Volume 4

A dictionary of the Chinese language, in three parts / By the Rev. Robert Morrison.

  • Morrison, Robert, 1782-1834.
Date:
1815-1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of the Chinese language, in three parts / By the Rev. Robert Morrison. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/1118
    Apologies for real faults ar.e seldom well received, because they are very often the unfounded pretexts of ignorance or carelessness： however they are somelimes well founded, and should be listened to by candid interpreters of men's characters aud works. Ihe Chinese Letters in this part of the Dictionary, are confessedly deficient in elegance of form. The large ones in the first Part of the Dictionary, are in general, beautifully written： but those in this volume, though correct, are somelimes rather clumsy. The difference was occasioned by an Act of the Chiuese Government；—it said, ^ You may learn our language if )〇u can, but we will afford you no facilities ； our subjects shall not cut letters for you.** Iq consequence ot this decision, it became necessary for an English Printer to write the Characters, and to employ Portuguese subjccis to cut them. And for some time, neither the Writer, Printer, nor T^pe Cutters, had any nalive assistance. Tiie experiment proved to all parties, that such asbist^nce was not now iadispensably necessary. As to the utility or importance of the Chinese Language, it does not well become the Writer to speak much in its fa- vour, It lias been said, that 44 It must be left to Merchants and to Missionaries to toil their way through the wilderness of the Chinese Language to tlie deserts of Chinese Literature.’’* This is the language of narrow prejtidace, ignorant of the subject of which it speaks, and will not weigh much with those who can view the human species with more liberal sentiments than such as are dictated by merely national or European feelings. Without insisting on the fact, that there are beautiful pieces of Poetry ； interesting ai i instructive portions of History and Biography and irapoitant Moral Maxims, in Chinese, as well as in other. Languages; that it is a language amongst the most ancient and the most extensively known on earth； that it is the living language of five nations, which together, consitute one third of mankind.-~~—Not to insist on these ciccum- stances, I would now recommend another view of the subject ： It is not the sole question which the virtuous member of a firailj puts to himself, Will this benefit He also asks in reference to any course of action, Will this do good to my family ? The true Patriot goes beyond his family occas onall^, and does what he thinks for the benefit of h'Ks country, though not to the interest of his own family 5 and the truly good man, sometimes does that which, is aa inconv.euience to himself, or which does not benefit his f amily or bis country im- mediately, but which is calculated eventually to benefit mankind. Whilst Christeiidom has furnished many individuals who have cherished a real and practical general beaevoleute, it has seldom or never entered into the vi^ws of learned bodies, or national councils to act occasionally solely for. the. benefit of others. Scholars often ask, what they are to get by learning Chinese； but suppusing there be 1.0thing to learn, have European Scholars nothing to teach ? —has it never occurred to them as Individuals or as Societies, tQ learn Asiatic lauguages for the purpose of writing books of Scieiice aad of general Liter- ature in those languages ?. If they, whose mh.ds iiave beeu iiiuu.ined with the chearing beams oi iticace, will not sonielunes learn foreign languages tor th^. purpose ot comiiiunicating it, how is it to be expcLled that Lliose v>ho yel grope ia ilarkhess, should be at the trouble to learn a foreign language fur the sake of that kaowled^e of which thej caunol perceive the value. If men continue to act on this principle, the progress of science roust indeed be siow. * lilectAC Review.