C Ii 
which has almoft the fame fignification as your humble 
fervant. When a perfon of the lower order meets ano¬ 
ther of fuperior rank, it is then neceflary to join the 
hands, raife them above the forehead, afterwards bring 
them down to the earth, and bow with the whole body. 
When two perfons w'ho are acquainted meet after an ab- 
fence of any time, they both fall on their knees oppoflte 
one another, bend their bodies to the earth, then raife 
them up, and repeat the fame ceremonies two or three 
times. When two mandarins, of equal rank, meet in 
the ftreet, they never quit their chairs; each joins both 
hands, moves them downwards, then raifes them to the 
forehead, and this falutation is repeated until they are 
out of each others fight; but if one of the two be of 
higher rank than the other, the inferior orders his chair 
to flop ; or if he be on horfeback, he difmounts, and 
makes a profound bow to his fuperior. In a word, po- 
litenefs in China, being regulated by law, is nearly as 
prevalent in villages as in cities. 
A Chinefe, when addrefling his fuperior, fpeaks nei¬ 
ther in the firft nor in the fecond perfon. He will neither 
fay I, nor you, but if he acknowledges a favour received, 
he will fay, “ the fervice which his lordfhip has ren¬ 
dered to his little lervant, has been very acceptable to 
him.” A fon, when fpeaking to his father, never ililes 
liimfelf his fon, but his grandfon, though he is perhaps 
the oldeft of the family, and probably father of a family 
liimfelf. He will alfo often make ufe of his own name, 
that is to fay, of the name given him at that period, for 
the Chinefe have different names, in fucceflion, accord¬ 
ing with their age and rank. The family name is that 
given at their birth; this is common to all thofe who 
are delcended from the fame grandfather. A month af¬ 
ter, the mother and father give what is termed a dimi¬ 
nutive name to their fon, w'hich is generally that of a 
flower, animal, &c. This name is changed wdien the 
youth has made fome progrels in his education at a pub¬ 
lic fchool, and generally for fome flattering appellation, 
given by the matter, which the pupil adds to his family 
name. When he attains to manhood, he requefts a new 
name from his friends, and this he retains during life, 
unlefs he rifes to fome dignity. He is then honoured 
with another, fuited to his talents and office. No other 
is afteiwards given him, not even that of his family. 
The repalts or entertainments of people of diftin&ion 
are generally fumptuous, and always accompanied with 
the moll ceremonious etiquette. It is only while they 
are drinking, that the dilhes on the tables are removed, 
and others brought in, all of which are in the form of; ra¬ 
gouts. The Chinefe never ufe knives in their repafts, and 
two fmall fharp-pointed Hicks, ornamented with ivory 
or fllver, fupply the place of forks, and with which they 
take up every thing they eat. The common people, who 
are the fuffering part in every country, live very poorly 
in China, as well as elfewhere ; they are fatisfied, in 
times of fcarcity, with the flelh of horfes and dogs. That 
of cats and rats is alfo fold publicly in the ftreets. 
The funeral rites in China are as Angular as their other 
cuftoms. A few moments after a perfon has expired, he 
is dreffed out in his richeft attire, and with every badge 
of his dignity. He is then placed in the coffin which 
has been purchafed for him, or which he himielf pro¬ 
vided in his life-time ; for one of the moll anxious cares 
of a Chinefe is to prepare himfelf a coffin, which fome- 
times remains twenty years ufelefs in the family, though 
oonfidered by the head of it as the moll valuable piece 
of furniture in his poffefiion. In preparing the body for 
interment, they firft fprinkle, in the bottom of the cofiin, 
a fmall quantity of lime, on which they lay the corpfe, 
taking care to place its head on a pillow, and to add a 
quantity of cotton to keep it more fteady, and prevent 
it from (haking. The lime and cotton lerve alfo to re¬ 
ceive the moilture which may iftue from it. In this man¬ 
ner the body remains expofed leven days ; during which 
time all the relations and friends come and pay their re- 
x 
N A. 463 
fpe6ts to the deceaftd, and the neareft relations remain in 
the houfe. The coffin is expofed in the hall of ceremony, 
which is then hung with white. Thofe'who enter the 
hall, fahe.te the coffin, in the fame manner as if the per¬ 
fon were frill alive, proftrate tlxemfelves before the table, 
and knock their foreheads againft the earth; they after¬ 
wards place upon the table lome perfumes and wax can¬ 
dles, which they have taken care to provide for that pur- 
pofe. The corpfe is then conveyed to the place deftined 
to receive it, preceded by folenm muflc, with a proceffion 
as large and numerous as the relatives are abundant. 
When they arrive at the burying-place, the coffin is de- 
pofited in a tomb appropriated for ft. The burying- 
places are always fituated at a fmall diftance from a city 
or town, and generally upon fome eminence, around 
which are planted pines and cypreffes, a cuftom which 
has exilled, at the fame period, in different nations who 
never had the leaft communication with each other. 
Some of the Chinefe have carried their attachment fo 
far, as to preferve in their houfes, for three or four years, 
the bodies of their deceafed fathers. The mourning con¬ 
tinues three years, and during that long interval they 
abftain from the ufe of flefh and wine; they can aflift at 
no entertainment of ceremony, nor frequent any public 
afl’embly. When a Chinefe dies in a province in which 
he was not born, his children tranfport the body to the 
burying-place of their anceftors. A fon, who fhould be 
wanting in this refpeft, would be difgraced in his fa¬ 
mily, and his name would never be placed in the hall of 
anceftors, where the different branches of a family meet 
once a year, to pay honour to the memory of their de¬ 
ceafed friends, by an offering to their manes. 
One, and not the leaft, among the Angularities of this 
extraordinary people, is their language; which is, per¬ 
haps, of all the languages of the early ages, the only one- 
now fpoken. The following are the obfervations of the 
abbe Grofler refpe&ing it, whofe opinion is, that it has 
never undergone, in its different parts, any material 
change fince the foundation of the empire. 
“ In the Chinefe there are four diftinft.languages :— 
Firft, the kou-ouen , or language of the King, and other 
ancient claflical books ; it is not fpoken at prefent, but 
the ipeeches in the Chou-king, and the longs of the Chi- 
king, prove it to have been lpoken in the early ages. 
The didtion is fo laconic, that it is almoft impoflible for 
thofe who have little pradice in reading the Chinefe au¬ 
thors to underftand it, the ideas are fo various, and fo 
‘ wrapt up in the words,’ as one of the miffionaries ex- 
prefles it. Nothing can exceed this manner of writing; 
it unites energy and depth of thought, with boldnefs of 
metaphor, fplendour of imagery, and harmony of ftyle ; 
but it is difficult to learn, and requires a very laborious 
application to render it familiar. 
“ Secondly, the ouen-tcbang. This is the language ufed 
in compofitions where a noble and elevated ftyle is requi- 
fite. It is never fpoken, but fentences and complimentary 
expreflions are often borrowed from it. The ouen-tcka?ig- 
has not the fame laconic brevity and fublimity as the 
kou-oueti •, it is, however, concife, natural, and ealy, and 
abounds with a variety of grand and beautiful expref- 
fions ; but it is not much adapted to the ambiguities of 
metaphyfics, or the formal and rugged diCtion uled in 
treating of the abftradt fciences. 
“ Thirdly, the kouan-boa. This is the univerfal lan¬ 
guage of the court and of the literati j it is underitood 
throughout the whole empire, and pronounced with 
much gracefulnefs at Pekin, and in the province of 
Kiang-nan, where the court formerly refided. The kuuan- 
hoa admits of fynonymous expreflions, to moderate the 
brevity of monofyllaoles; of pronouns and relatives for 
the connecting of phrales, and perfpicuity of ftyie ; of 
prepofitions, adverbs, and particles, to lupply the want 
of cafes, moods, tenfes, and numbers, which have place 
in other languages. 
“ Fourthly, Liang-tan, This is a kind of provincial 
dialed,. 
