CLASSICAL CHINESE LANGUAGE

The course aims at providing the methodological and linguistic tools and the cultural and philosophical knowledge to study the classical texts of Ancient China in historical perspective. It highlights their cardinal role for the development of Chinese thought, culture and religion up to the present days.

Through the knowledge of the fundamental texts of Classical China the student will acquire knowledge on the political and religious thought of Classical China.
By the end of the course students will have read and discussed sample writings from the "Daodejing" and its commentaries and they will have improved their analytical and research skills and will have become familiar with the sources consulted.

Basic knowledge of Classical Chinese and of Modern Chinese. Knowledge of Classical Chinese thought.

The "Daodejing": its exegesis and its role in ancient Taoism.

This course will provide the students with the knowledge and skills necessary for reading and analysing excerpts from the "Daodejing" and its commentaries, focusing in particular on the "Xiang'er". The course will discuss the main sources, the historical context and the importance of the "Daodejing" in the early stages of the millennialist Daoist movements of the second century.
Main sources: "Daodejing" 道德經, "Xiang'er" 想爾.
The student will be guided in reading and translating the main sources and will develop the skills necessary to contextualise the religious exegesis of the "Daodejing", dating to the first centuries of the Common Era.

Topics:

1. INTRODUCTION
Introduction to the course. Laozi: mythical or historical author? The major editions of the "Daodejing" and of its commentaries. Historical contextualisation of the text and its interpretations. Sources for studying the "Daodejing".

2. DAOISM AND THE "DAODEJING"
History of Daoism during the Han dynasty. The millenarian movements. Introduction to the "Xiang'er" and its main themes.

3. COSMOLOGY

4. THE POLITICAL IDEAL

5. ACCEPTED AND FORBIDDEN PRACTICES

Sources:
"Xiang'er 想爾", in "Zhonghua Daozang 中華道藏" 9:169-184.
"Xiang'er 想爾" (S 6825).

Related scholarship:
Stephen R. Bokenkamp, "Early Daoist Scriptures", Berkeley, University of California Press, 1997.
Terry F. Kleeman, "Celestial Masters: History and Ritual in Early Daoist Communities", Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2016.
Kristofer Schipper e Franciscus Verellen, a cura di, "The Taoist Canon: A Historical Companion to the Daozang", 3 voll., Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2004.
Michael Puett, "Forming Spirits for the Way: The Cosmology of the Xiang'er Commentary to the Laozi", in "Journal of Chinese Religions" 32 (2004): 1-27.
D. C. Lau, tr., "Tao Te Ching: A Bilingual Edition", Hong Kong, The Chinese University Press, 2001.
Jao Tsung-I (Rao Zongyi) 饒宗頤, "Laozi Xiang'er zhu jiaozheng" 老子想爾注校證, Shanghai, Shanghai guji chubanshe, 1991.

Dictionaries:
Grand dictionnaire Ricci de la langue chinoise, Instituts Ricci, Paris-Taipei, 2001.
Gudai hanyu cidian 古代汉语词典, Shangwu yinshuguan, Beijing, 2007.
Hanyu da cidian, Hanyu dacidian chubanshe, Shanghai 1994.
P. Kroll, A student’s dictionary of classical and medieval chinese, Brill, Leiden 2014.
Le Grand Ricci numèrique: dictionnaire encyclopédique de la langue chinoise, (versione informatica e aggiornata del Grand dictionnaire Ricci de la langue chinoise, Association Ricci e Descléè de Brouwer, Paris, 2001, 6 voll.), Association Ricci, Paris, 2010. The Grand Ricci is available on iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android devices (smartphones and tablets) as a module of the well known (free) Pleco Dictionary that can be bought as an in-app add-on. This "Grand Ricci" module includes the entire content of the Dictionary.
Zhongwen da cidian, Zhongguo wenhua daxue chubanbu, Taipei 1973. La consultazione del Grand Ricci Online è possibile per tutti gli studenti di Ca’ Foscari:
Link diretto: http://chinesereferenceshelf.brillonline.com/grand-ricci

The dictionary is accessible at: http://www.unive.it/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=32451

Mandatory textbook:
Attilio Andreini, a cura di, "Laozi: Daodejing Il canone della Via e della Virtù", con testo a fronte, Einaudi, Torino, 2018.
M. Scarpari, Avviamento allo studio del cinese classico, Venezia, Cafoscarina, 1995.

Oral exam on theory and textual translation.

Individual and group reading, translation, discussion.

Italian

oral