3SS 
I 2 71 
sctiHfije 
In transcribing the Chinese sounds by our letters, I have attempted to render 
'ithem in the “Kuan-hua” or Mandarin dialect, the official language of the whole 
Empire, and which is at the same time the dialect of the Pekinese. With a few 
changes, I have adopted the mode of spelling in Mr. Wade’s Peking Syllabary (but 
without tone marks). As is known, the Sinologues of each nation have a different 
system of transcribing the Chinese sounds, and each considers his mode as the best. 
But as it is impossible to render exactly Chinese sounds by any European letters, 
just as it is impossible for an European to pronounce Chinese sounds like a native, f 
this is a vain dispute. In my opinion the best mode of writing Chinese sounds is 
that, which requires the fewest letters. From this point of view I must declare 
the English language, so rich in useless letters, as not at all suitable. There are 
Chinese sounds, for the transcription of which Morrison (Dictionary) needs five 
letters, whilst by German or Russian spelling they can be rendered by two. For 
instance "fc Tseih (Morrison) can be written in German as well as in Russian, 
by two letters. — The English ch, sh, yew , ye 'can be rendered in Russian each by one 
letter. In addition to this the Chinese have sounds, which can only be represented 
exactly by Russian spelling. The other European languages, for instance, do not 
possess letters, like the Russian, for transcribing such characters as and JJEJ 
( tsze and sze of the English Sinologues.) I will not however maintain, that the 
Russian language is the best for spelling Chinese sounds, for it cannot transcribe 
all Chinese sounds. It is for instance impossible to write with Russian letters such 
sounds as shang , tu?ig, fang , ting &c., for the Russian language does not possess the 
nasel nq. 
E. B. 
Peking, December 17th, 1870. 
t I must however except the Europeans born in China and who hare spoken Chinese from their youth 
These acquire perfectly the Chinese pronounciation. 
