Would any other anons be interested in a general thread for any topic such as: (1) for those learning the language [essentially Mandarin, but others such as Cantonese are welcome] (2) the discussion of Chinese literature, whether in Chinese or translated (3) the discussion of Chinese history, especially recommendation of good history books (4) Chinese philosophy: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc. which doesn't get much discussion on here.
What's with all the chink threads recently? Are we getting invaded? We can't let this happen.
>Chinese philosophyNo such thing. Just pseudo-mystical ramblings that substitute vaguery for actual insight and search for truth and wisdom.
>>24818675reading Outlaws of the Marsh was really like watching Dragon Ball except everybody is a psycho cannibal, even the good guys, it was unexpected but now i see where all anime comes from
>>24818704The west is finally getting decently translated xianxia/xianhuan which means that there’s a massive influx of new readers who are trying to learn about the cultural background because they have no context for a lot in those novels
>>24818769is chinese literature as gay as chinese animes? i've already watched at least 2 chinese animes that had interesting settings but the subtext ended up being about 2 guys secretly wanting to obliterate each other's asses
They're CCP agents. They finally realized reddit was a waste of time. If they can take over /lit/, it's over.
>>24818675I appreciate that chinese history preserved so much of their ancient culture as just a student of history, but what can deep study of these subjects provide to the westerner over their own Greek/Roman/Hebrew heritage that still affects them to this day?
>>24818675Chinese things I have read...>TaoismLiezi might be the best starting point for Taoism. "When Nothing stirs, it begets not nothing but something" is fucking phenomenal.DAOIST TEXTS IN TRANSLATION by Louis Komjathy if you want a list of translated taoist texts (just google it).>BuddhismI've only read the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows, trans. by Dr. Frank G. French. Nice depictions of buddhist hell(s), but it's a buddhist (apocryphal) first source, so it might filter a lot of people who are not accustomed to that kind of storytelling.>ConfucianismJust read the Analects, fun read.I've got the classic of filial piety lying around somewhere.Also read the Art of War.>>24818761Confucianism is very much approachable. >>24818704/lit/ has Guenon fatigue.>>24818785Didn't know /lit/ hated chink lit.Why is that?
>>24818826>/lit/ has Guenon fatiguei think it becomes harder to take Traditionalism seriously after everybody learned what is REALLY going on in india
>>24818826>Didn't know /lit/ hated chink lit.>Why is that?polcels who think anything not greek/roman is not worth studying even though they don't really read
>>24818675I don't have too much to contribute with, but in regards to books I'd definitely recommend The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. It's a fun little mystery novel, and the preface has some interesting stuff about the differences between the Western and Eastern approach to these kinds of stories.
>>24818850>everybody learned what is REALLY going on in indiaand what is that?
>>24818877That looks really interesting. I'm going to check it out. Thanks for the rec.
>>24818776No lol. Some of them are explicitly anti relationships. If you want a place to start, check out the Reverend insanity or desolate era novels online for free.
Is Integrated Chinese a good place to learn Mandarin from?
>>24818761Correct. Philosophy belongs to the Faustian/Apollonian high cultures. What the Chinese has isn't metaphysics but wisdom literature.
>>24818879do you have to ask? watch Codex Pajeet from David Attenborough
I've been studying and lightly practicing Tibetan Buddhism and its shockingly interesting. I'm also interested in Chinese history, etc. Is there any classical Chinese works on their interaction with Tibetans? I know numerous times throughout the last 1200 years or so Tibetan Buddhism was very popular, only to die off, forcibly or otherwise, only to again see later resurgences.I've heard in Northern China the Gelug school is taking off again. Just wanted to see if there are any recorded works that are translated to English, not even on Buddhism necessarily, just general cultural crossover or exchanges.
Recently learned kowtow is a chinese word, had non idea. I wonder how it entered into english.
>>24819257because the English have been trading with China since like the 1600s
>>24819257Oh wow, I had no idea. I wonder when it first entered into English and from where exactly?
>>24819257Did you know mandarin was introduced by white people also? The chinese never used the term and it means nothing in Chinese. But it means minister in SEA and India.
>>24818826How is Liezi? Isn’t its authenticity in doubt or something?
>>24819079Not sure exactly, but there has to be material. I know the Qing, Yuan and another dynasty all had institutionalized Tibetan Buddhism, and Tibet monks as court advisors and what not and there was cross-breeding between Chan and Tibetan Buddhists.
>>24818761>>24818940If you think Chinese philosophy has no sense of rigor or metaphysics you need to read Gongsunlongzi, or some of the Neo-Confucians, or Mozi for that matter.
>>24818793>what can deep study of these subjects provide to the westerner over their own Greek/Roman/Hebrew heritage that still affects them to this day?Broader perspective?
>>24819257There are plenty of others.https://zompist.com/chinawords.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Chinese_origin
>>24819478The English word "mandarin", yes. In Chinese they call the officials guān, and the language is called guānhuà (officials' speech, because it was used as a lingua franca by officials) or běifānghuà (northern speech).
>>24819815I don't doubt that the Chinese studied logic. But are there apparent parallels of western ideas of causality & forms in Chinese philosophy? What can you say about their perception of time? Do the Chinese follow the path of nature, of the Dao, in most of their civilisational endeavors or do they believe in scientific universal laws the same way Faustian man does?
>>24819930Like I said, look into the Neo-Confucians.
>>24818704Don't complain, these are way better than the shitted and porn spam the discord trannies have tried to get going recently
Started reading in Mandarin recently and I'm in need of some (preferably xianxia) danmei sloppa to read. Anything stand out that isn't translated yet?
>>24820228Sorry, don’t know. But a publishing company called imagin8 put out an easier version of Journey to the West that was really helpful for me when I got to the intermediate stage of my chinese learning. There’s also audio of it on youtube.
>>24819914Don't they call mandarin pudonghua?
>>24820363Yes, that's the term used by the PRC, literally "common speech". In Taiwan they call it, guóyǔ, "national language", and in Singapore it's often called huáyǔ "Chinese(ethnicity) language".
In what countries is Mandarin a main, commonly used language daily by a large percentage of the population. Obviously mainland China and Taiwan. Anywhere else? Maybe Singapore? Possibly Malaysia?
>>24820420Singapore and Malaysia yeah, those are the main ones.
If you could live at any time in ancient china, what era would you choose? I'm a Tang man myself. Studying for the government exam, reading Li Bai, Do Fu, and Wang Wei, pondering the Three Teachings, falling in love but knowing it can never be because she's a peasant girl and I'm destined to work for the emperor...
>>24820577qing because I want to rock a braid
Which is better? Chinese poetry or Japanese poetry? Why is Japanese poetry much more famous in the west?
>>24820654Is it? I hadn't had that impression so much.
>>24818826Forgot to add the little red book.And the Tao Te Ching.>>24818867The Greeks just filter me.Chinese philosophy on the other hand is my bread and butter. They should try it, if Western philosophy isn't compatible with their kind of autism.Hopefully the Chinese classics will become part of the /lit/ canon.>>24819652>How is Liezi? It's basically a collection of short stories that explain taoist philosophy.It kind of remind me of zen koans, but way less cryptic.>Isn’t its authenticity in doubt or something?Don't know. I know that the Yellow Emperor part was supposedly written before the Tao Te Ching, but some of the figures in it lived 200 years after Laotzu, so yeah.Honestly, if it's in the Taoist canon, then its scripture, fake or not.>>24819079I know that the Mongolians converted to Buddhism after they reached Tibet. You might wanna look into the history of the Yuan dinasty.I don't have any literature specifically for that though.
If this is going to be a thing then there should be some charts for beginners. Probably already some made.
>>24820577I'll pass, we know those ancient chinese women were often incredibly, unbelievably, fucking ugly based on bone scans and facial reconstruction, etc.>>24820654Japan began exporting its culture to the West prior to China, pretty much all it comes down to, and Japan's continued existence is solely owed to the fact that their entire geopolitical strategy is soft power.However, Japanese literature is definitely saved by its poetry. Japanese writers are obsessed with Mono no Aware and write in a manner that kind of just tosses away philosophical and rhetorical depth in favor of beauty and momentariness. They also strongly emphasize elements of alienation and minimalism.Compare much of their classic literature to stuff from China that has a pretty strong emphasis on Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, and the idea that the Chinese saw literature as a pathway towards cultivation and you can see the difference yourself almost immediately.
Is this a good book for a general overview of chinese history?
>>24818675YELLOW PERIL
>>24820654Chinese poetry is better. So much of Japanese literature is just a copy.
>>24820577Do you like thunderbolt fantasy?
Is it possible to learn to read and write mandarin without traditional schooling?
>>24821879Reading and writing is the easiest part of learning Mandarin honestly. Just use anki for flashcards and read a bunch with a dictionary. I think the popup dictionary addon yomitan added support for Chinese recently too. Pronunciation is where you'd benefit from a tutor/native willing to sit and correct you.
