Classical & Literary Chinese: Resources, Texts & Tools

★ A structured 36-lesson textbook moves from basic Literary Chinese grammar to increasingly challenging classical texts, including Tang and Song prose and poetry. An Introduction to Literary Chinese: Second Edition by Michael A. Fuller is a print textbook for beginning and advancing students of Classical and Literary Chinese. Lessons combine grammar explanations, annotated readings, glossaries, notes, and exercises, while later sections encourage greater use of dictionaries and reference works. The 2024 second edition incorporates updated linguistic scholarship and adds a lesson on Buddhist texts. Purchase the paperback from Amazon and at other retailers.

★ A substantial introduction to Literary Chinese built around authentic classical texts, detailed grammar instruction, and progressively structured lessons. A New Practical Primer of Literary Chinese by Paul Rouzer is a textbook designed to introduce beginning students to the patterns and structures of Classical Chinese. Its 40 core lessons draw on pre-Han and Han texts, followed by two lessons using later writings, with vocabulary, explanations of meaning and usage, grammar instruction, and discussion of difficult passages. Appendices provide additional reading suggestions, vocabulary review, information on radicals, and pronunciation indexes. The book is regularly used and recommended for studying Literary Chinese and can be purchased on Amazon and at other retailers.

★ A comprehensive university-level textbook combines grammar, vocabulary, annotated readings, historical context, and philological methods in one volume. Introduction to Classical Chinese by Kai Vogelsang is an Oxford University Press textbook for serious learners who want a thorough introduction to Classical Chinese and its texts. It covers step-by-step syntax, core vocabulary, historical and cultural topics, selected readings with original commentaries and detailed explanations, dictionaries and reference works, and methods for critically analyzing Classical Chinese texts. Its depth makes it especially useful for serious self-study or university-level learners, although complete beginners may find it demanding. US buyers can purchase the paperback from Bookshop.org and at other retailers.

★ Three structured levels provide guided, self-paced instruction from introductory through advanced Classical Chinese reading. Outlier Linguistics Classical/Literary Chinese Courses are online courses designed for non-native learners, with Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. Lessons use authentic classical texts with detailed grammar and vocabulary instruction, recorded lectures, exercises, Q&A opportunities, and lifetime access to course materials. The introductory and intermediate courses use Michael Fuller’s An Introduction to Literary Chinese (also listed on this page), while the advanced course works with challenging texts from a wider range of periods.

★ A rigorous Chinese-language textbook series combines classical readings, core vocabulary, and systematic explanations of Classical Chinese. 王力《古代汉语》 is a four-volume textbook series for serious study of Classical Chinese, organized around selected texts, commonly used words, and 古汉语通论 explanations covering grammar, function words, historical phonology, and other features of the language. The complete four-volume set can be purchased from Beijing Bookstore, which ships orders to the United States and other retailers.