Classical Chinese is the style of Chinese language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from around the 5th century BCE. Its syntax was later imitated for millennia in a form called Literary Chinese, used for almost all formal writing in China until the early 20th century.
Facts
ISO 639-3 Code StatusClassical (No Native Speakers) 3 Attested From (Year)Conventional midpoint dating for the original classical-era writing range given in the infobox era field, which separately notes that the imitative Literary Chinese style built on it remained in wide use as a literary language until the 20th century; that later, wider literary-use period is not captured as the end date here. Classification
Language Kind Connections
Associated With
In Family
Source Wikipedia: Classical Chinese
Written In
Classical Chinese is written in Chinese characters (Han script).
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Cases Where Used
Also in Divinity Atlas: used in this subject.
Also in Divinity Atlas: used in this subject.
Also in Divinity Atlas: used in this subject.
Also in Divinity Atlas: used in this subject.
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Glottolog
Sources
1. Glottolog: Classical Chinese (Glottolog languoid lite1248)
GlottologEndangerment, AES statusQuote, Endangerment, AES status
AES status: extinct
2. Wikipedia: Classical Chinese
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Classical Chinese is the style of Chinese language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from c. the 5th century BCE. For millennia thereafter, the syntax of written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary Chinese, which was used for almost all formal writing in China until the early 20th century. Compared to modern vernacular Chinese, each written character in Classical Chinese almost always corresponds to a single independent word, and as a result the language is characteristically terse and can be difficult to understand for readers without literary training and experience.
Infobox: iso3
lzh
Infobox, era
Originally written c. 5th century BCE, c. 2nd century CE
In Family: Sinitic, Infobox: fam2
Sinitic
View the Source 3. Classical Chinese (Wikipedia)
Intro sectionQuote, Intro section
Literary Chinese was used in almost all formal and personal writing in China from the end of the Han dynasty until the early 20th century, when it was largely replaced by written vernacular Chinese.
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