Vocabulary
凡愚 fányú mundane, ordinary; ordinary people
néng to be able to
to reach, to achieve

In the following sentences, the concluding word 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 ?

Example 10.5

Vocabulary
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.

10.5.1 如來靜默思: …
10.5.2 思念: …

Page updated on 2019-02-09

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