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Qieyun Yunjing: Middle Chinese Northern and Southern Dynasties Sui Tang Song Rime Book Rhyme Tables

Middle Chinese was the language of China between the 6th-10th centuries CE during the Northern and Southern dynasties and Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. It can be divided into an early and late period based on rhyme books from 601 CE and the 10th century that defined phonological categories but not actual sounds. Linguists have identified Middle Chinese sounds by comparing the phonological categories to modern Chinese dialects, Chinese loanwords in neighboring languages, and transcription evidence, resulting in a very complex system that likely did not exist in any single dialect but rather represented a standard for reading classics across northern and southern China.

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62 views

Qieyun Yunjing: Middle Chinese Northern and Southern Dynasties Sui Tang Song Rime Book Rhyme Tables

Middle Chinese was the language of China between the 6th-10th centuries CE during the Northern and Southern dynasties and Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. It can be divided into an early and late period based on rhyme books from 601 CE and the 10th century that defined phonological categories but not actual sounds. Linguists have identified Middle Chinese sounds by comparing the phonological categories to modern Chinese dialects, Chinese loanwords in neighboring languages, and transcription evidence, resulting in a very complex system that likely did not exist in any single dialect but rather represented a standard for reading classics across northern and southern China.

Uploaded by

rosarosie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Middle Chinese was the language used during Northern and Southern dynasties and the Sui, Tang,

and Song dynasties (6th through 10th centuries CE). It can be divided into an early period, reflected
by the Qieyun rime book (601 CE), and a late period in the 10th century, reflected by rhyme
tables such as the Yunjing constructed by ancient Chinese philologists as a guide to
the Qieyun system.[15] These works define phonological categories, but with little hint of what sounds
they represent.[16] Linguists have identified these sounds by comparing the categories with
pronunciations in modern varieties of Chinese, borrowed Chinese words in Japanese, Vietnamese,
and Korean, and transcription evidence.[17] The resulting system is very complex, with a large number
of consonants and vowels, but they are probably not all distinguished in any single dialect. Most
linguists now believe it represents a diasystem encompassing 6th-century northern and southern
standards for reading the classics.[18]

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