ChiDragon Posted Saturday at 09:39 PM (edited) 9 minutes ago, Nungali said: it seems an ongoing thing with you Mr. Dragon Never mind. As long we and all understood the principle of Wu Wei the same way, I'll be happy. The rest is insignificant. Peace! Edited Saturday at 09:40 PM by ChiDragon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted yesterday at 10:34 PM On 01/01/2026 at 1:41 AM, 心神 ~ said: When I look up the meaning of each character, this is what I find: … Which dictionary did you use? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted 23 hours ago 51 minutes ago, Cobie said: Which dictionary did you use? Does it matter which one it was used? At least, she picked the right one! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DynamicEquilibrium Posted 18 hours ago 4 hours ago, ChiDragon said: Does it matter which one it was used? At least, she picked the right one! Indeed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
心神 ~ Posted 9 hours ago 13 hours ago, Cobie said: Which dictionary did you use? The main ones are MandarinSpot, Xiaoma, and Chisho. But I pulled from quite a few for this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted 8 hours ago (edited) 1 hour ago, 心神 ~ said: … MandarinSpot, Xiaoma, and Chisho … These are all dictionaries for the use of the characters in modern Chinese. You need a dictionary for the meanings as used in transcripts of Classical Chinese. There often is some difference in the meanings. I use: A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, Author: Paul W. Kroll Edited 8 hours ago by Cobie 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve Posted 3 hours ago 4 hours ago, Cobie said: These are all dictionaries for the use of the characters in modern Chinese. You need a dictionary for the meanings as used in transcripts of Classical Chinese. There often is some difference in the meanings. I use: A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, Author: Paul W. Kroll May I ask, do you speak and/or read Mandarin @Cobie? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted 2 hours ago (edited) These three are not the same: 古文 (gu3 wen2) Classical Chinese ; 文言文 (wen2 yan2 wen2) Literary Chinese ; 普通话 (pu3 tong1 hua4) Mandarin. Most sinologists use the words Classical and Literary for different periods (pre/post Han). Edited 54 minutes ago by Cobie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted 5 minutes ago 8 hours ago, Cobie said: These are all dictionaries for the use of the characters in modern Chinese. You need a dictionary for the meanings as used in transcripts of Classical Chinese. There often is some difference in the meanings. I use: A Student's Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese, Author: Paul W. Kroll Beside using a good dictionary, you also need someone who speak the language to explain the true context for you. Otherwise, you are still working in the blind. One day, I had dropped by a Chinese book store. I picked a book with the title of "A complete guide of Chi-Gung(氣功)" by Daniel Reid. He is an Englishman. His Chinese father-in-law introduced Chi-gung to him. So, he practiced decided to write a book about it in English. He wrote the book with the help of many knowledgeable Chi-Gung masters in Taiwan. Especially, his wife, for her astute assistance interpreting esoteris Chinese materials. I was reading his book is just like I am reading a Chinese book. It seems that everything is flowing in my mind as I knew it already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites