1843.] On the Study of the Chinese Language. 819 



least difficulty arising thereform to the reader or hearer. Thus the word 

 cut, is an adjective in " a cut wig," and a verb in " to cut timber." 



The word present (a gift) is an adjective in " the 'present season," 

 and a verb in " to present a man."* 



The word head is an adjective in " the head workman," and a verb 

 in " to head the people." 



In Chinese, the word cheou (head,) may become, according to 

 circumstances, adjective or verb, or an adverb. j" The English word 

 "pen" is a verb in " to pen" (write,) a letter. 



The Chinese word pi (pencil) has the same scope ; it may signify, ac- 

 cording to its position, "pencil" and " to write with a pencil." 



It follows then, that to understand Chinese, it is not sufficient to be 

 acquainted with a great number of words. Although the nine thou- 

 sand words formerly required to become one of the historians of 

 the empire should be perfectly known by heart, this alone would 

 not suffice to understand half a page of the easiest Chinese text. 



To be able to give to each word the value resulting from its position, 

 and to catch the varying sense of the prepositions and particles, J 

 which determine the reciprocal relation of words, the language must be 

 studied systematically ; the student must have analysed, and I might 

 say dissected, philosophically, the best translated works by the Missiona* 

 ries, or by the learned of Europe, who have taken them for guides. 

 He will then be able to distinguish with certainty, the positional values 

 (valeurs de position, J upon which the knowledge of the Chinese 

 language mostly depends. In this respect its difficulties are of a 

 peculiar kind ; but not greater nor more numerous than those of other 

 languages of the East or of Asia. We have seen many persons, 

 who after some years of study and application, have been able to read, 

 translate or analyse with all desirable exactitude, ancient or modern 

 Chinese works relating to their studies. I may name M. Bazin, senior, 

 who has given to the learned world a first volume of Chinese Dramas, 

 completely translated in prose and verse, and who is now about 

 to publish the complete translation of a celebrated Drama in twenty- 



* Our English readers will observe, that M. Julien has here forgotten the pronunciation which 

 makes a different word of it. He probably alludes here to the mere spelling, which to the eye of a 

 Chinese, as to that of a child, makes it the same word as the substantive. 



t Examples from Marshman, p. 195. 



I Marshman alludes to prepositive characters to mark the cases of nouns, and again, p. 994, 

 " every termination is supplied by position." 



