Classical Chinese

Classical Chinese is the literary written form used for Chinese texts, government, and scholarship for centuries. Its norms are based chiefly on the language of the late Zhou period.

Literary Chinese: The traditional written register used across East Asia, encompassing Classical Chinese and later forms modeled on it. Classical Chinese is the early literary core of this broader written tradition.
Late Zhou period: The final centuries of the Zhou dynasty, a formative era of Chinese philosophy and literature. The literary norm is based chiefly on the language associated with this period.
Imperial examination: A system of state examinations used in imperial China to select officials, especially through mastery of canonical texts. Examination success depended on reading and composing in the classical literary register.
Vernacular Chinese: Written Chinese based more directly on spoken language, especially the forms that developed into modern written Chinese. It contrasts with Classical Chinese's older literary norms and compressed syntax.
Analects: A collection of sayings and conversations associated with Confucius and his disciples. Its concise dialogues became a central model for reading classical prose.
Chinese characters: Logographic characters used to write Chinese and several other languages. Classical Chinese texts represent words and grammatical elements through Chinese characters.
Oracle bone script: The earliest known Chinese writing system, inscribed on bones and shells during the Shang dynasty. It shows the much older written tradition that preceded Classical Chinese literary norms.
Chinese historiography: The traditions and practices of recording and interpreting China's past in written histories. Dynastic histories used Classical Chinese as their standard language.
Modern Standard Chinese: The standardized modern variety of Chinese based primarily on the Beijing dialect. Its grammar and vocabulary differ from the literary language used in classical texts.
Book of Documents: A collection of speeches and documents attributed to ancient rulers and officials. Its archaic prose was treated as a foundational model of political writing.

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