Readings in Cantonese Colloquial/Introduction

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Class.=Classifier.

Lit.=Literally.

* Indicates that the tone the word is marked in is different from the tone in the book language—the tone is a colloquial one.

† Indicates that the pronunciation of the word as given in this book is different from that given to it in the book language.—the word is pronounced differently in colloquial.

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A few hints as to the method to be adopted in the use of this book may not be amiss:—

Nothing is better in learning to read Chinese than to copy the Chinese. Let your teacher read over the passage to you, you following him clause by clause, imitating his every tone and inflexion of voice.

Do not be content with reading a passage over once or twice or even a dozen times, but keep on at it till you know it by heart, especially if it is a subject in which you are to be examined. Then make a point, if you can possibly get the time to do so, to memorise it à la Chinoise, so that if a sentence of it were given you without the book you could keep on with several sentences without looking at the book. The Author feels convinced from experience that this is one of the best ways to learn Chinese. It is splendid practice for the tones if rightly carried out. If you are to be examined in it, it gives you a confidence which is worth possessing.

This method is of course mechanical to a certain extent and that alone will not suffice to get up one's subject. It must not be allowed to descend into a mere mechanical, unreasoning process, but must be supplemented by thought, a learning of the meaning, analysis of the composition of the sentences, &c., &c., which go to make up a right comprehension of what one is reading.

But, as a firm basis for one's after work, the Author feels convinced that there is nothing like this memorising at first as much as possible. If pursued with a book of colloquial sentences or to a certain extent with a colloquial book, it has the additional advantage of furnishing ready-made speech for the beginner to use in conversation.

​The student of Chinese requires constant, unremitting use of the language. He must make use of the living tongue-his own, his teacher's, and that belonging to the multitude of Chinese by whom he is surrounded. He finds, however, that at first and for some considerable time he seems surrounded by a confusion of tongues. His own, though awkwardly moving to the rhythm of this new and strange language, is understood by himself, of course, and to a less extent by his teacher, who has grown accustomed to its mistakes and makes allowances for them. His teacher's tongue, he likewise understands to a considerable extent, as be is familiar with it, and his teacher adapts his language to the capacity of his pupil.

But when he turns his attention to the speech of those he hears around him, it is humiliating to him to find that it is but a small percentage of what is said that is plain. It is advisable for him, notwithstanding the difficulties in his path, to persist in his attempts at conversation with the natives outside of the small circle formed by his teacher and servants, &c., whose talk, continual intercourse has rendered more intelligible to him than that of others. These attempts should be made as soon as he can put together a few Chinese words into a sentence. He thus increases his knowledge, adds to his limited vocabulary, trains his ear to take in the sounds, and his brain to interpret them, and also gives himself confidence.

At the same time there is another method which at the start and for some considerable time he must use even more than the preceding one, as by it he prepares himself for the preceding one—the preceding one being the aim and goal of his study. This other method is the use of the phrase and reading book. By memorising at first many of the sentences and making himself quite familiar with the others, he stores up many words, phrases, and sentences ready for use. The student of Cantonese, if he has gone through the fifteen lessons in 'Cantonese Made Easy,' and the fifty conversations in 'How to speak Cantonese' has, or ought to have, a fairly elementary knowledge of Cantonese colloquial. But, even before accomplishing this task, he will find it pleasant if he has a love for his work, and a relief if he is weary of it, as well as useful, to vary his labour by a careful perusal of some of the colloquial books of which there are not a few in Cantonese. These vary from the simplicity required by the child to the mixed style, as it is termed, in which not a few words primarily belonging to the book language are used. The first style is well adapted for the beginner when he is just commencing to talk in Cantonese; the latter should be well studied by him after he is familiar with ordinary common conversation. The present book commences with this simple style and proceeds gradually to ​the more difficult. If the student is not restricted in the time which he can give to the style of the language, and if he desires to be proficient in it, it would be well for him to supplement the present work by procuring some, if not all, of the books from which these extracts are made and read them as well.

A tribute of praise is due to those who have created a colloquial literature for Cantonese speakers. Infinite pains have evidently been taken in the production of the different books: some of them are beautiful specimens of the language—rich in their purity of form and in idiomatic phrase. By a perusal of them we have Cantonese as it is spoken; for they have all been prepared with the assistance of natives who, to a large extent, are responsible for the Chinese dress of the ideas presented to them by the foreigner.

One turns to the purely native literature, prepared entirely by natives, with the hope of finding something similar; but it is disappointing, after numerous enquiries, to find so little to reward one. With the exception of two or three books, there scarcely appears to be anything worthy of the name of a pure colloquial literature produced by the natives themselves—that is to say there appear to be scarcely any books entirely in colloquial.

It is only within about the last thirty-five years or so that any systematically continuous attempt, on a large scale, has been made to provide a colloquial literature for the Cantonese.

The efforts made previous to this were few in number; but they are interesting to the student of Cantonese from the fact of their being the precursors of the present mass of literature in the vernacular: first attempts made at introducing the Cantonese to their own spoken language—a language which will in time doubtless take the place of the present book-language, as the living English of our own day has long ere this superseded the dead language in use in books in Wickliff's time.

It is unfortunate that no specimens of these first attempts in Cantonese colloquial are procurable at the present day they have been long out of print; nor are we able to fix with certainty the date of their production. As far as we are able to gather, Rev. James Legge, D.D., LL.D., for many years missionary of the London. Missionary Society at Hongkong, and now Professor of Chinese at ​Oxford, seems to have led the van in the production of Cantonese Colloquial Literature.^[1] Unable to discover any copy of these colloquial books of Dr. Legge's, and equally unable to discover much definite information about them, we wrote to Dr. Legge with regard to them, having in view the production of the present monograph. The following extract from Dr. Legge's reply will doubtless prove of interest to our readers:—

'I published long ago the two leaflets, for they were hardly more, about which you ask me, though I do not think that either of them is now in my possession. They were produced early in my mission life in Hongkong, and before I was familiar with the speaking of Cantonese in any connected narrative or discourse. I nsed to go from house to house, and shop to shop; and where I had the opportunity, to tell off or read these two stories, which often led to interesting conversation.

'I wrote out in the same way Asop's fables in Thom's Edition, and committed them. to memory, and would often recite one or two; but I did not print any of them. In this way I laboured to help me in acquiring an easy and intelligible style in preaching which was for years the chief object of my ambition.'

From 'Memorials of Protestant Missionaries to the Chinese: giving a list of their Publications and Obituary Notices of the Deceased with Copious Indexes, Shanghai, American Mission Press, 1867,' page 121, we gather that the names of these two leaflets Dr. Legge mentions were as follows:—

'"Unscathed in the Furnace," six leaves, Hongkong. This tract, which is written in the Canton dialect, gives the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, followed by a discourse on the subject.'

​'"The Prodigal Repenting," six leaves, Hongkong. This is also in the Canton dialect, and gives the parable of the prodigal son, followed by a discourse on the subject.'

No date is however given of the publication of either of these small tracts. Dr. Legge came up to Hongkong from the Straits in the year 1843; consequently these little brochures must have been prepared some thirty years ago or so.

Rev. A. P. Happer, M.D., D.D., a missionary of the American Presbyterian Board, has the credit of the following two publications in the Cantonese colloquial in 'Memorials of Missionaries,' which states:—

'"Dialogues between Chöng and Yün," 16 leaves, Canton, 1862. This contains the first five chapters of Dr. Milne's tract with the same title * * adapted to the Canton dialect.'

'"Brown's Catechism," 22 leaves, Canton, 1862. This is a version in the Canton dialect.'

Dr. Happer writes to us in answer to enquiries concerning the colloquial books he prepared, that he translated several chapters of 'The Two Friends into Cantonese colloquial and he continues:—

'But I cannot say in what year. It was continued in distribution till the blocks were burned in the printing shop in the city. I also translated "Brown's Shorter Catechism," into Cantonese, commencing "Who made you?" The blocks for it were burnt also. I also translated some others. I cannot locate them. You will find them mentioned in Wylie's "Notice of Chinese Missionaries and Publications" as published at the Mission Press, Shanghai. I took part in the translation of the gospels into Cantonese but I have no memo. of them.'

The dates as given above of two of these books are probably correct, as they would be supplied by Dr. Happer, thirty years ago, a few years after their publication, when his memory was clearer on the subject than it is now after the lapse of so many years, and when probably he had the books themselves to refer to.

A trio of missionaries were famous in Canton in the sixties for the production of Colloquial literature: there names were Mrs. French, later known as Mrs. Collins, and Messrs. Charles F. Preston and George Piercy.

Mr. Preston, who was a missionary of the American Presbyterian Board, was one of the few who spoke the language most remarkably well—a position which but few have the happy gift of attaining to. He drew crowds every day to hear him preach in a chapel in one of the most busy streets of the city of Canton. He was therefore well ​fitted for the task of putting some of the gospels and the Acts of the Apostles into colloquial. The following issued from Mr. Preston's study, according to the work ('Memorials of Missionaries') already quoted:—

'"Matthew's Gospel," 40 pages, Canton. A translation into the Canton Dialect.'

'"John's Gospel," 38 leaves, Canton. A translation into the Canton Dialect.'

'"Important selections from the life of Christ," in the Canton dialect, 108 leaves, Canton 1863. This consists of a hundred passages selected from the gospels, giving in a consecutive form the various events in the history of our Lord.

'"Hymn book," 47 leaves, Canton. This is a collection of 81 hymns and two doxologies, translated into the Canton dialect. A later edition was published at Canton, in 51 leaves, with six additional hymns. The prefatory notice was published in a modified form as a separate tract, with the title: "A Child's Attachment to Jesus" in four leaves.'

For further reference to Mr. Preston's work see under heading 'New Testament.'

The Rev. George Piercy, a veteran missionary, now resident in England, in which country he is well known as the pioneer of Wesleyan missions in China, was also one of the pioneers in this glorious work of giving the Cantonese their language as it is spoken. His first effort was the rendering of the 'Peep of Day' in 1862 into colloquial, with a preface printed in red and a table of contents, for the benefit of women and children. With this object in view the language was naturally of the simplest. The several extracts from it are therefore placed first of all in the present work.

Another lasting monument of Mr. Piercy's labours in China is 'The Pilgrim's Progress,' in Cantonese colloquial. This book being intended to reach a higher class of readers, as well as ignorant women and uneducated children, is in a higher style of colloquial; and after the foreign learner has made himself familiar with the simplest style, as represented by the 'Peep of Day' and other books, the 'Pilgrim's Progress' will be found an excellent book to read, containing as it does idiomatic sentences, words, and phrases in the mixed style of Cantonese, as it is called. It will introduce one to the language in use by the teacher and educated man, a speech which it is necessary to acquire, but one which should not be ​attempted at the very first, else one will never learn in its purity the simple language of the people which forms the ground work of the whole spoken language, and without a correct knowledge of which one cannot be said to know the language. Two extracts are given in this book from the 'Pilgrim's Progress.'

'The Pilgrim's Progress,' in Cantonese colloquial, was illustrated by a native artist, and Pilgrim appears literally in Chinese dress: now as a literary student; now as a valiant warrior, clad in all the panoply of Celestial armour. Christiana and her children also appear in the dress of the Cantonese women and children—everything is in accord with Chinese ideas on the subject. There is nothing incongruous to the Chinese reader, and thus presented to the native it must appeal more readily to his sympathy than it would otherwise. have done.

Mr. Piercy also translated portions of the New Testament, such as the Epistles, &c. To convey the logical and close reasoning of the apostle Paul, a high style of colloquial was necessary; and the difficulty in such a work was to keep the words colloquial enough—not, in fact, to be led too much into the book-language mode of writing. The study of such portions of the Cantonese colloquial should be left till the student is well grounded in the simple pure colloquial.

We may here remark that the student who desires to proceed to a knowledge of the book-language will find a graduated course of colloquial one of the best preparations possible: commencing with the easiest colloquial, he should proceed gradually after well mastering one style to the higher styles, and then take the simplest book-style such as that of the story-book after which he can gradually advance to more recondite works.

Mr. Piercy prepared a collection of 116 hymns in the Canton dialect in 1863.

A small pamphlet of only a few leaves was prepared by Mr. Piercy for the use of beginners. It consists of a collection of the simplest words and phrases with only the Chinese characters in it.

A portion of the 'Sacred Edict,' to which reference has been made in the Preface, was also put into been colloquial under the superintendence of Mr. Piercy.

For further reference to Mr. Piercy's work see under headings of New Testament and Old Testament, and Romanized colloquial.

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We have seen that Messrs. Preston and Piercy both largely assisted in the translation of the New Testament, as well as Dr. Happer, and others have had a share in the work.

Dr. Henry has kindly given us the following information with regard to the New Testament, and, as it will probably prove of interest to our readers, we reproduce it:—

'Our Colloquial New Testament is in two parts—often bound together. Part First: Matt.–Acts is the work of a union committee, composed at the time the first translation was made by Rev. Charles Preston representing the Presbyterian Mission, Rev. George Piercy representing the Wesleyan Mission, and the Rev. Adam Krolczyk representing the Rhenish Mission. The London Mission took no part. I do not know exactly how the work was divided; but believe that Mark is chiefly Mr. Piercy's work, and John, Mr. Preston's; and Luke, Mr. Krolczyk's; Matthew and Acts being shared. The whole passed through the hands of the committee before being adopted; but many traces of the first translation and the style of each are preserved in the three books mentioned. This is a bona fide union version and is adopted by the American Bible Society and the British and Foreigu Bible Society. It has been revised once or twice.* * *.'

'Part II—Romans to Revelations is solely the work of our (American Presbyterian) Mission. * * * We took up the work ourselves. Our version has been adopted by the American Bible Society and, in the issue of that society, is bound with the union version of Matthew–Acts, forming the complete New Testament. The British and Foreign Bible Society has asked and received our consent to print it. * * * The work on this part was done by Dr. Happer, Mr. Noyes, and myself. Dr. Happer bad the doing of Romans, First and Second Corinthians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Mr. Noyes had Hebrew to Revelations inclusive. I had Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians. The translations of each member of the committee were submitted to the others, and all changes and suggestions receiving a majority vote were adopted. Mr. Piercy on his own account made and published a version of the New Testament, Part II, Romans–Revelation.'

A Commencement was made with the Old Testament some number of years ago, and the Book of Genesis was first put into Colloquial, Dr. Henry informs us, by Mr. Piercy and Dr. Graves. Exodus to Esther inclusive was the work of Rev. Mr. Noyes.

The Book of Psalms was translated into the vernacular in 1884 by Dr. Graves. From its diction and scope it scarcely needs to be said that the style of colloquial used is that of a high standard; and to anyone who enjoys the reading of Chinese, it will be found a pleasure to read this version of the Psalms.

Another version of the Psalms had also been put into Cantonese colloquial by the Rev. A. B. Hutchinson of the Church Missionary Society in Hongkong, in the year 1875 or 1876. The Chinese title ​page bears the date A.D. 1875, while the English Preface is dated December, 1876. In the course of this preface Mr. Hutchinson says:—

'Appointed some four years since, to the management of the Church Mission here, I felt much the loss to the congregation at S. Stephen's Church resulting from the Psalms being in a form (Wan-li) unsuitable for use in Divine Service. Determined to do what I could towards giving my people this most precious aid to devotion, in their own tongue, I ventured to make this translation. * * * My thanks are due * * * to the Corresponding Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society for accepting and publishing this translation.'

Mr. Hutchinson is now labouring in Japan.

The books of the Old Testament from Job and Proverbs to Malachi inclusive are in the hands of Rev. A. B. Henry, D.D., of the American Presbyterian Mission for translation.

At present the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Psalms, and Isaiah are published, and the whole of the Old Testament is expected to be ready within a year or so.

Extracts are given from the Book of Ruth and the Book of Psalms in the present work.

At about the same time that Messrs. Preston and Piercy were engaged in their Colloquial translations, Mrs. French (née Ball) of the American Presbyterian Mission put the Rev. Mr. Hall's (of England) tract 'Come to Jesus' into Cantonese. This was produced or published in 1864. The next work undertaken by this lady was of a more ambitious character. It consisted of the translation from the English of a book in five volumes entitled 'Bible History for the Least and Lowest,' being a compendium of the whole Biblical narrative in a simple style. The rendering of this work into Cantonese took a number of years. Mrs. French finished it while living in Hongkong, having left the Mission, and married Dr. Collins. The Colloquial in these two books is simple, though not puerile, good, and idiomatic—Mrs. Collins having spoken the language from her youth up like a native. Extracts are given from these two books in the present work. Mrs. Collins is now resident in the United States.

The late Mrs. Cunningham (née Happer) of Canton, in her quiet and diligent use of her leisure hours, made considerable additions to the Cantonese colloquial literature. Well qualified for the task, having spent her life in China and, as a consequence, speaking the language like a native, she devoted herself to this and other labours, when the weakness incident for many years to the insidious advances of a mortal malady would have been a sufficient excuse for rest and complete cessation from all toil.

​'The Sweet Story of the Cross was translated by her before her marriage, while yet Miss Happer, in 1874, and while labouring under the auspices of the American Presbyterian, Mission. Mrs. Cunningham's great work in Cantonese, however, consists of three volumes of the Peep of Day Series.' The first of these three was the 'Peep of Day' itself, it appears to have been published in 1879. Not servilely following the original English work in its entirety, it better adapts itself for the Chinese women and children for whom it was intended. Its diction, though simple, is not childish in any way. The second volume is the Chinese rendering of 'Line upon Line' Part I, and bears the date of 1888. The third volume is Part II of 'Line upon Line,' and the date appearing on the title page is 1889.

Extracts from 'The Sweet Story of the Cross' and 'Line upon Line' are given in the present work.'

Another work of nearly equal size is a series of four volumes, consisting of the translation, by Mrs. Cunningham, of Sunday School Lessons on the gospels—a volume being devoted to each gospel. The passage from the gospel forming the subject of the Sunday School Lesson is first given in Cantonese; this is followed by the explanations. They are translations of the Westminster Sunday School Lessons, and were published in 1888. 'The Story of the Bible Women' by Mrs. Cunningham is also said to be another Colloquial book by the same lady, but no particulars seem to be procurable about it.

Miss Hattie Noyes of the American Presbyterian Mission has also contributed her quota towards the Cantonese colloquial publications. 'A Catechism of the Old Testament' and 'A Catechism of the New Testament' are from her study: we are unable to say whether they are original works or translations. They were published in 1888. Dr. Happer had originally prepared a Three Character and a Four Character Classic, in imitation of the Chinese native text books, for use in the Mission Schools, and intended to convey in rhythmical form a knowledge of the fundamental truths of religion and the facts contained in Scripture. Miss Hattie Noyes translated these two books into Colloquial. There is no date on their title-pages. An extract from the second of the two is given in this work.

'The King's Highway: Illustrations of the Ten Commandments by Rev. R. Newton, D.D.' was translated into Cantonese and published in 1886 by Mrs. Noyes, also of the American Presbyterian Mission. An extract from it appears in the present work. The same lady, we are informed, has also prepared, in Cantonese Colloquial, a book entitled, 'Little Pillows.'

​Nor must we forget the work done by Miss Young of the American Southern Baptist Convention in the translation of Bunyan's 'Holy War' into the Cantonese Colloquial in 1887. A lengthy extract from it appears in this volume. It is well done, and in a high style of colloquial.

Miss Lewis of the American Presbyterian Mission prepared and printed at her own expense a small catechism of 18 pages in 1889.

The Rev. A. B. Hutchinson as we have already mentioned, translated the book of Psalms in 1876. This translation has, however, not come into general use. The book of Common Prayer was also translated by the same Author in 1877.

Rev. J. S. Burdon, D.D., English Church Missionary Society's Bishop of South China, also translated a Prayer Book into Cantonese. 'The Memorials of Protestant Missionaries' gives the following account of it:—

'"Prayer Book," 69 leaves, Hongkong, 1866. This is a version of the preceding^[2] in the Canton dialect, without the preface and introductory notes.'

We refer the reader to our paragraphs on the New and Old Testaments for mention of the Reverends A. Krolczyk, A. B. Henry, D.D., and H. V. Noyes.

A hymn-book containing one hundred and sixteen hymns was prepared by Mr. Piercy in 1863.

'Gospel Hymns' was translated and issued by the Baptist Mission in two parts: the first part is dated 1884; the second, 1887. The first part contains sixty-four hymns; the second thirty-nine, and some doxologies. Amongst them are such favourites as 'Tell me the Old Old Story,' 'Wonderful Words of Love,' 'Hold the Fort,' and 'I am so Glad.'

A small hymn-book for children was prepared by Mrs. Happer, containing twenty-five hymns. No date is given on the title page.

​A large hymn-book containing two hundred and ten hymns besides doxologies, anthems, and chants; has no name of compiler on its title page. The date is 1883. It was printed at the Presbyterian Mission premises.

A version of the Te Deum is given in the present work.

The latest development of the colloquial literature is in the use of the Romanized. Here more especially than in the character colloquial a spasmodic effort was made between twenty and thirty years ago.

At that time Mr. Piercy, whose name is so identified with the introduction of the colloquial, was the prime mover. Some of the scholars, in the boys' and girls' school in the Wesleyan Mission under his and Mrs. Piercy's oversight, were taught the Romanizing of Cantonese colloquial according to Dr. Williams's system of orthography, as exemplified in his Tonic Dictionary and other works; and such fluency did these scholars attain that they were able to write letters in it to Mrs. Piercy and Miss Gunson, their teachers, during their absence in England. The writer, being then a lad with a considerable amount of leisure time on his hands, had the pleasure of giving a little instruction to a small class of four boys who were then learning the Romanizing as an experiment. Mr. Piercy besides having fly sheets prepared for the elementary steps of learning the power of the vowels and consonants, singly and in combination, had the Gospel of Matthew (if the Author's memory is not at fault)^[3] printed in this Romanized system. On Mr. Piercy's departure from China (if not possibly even before) the matter was dropped and no further efforts were made to continue this laudable attempt to introduce Romanizing of Cantonese-a system which is largely made use of in other parts of China, notably in Amoy and Swatow. It has been of the greatest usefulness, though a few foreign scholars in the extreme South of China, (who, mostly having had no practical proof of its utility) oppose it with all the force due to prejudging a system. It is looked at askance by the native literati in common with their dislike to most foreign innovations) who, unacquainted with its benefits and wed to their own antiquated and cumbrous system, are too proud to concede that any good can result from its use. En passant it may be remarked that there is use for all the different styles of presenting the Chinese language in a written or printed form. To the literati whose whole time is taken up in ​delving amidst all the stores of the ancient classics, the highest classical style is welcome.

A simple style is of more general utility. not being beneath the notice of the Classical student, while, at the same time, it is more intelligible to the mass of the more or less (often less) educated body of Chinese, who, having been long enough at school, are able to understand books. But for a large mass of the population, the exigencies of whose existence have necessitated an abridgment of the years spent at school, the very simplest book language even is often unintelligible to a great extent. In many instances, the man who has spent a few years at school, as a boy, has gained little else than an ability to name a larger or smaller proportion of the different words, or rather characters, he comes across in the pages of a book accompanied by a very elementary knowledge of their meaning. It is very much as if a man, whose education was so restricted in its scope as not to embrace a knowledge of Algebra, should be asked to read the pages of a treatise on that branch of mathematics. His knowledge of the alphabet would enable him to read the equations, &c., set forth in its pages; but without any idea of the meaning, or with but a confused notion of it. To such persons, who have not the time to gain a thorough knowledge of the book language, the colloquial comes as a boon; and still more of a blessing will the Romanized be to those who have had next to nothing of a schooling course. For, in the course of a few weeks or months, a very fair knowledge of the Romanized can be acquired, whereas years are necessary for an adequate knowledge to be acquired of the character. With women, the case of Romanized versus character means the possibility of learning to read intelligibly versus the insuperable (in many if not most cases) difficulties of want of time, ability. &c., to acquire an adequate knowledge of the character. There are therefore distinct uses for all the different styles of books. And there can be no doubt that before very long the Chinese nation will, as the English did in Wickliff's time, awake to a use of their vernacular for books.

A committee formed of members representing different missions in Canton met in that City and, after taking in review the different systems of Romanizing used in different parts of China, evolved a new system from them. The chief idea in this system of Romanizing, as applied to Cantonese, has been to free the words from all diacritical marks appertaining to the pronunciation of the word as distinct from the tones: by this means, the diacritical marks are free to be used to represent the tones. The diacritical marks employed are the grave, the acute, the Latin circumflex, and the circumflex. ​These marks are placed over the vowels, and, where two vowels occur together, they are placed over the second of the two.

The 上平 shöng p'ing, or upper even, tone and the 上入 shöng yap, or upper entering, tone have no mark placed over them at all, the fact of no mark showing the word to be in one or other of those tones. The final k attached to all words in the 入 yap, or entering, tones being a sufficient sign, and showing alone that the word in question must be a word in the 入 yap, or entering, tone. No mark being over the vowel shows it to be a 上入 shöng yap, or upper entering, tone, while on the other hand all words without a mark over the vowel and also without a final k are in the 上平 shöng ping, or upper even, tone. The 上上 shöng shöng, or upper rising, tone is represented by the acute accent. The 上去 shöng höü, or upper retiring, tone by the grave (`) accent. The 下平 há p'ing, or lower even, tone is represented by a dash (-) over the vowel of the word. The 下上 há shöng, or lower rising, tone is represented by the circumflex (~) accent. The 下去 há höü, or lower retiring, tone is shown by the Latin circumflex (^) accent over the vowel of the word. The 下入 há yap, or lower entering, tone is shown by a dash (-) over the vowel of the word; but the 下平 há p'ing, or lower even, tone it will be remembered is represented by the same mark, it may then he asked what serves to differentiate these two tones, both represented by the same mark? It will be remembered that all 入 yap, or entering, tone words end in k, consequently it will readily be seen that when any word which has a dash over its vowel ends in k, it must be a 下入 há yap, or lower entering, tone word, and all words with a dash over the vowel but not ending in k are in the 下平 há p'ing, or lower even, tone. The presence or absence therefore of a k in words with a dash over the vowel show which of the two tones the word belongs to.

The aspirate is represented by the inverted comma ('), the single quotation mark. which obviates the barbarism of two h's occurring together, as in some of the other Romanized systems in vogue in China, especially in the Lepsius system in use for the Romanized Hakka, as well as in those employed in Swatow and Amoy.

Compound words are united by a hyphen.

These then are all the signs employed; but they are not sufficient, as the 中入 chung yap, or middle entering tone, goes undesignated (though at the same time it must be remembered that 中入 chung yap, or middle entering tone, words have most of the ​long vowels); nor is than most important tone, the colloquial rising tone, represented at all; to say nothing of the what for want of a better term we shall call the 上上平 shöng shöng p'ing, or higher upper even, tone. It is a misnomer to call it a 中平 chung p'ing, or medial even tone as it is higher in pitch than the ordinary 上平 shöng p'ing, or upper even, tone. No system of Romanizing for Cantonese can be perfect till those important tones are fully recognised in it.

Barring these important omissions, the tonic marks used in this new Romanized system, once granted that such a method of using them is well, seen good and well chosen. Praise is also due for the improved spelling adopted in some of the words, such as ei instead of the erroneous and provincial i which has so disfigured the orthography employed for so many years in Cantonese. Ui also takes the place of the ü so inadequate to represent the proper sound of this class of words in Cantonese. What looks awkward in this new system is the use of double a to represent the Italian a; but, as it was impossible to employ the acute accent (as in the old orthography) to represent this sound—the accents being required, as we have already said, to represent the tones—it is difficult to suggest any other method for representing this sound of the a, the single a being employed for the sound of u in much, except when it occurs alone and at the end of a word, when it has the same sound as the double a stands for in the middle of a word.

The o of the old orthography has an h placed after it when it occurs at the end of a word; but not when it is in the middle of a word—the learner has to remember that in the middle of a word the o has always this sound. The long o, i.e. the sound of o in the alphabet is unmarked in any way. The double o (oo) sound of the u, represented in the old orthography by an acute accent over it (ú), is shown by the use of double o (oo); and the French u (as pronounced in the French word une, and represented in the old orthography by a diaresis over the u (ü), is spelled ue, in the same manner as in Dr. Chalmers's Pocket English-Cantonese Dictionary. Otherwise, that is to say with the exceptions noted above, the system of spelling used to represent Chinese sounds is the same as Williams's. Thus, to free the words of all diacritical marks, spellings have been adopted from two or three other orthographies hitherto employed in Cantonese. The colloquial sounds are generally, if not always, given, when these differ from the book sounds, though unfortunately colloquial tones are not.

​The whole system looks very simple and is an admirable attempt at dressing Cantonese in nineteenth century attire—an attempt that deserves to succeed; and we trust that no pains will be spared to improve away the few and little faults in it, and make it a success.

The Gospel of Mark has been printed in this style (prepared by a committee of missionaries in Canton) and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1892. This unfortunately has typographical and other errors in it, and a second revised edition will shortly appear. The following Notice of it is in 'The Bible Society's Monthly Reporter' for March, 1894:—

'Chinese. In the Canton Vernacular.—The Gospel of St. Mark 1,000 Copies. Printed in London. This is a reprint of an edition published in Canton. The proofs are being read in this country by Mr. Kenmure.'

A primer, to teach the use of this new Romanizing system either has, or will be, issued from the press.

The Gospel of Luke will also be published shortly in the same system; and we trust these are but the precursors of the whole New Testament and, eventually, of the whole Bible in Romanized Cantonese, for it is high time that Canton took her place with other less important centres of influence in China in having a Romanized. literature for the use of women, children, and illiterate men.

These systems will doubtless, in the course of time, make the way clear for the disuse of the cumbrous, though interesting, Chinese characters which must, sooner or later, be relegated to the study of the scholar, the library of the philologist and the atelier of the art decorator, while for all purposes of every day use some alphabetical system will permit knowledge to be the common property of all.

As a specimen of this romanizing we give an extract, being Mark 13:46-52, as follows:—

Tó hiu Yē-leî-koh, Yē-So kûng moōn-shang, k'āp taaî chùng ch'ut Yē-leî-koh shī, yaŭ kòh maāng ngaăn hat-ī, tsīk-haî Tai-maaĭ kè tsai, Pu-taí-maaĭ, tsŏh tó lô pin. Mãu tak hâi Nā-saat-lāk Yē-So, tsaû taaî sheng kiù wâ, Taaî p'ik kè tsz̀-suen Yē-So, hóh-lĩn ngŏh à. Chùng yān chaak shīng k'uĭ kiú maĭ ch'ut sheng, k'uĭ uēt-faat taaî sheng kiù wâ, Taaî-p'ik kè tsź-suen, hóh-līn ngŏh á. Yē-So hit-chuê keuk, wâ, Kiú k'uĭ laī. Kòh-ti yān tsaû kiù kòh maāng-ngaău kè wâ, Neĭ on sam, hei shan la, Yē-So kiù neí à. K'uĭ tsaû tiu-heì i-fŭk, kap-ti heí slan, laī-tò Yē-So shuè. Yē-So tuì k'uĭ wâ, Nei seúng ngŏh kûng neī tsô mat yě ni. Maāng ngaăn kè taap wâ, Chué à, ngŏh seúng t'ai tak kìn à. Yē-So tuì k'uĭ wâ, Neĭ huì la, neĭ kè sùn-tak i-hó neĭ lok, k'uĭ tsik shĭ t'ai tak kìn, tsaû haí ló sheûng kan ts'ūng Yē-So ī huì.

^[4] ​

It is a great pity that the Chinese have not used their beautiful colloquial in the production of books. Had they done so, the very words and thoughts of the natives fresh from their lips and tongues would have been open to our use instead of being, as at present, frozen into the dead book-language from which we have to thaw them out into our Western channels of thought and expression. The liveliness of expression, the sparkle of the spoken language, the vigour of the vernacular idioms, all are lost by the stiffening process; and the sentences are condensed into the rhythmic periods that the rules of composition make obligatory in literary composition.

A few attempts have been made by the natives in Canton to produce what they call colloquial books. One of the best of these is the Tsuk Wá King Tám, which might be put into English as 'Colloquial Chats,' or 'Conversations in Colloquial,' collected and commented on by Mr. Kéí T'ong of Pok Ling. The blocks from which it is printed are deposited at the Ng Kwai T'ong in Canton. It is a small book in four volumes, bound in two and paged as if in two volumes, but without any date. It has, however, evidently been written within the last century or two, as the events narrated are mostly stated to have taken place in the reigns of the earlier sovereigns of the present dynasty.

As the preface gives the key-note for the production of the book, we herewith give a free rendering of it:—

'The Proverb says, It enlarges the sphere of knowledge to know much about the affairs of the world; and discernment is extended [lit. The two words to know and to understand] by understanding thoroughly about human matters, i.e. knowledge is acquired by one's own conception and reasoning, and it is also obtained by listening to the conversation of others. Whole crowds are often to be seen in the streets and lanes leisurely sitting under the moonlight and before the lanterns. It is not that there is nothing said; but what is said is generally of no importance, and not sufficient to benefit either the body or the mind. Some talk about the recompenses that result from good or evil deeds; then to this some listen, and some do not, while some, adjusting their dresses, leave. It is not because the words are not understood, but it is really that the subject matter is not interesting to them. But, if the narration is interesting, it will then find an entrance into the ear of men, move their hearts, and detain their footsteps longer. A good drummer generally strikes the side of the drum: a good story-teller always tells interesting and extraordinary tales. If the language used is too learned and obscure, women and children will find it difficult to understand. If the matters talked about are common matters of everyday occurrence and told in common speech, then all will easily understand, and furthermore they will feel entertained thereby.

I have gathered together several stories in the course of my reading during leisure hours. When I have told these stories, the hearers have sometimes forgotten to be wearied; and, on this account, I have sent them to a fellow villager to meet the requirements of those in this world who are fond of narrating interesting matters.

​The first and second volumes contain the stories of 'Old Cross Sticks,' from which a selection has been given in the present book, and The Seven Acres of Fertile Fields'; the third and fourth contain Yau King Shán, and 'Sowing Happiness for One's Children,' A Sudden Mountain Gust,' 'The Advent of Niue Devils,' 'The Fanine Song,' 'Meeting a Ghost in a Melon Watch-shed,' "The Devils Fear Filial-hearted People,' and 'Chöng Acting for King Yama.'

In 'Conversations in Colloquial,' the diction employed for several sentences is a simple book language style, when a colloquial phrase will occur, or a conversation or description will ensue in which, if not entirely colloquial, the vernacular nearly entirely predominates. The continual employment of a number of book-language words in the midst of the colloquial also spoils the naturalness. Some, if not all, of the words are occasionally used by educated men in conversation; but the continual use of them and the use of a number of them in juxtaposition with too small a medium of Colloquial to unite them, is what is here complained of—such as, e.g. 不 pat, for not, and 是 shí for the verb to be. It is not that the native author entirely eschews the use of the colloquial forms, for 唔 m and 係 haí appear in the book as well, though sparingly. The third personal pronoun 其 k'éí and 他 t'á, the demonstrative 此 t'sz, the verb 曰 yüt, to say, the verb 來 loí, to come, the particle 而 yí—all of these either entirely exclude the use of the equivalent colloquial forms, or minimise their use.

It will thus be seen that the book is not in the book-language, nor is it in the colloquial entirely, though on the whole nearer the latter; it is a mixture of the two. Occasionally a mandarin word or phrase occurs. This may, of course, sometimes be allowable. as a French word may appear in an English book now and then; but when the mandarin form ná appears for the common demonstrative, it is really carrying the matter a little too far, and it sounds unpleasant to the ear accustomed to the pure sounds of Cantonese. If the student of Cantonese colloquial is sufficiently advanced to know what is colloquial and what is not, this book will prove of use to him, as he will find many good idiomatic phrases in it; and it might be useful as a stepping stone from the colloquial to the simple book-language style.

A second series of the same work is in two volumes. The blocks for printing the 'Second Collection of Conversations in Colloquial' were cut in the 12th year of Tung Chi, A.D. 1873. The tales in them were collected and selected by Mr. Kéi T'ong of Pok Ling. It has no Preface. It is stated on the title page that ​the blocks are kept at the Ng Kwaí T'ong in Canton, but at the commencement of the first tale we are informed that the blocks are kept at the Fú King T'ong in front of the Examination Hall at Canton; probably the book is printed at the latter place. The first volume contains the following tales:—'True affection is a Test of Flesh and Blood,' 'A Shrew,' 'A Visit to Hades in a Trance', 'Please Give Me a Light for My Pipe.' The Second Volume contains the following:—'A Good B.A.,' 'Instructions Given to Children in a Mat-shed. It is much more bookish than the first series.

Besides these, there is the Tsuk Wá Song Sam, which may be Englished as 'Entertaining Tales in the Colloquial: Collected and Selected by Mr. Kéi T'ong of Pok Ling.' It has no Preface. The blocks from which it is printed are deposited at the Ng Kwaí T'ong in Canton, the Fú King T'ong being the printing establishment from which it is issued. When the time of the incidents in the stories are laid in any particular reign, as they are in six of the tales, they are in Shun Chí's, K'ín Lung's, Ká Hing's, and Tò Kwong's reigns; consequently the book must have been compiled either during, or after, the reign of Tò-Kwong (A.D. 1820–1851). This book is also in four volumes bound in two. There are from two to four short tales in each volume. In the first volume are 'The Old Tea-seller, Taming the Shrew,' and 'Acting the Swell;' in the second volume, 'Stealing the Door-Key,' 'Renouncing the Property for the Sake of Her Fatherless Son,' 'The Venerable God of the Locality,' and Stealing a Bride;' in the third volume, 'An Encounter with a Tiger when gathering Firewood' 'Suing a Sister-in-law,' and 'Slumming;' in the fourth volume, 'A Spendthrift,' and 'Taking Refuge from Chi Ki Lane.' The name of the person who selected them is put at the beginning of some of the tales. It is far more bookish in its style than the first series of the Tsuk Wá K'ing T'ám. These books all contain moral tales.

There is also the Yüt Au, 'Canton Lyrics,' the title of which was selected by 'A Wanderer through Skies and Seas,' in which much colloquial appears mixed up with more book language, the exigences of the poetic language used requiring the employment of a more exalted style than the common colloquial words could always supply; but the exigences of the rhyme are of more importance probably with the author than the sense. Love Songs, as some of these are, are lewd in the eyes of the Chinese. Doubtless some of these are not of the purest, but were the relations of the sexes what they are in the West, and were these songs not the property of the Chinese hetæræ, many of them, if not the great majority, would have nothing objectionable in them at all. Association and the ​unnatural relationship of the sexes giving rise to a whole system of false modesty and prudery, renders them almost all impure in the eyes of the Chinese. 'The Canton Lyrics' has a frontispiece representing a man accompanying himself on the p'éí p'á, or guitar, in the open air under the shade of a tree while his servant is preparing some refreshment for the inner man. On the other side of the page is a picture of the p'éí p'á, or guitar, with the notes marked on it and explanations at the side. After this, half of the next page is taken up with a voluntary for the guitar, followed on the other half of the page with the musical notation for a tune, probably for the first song. This is followed by two pages containing a glossary of Colloquial words, given their pronunciation and meaning. The book contains all but a hundred songs.

There is also the Tsoi Yüt Au, 'Further Cantonese Lyrics.' The songs in it are collected by someone under the pseudonym of Höng Maí Tsz, 'The Fragrance Bewitched One'—fragrance meaning the fragrance of flowers, and flowers standing for woman-kind. It is revised by The Taouist Priest Chöng, Who is Lifted Above The World. This book contains fewer songs than the preceding one, having only forty-six.

Besides these, some of the ballad books contain a good many colloquial words mixed up with the book-style words. This mixture of the two styles renders these song and ballad books of little use to the learner of Cantonese colloquial. Were extracts given of them in this book, it would be necessary to put constant notes of warning as to many words and sentences being in the book language.

From what has been said it will be seen, as things are, that in a work entirely devoted and limited to 'Readings in Cantonese Colloquial,' it would be a misnomer to call, without any qualifying explanations, such books pure colloquial books, or to include extracts to any large extent from them in it.

​^[5]

(1).—落爐不燒 'Unscathed in the Furnace.' Written by Rev. J. Legge, D.D., L.L.D., L.M.S., Hongkong. Leaves 6. It gives the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, followed by a discourse on the subject.' Published in Hongkong, probably in the carly part of the decade, 1840-50. Out of print.

(2).—浪子悔改 'The Prodigal Repenting.' Written by Rev. J. Legge, D.D., L.L.D., L.M.S., Hongkong. Leaves 6. Gives the Parable of the Prodigal Son, followed by a discourse on the subject.' Published in Hongkong, probably in the early part of the decade 1840-50. Out of print.

(3).—張遠兩友相論 'Dialogues between Chang and Yuen.' Translated from the book language, by Rev. A. P. Happer, M.D., D.D., A.P.M., Canton: being the first five chapters of Dr. Milne's tract with the same title, adapted to the Canton Dialect.' Leaves 16. Published in Canton, 1862. Out of print.

(4).—耶穌正教問答 'Brown's Catechism.' Translated by Rev. A. P. Happer, M.D., D.D., A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 22. Published in Canton, 1862. 'Dr. Happer translated the same catechism' from the English 'into the book language previously and published it in 1852 at Canton.'

(5).—曉初訓道 'Peep of Day.' Translated from the English by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves I., and 91. Size 6 inches by 4 inches. Printed from type. Illustrated. Preface printed in red. Published in Canton, at the E.W.M., 1862.

(6).—啓蒙詩歌 'Simple Hymns.' Translated by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves 53. 'Contained 116 hymns.' Published in Canton, 1863.

​(7).—馬太傳福音書 'Matthew's Gospel.' Translated by Rev. C. F. Preston, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 40. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, probably in 1862 or 1863.

(8).—約翰傳福音書 'John's Gospel.' Translated by Rev. C. F. Preston, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 38. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, probably in 1862 or 1863.

(9).—耶穌言行撮要俗話 'Important Selections from the Life of Christ in the Canton Dialect.' Prepared by Rev. C. F. Preston. A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 108. 'This consists of a hundred passages selected from the Gospels, giving in a consecutive form the various events in the history of our Lord.' Probably printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, 1863.

(10).—讚美神詩 'Hymn Book.' Translated by Rev. C. F. Preston, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 47. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, probably in 1862, 18 or 1864. A collection of eighty-one hymns and two doxologies, containing a prefatory notice of the compiler's daughter who was fond of hymns and died in her youth. The preface was also printed as a separate tract of four leaves and entitled 孩童啼耶穌.'

(11).—讚美神詩 'Hymn Book with six additional Hymns.' Translated by Rev. C. F. Preston, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 5. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton.

(12).—親就耶穌 'Come to Jesus by Rev. Mr. Hall.' Translated from the English by Mrs. French, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 12. Size ⁠6+3/8⁠ inches by 4 inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, 1865.

(13).—述史淺譯 'Bible History for the Least and Lowest.' Translated from the English by Mrs. French (Mrs. Collins), Canton and Hongkong. In five volumes. Vol. 1, laves 1 and 172: 2, 169: 3, 124: 4, 129: 5, 128. Size ⁠8+7/8⁠ inches by ⁠4+3/4⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in 1866 and subsequent years at the A.P.M., Canton.

(14).—天路歷程 'The Pilgrim's Progress,' Translated from the English by Rev. G. Pierry, E.W.M., Canton. In two volumes consisting of Part I and II. Vol. I, leaves II., 25, 24, 26, 29, 28. Vol. I., leaves 17, 20, 21, 21, 17, 18, at E.W.M. Size ⁠9+5/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/8⁠ inches and ⁠9+5/8⁠ by ⁠5+5/8⁠. Illustrated with Chinese full-page wood-cuts. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, 1870. An edition of the first part was issued in 1871, but there was a prior edition of the first part.

​(15).—使徒行傳 'Acts.' Translated from the Original Greek. Leaves 33. Union version, 1872. Size ⁠7+3/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/4⁠ inches. Printed from type. No place of printing or publication on title page. See New Testament No. 58.

(16).—馬可福音書 'Mark.' Translated from the Original Greek. Leaves 21. Union version, 1872. Size ⁠7+7/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/4⁠ inches. Printed from type. No place of printing or publication on title page. See New Testament No. 58.

(17).—馬可傳福音書 'Mark.' Leaves 38. Printed at the A.P.M. Press, in Shanghai, 1872. Size ⁠9+1/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/2⁠ inches. Printed from type. See New Testament No. 58.

(18).—保羅達會小書 'Paul's Lesser Epistles.' Translated by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves: Gal., 9. Eph., 8. Phil., 6. Col., 6, I. Thess., 6, II. Thess., 3, I. Tim., 7, II. Tim., 5. Titus., 3. Phil., 2. Bound in one volume. Size 9 inches by ⁠5+1/4⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks, probably in Canton, and published at the E.W.M. there, 1872.

(19).—使徒行傳 'Acts.' Leaves 61. Size ⁠9+1/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+5/8⁠ inches. Printed from type Printed in Shanghai, A.P.M. Press, 1873. See New Testament No. 58.

(20).—馬太傳福音書 'Matthew.' Leaves 60. Size ⁠9+1/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+5/8⁠ inches. Printed from type, probably in Shanghai at the A.P.M. Press, 1878. No place of publication on title page. See New Testament No. 58.

(21).—路加傳福音書 'Luke.' Leaves 65. Size ⁠9+1/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/4⁠ inches. Printed from type, in Shanghai at A.P.M. Press, 1873. See New Testament No. 58.

(22).—約翰傳福音書 'John.' Leaves 50. Size ⁠9+1/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/4⁠ inches. Printed from type, in Shanghai at A.P.M. Press, 1873. See New Testament No. 58.

(23).—舊約創世記 'Genesis.' Translated by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. and Rev. R. H. Graves, M.D., D.D., Canton. Leaves 48. Size ⁠7+3/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/4⁠ inches. Printed from type. Printed in Hongkong. Published by the A.B.S., 1873.

(24).—悅耳真言 'That Sweet Story of Old.' Translated from the English by Miss Littie Happer, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 7. Size ⁠8+3/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, 1874.

​(25).—聖諭廣訓 'The Sacred Edict.' Translated from the native work in the book language by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves 2 and 4. Size ⁠8+7/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/4⁠ inches. Printed from type. Published in Canton, 1875.

(26).—使徒雅各書彼得 'The Epistles of James and Peter.' Translated by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves 7, 7, and 4. Size ⁠9+1/2⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/4⁠ inches. No title page. Printed from wooden blocks, 1875 and 1876.

(27).—使徒雅各書 'Epistle of James.' Translated by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves 7. Size ⁠9+3/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/4⁠ inches. No title page. Printed from wooden blocks. Bound separately, but the same as that contained in No. 26. Printed from wooden blocks.

(28).—舊約詩篇 'The Book of Psalms.' Translated by Rev. A. B. Hutchinson, C.M.S., Hongkong. Leaves 149. Size ⁠9+5/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. No local place of publication on title page. Published by the B. & F.B.S., 1876.

(29).—幼學問答 'Easy Questions for Beginners, Canton Dialect.' Prepared by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Two vols. bound in one. First Vol. Leaves 3 and 35: Second Vol. 9. Size ⁠7+7/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Canton, 1876.

(30).—聖日禱文 'Common Prayer.' Translated from the English by Rev. A. B. Hutchinson, C.M.S., Hongkong. Leaves 96. Size ⁠9+5/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published in Hongkong, 1877.

(31).—使徒保羅達希伯來人書 'Hebrews.' Translated by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves 18. Size ⁠9+1/2⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/8⁠ inches. No title page. Printed from wooden blocks, 1877.^[6]

(32).—訓蒙土音 Prepared by Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton. Leaves 2. No date or title page. Size ⁠7+1/4⁠ inches by ⁠4+3/4⁠ inches. A book of words, phrases, and simple sentences, for beginners.

(33).—散語四十章 'The Forty Exercises from Wade's Tzu Erh Chi.' Translated from the Mandarin by Rev. J. S. Burdon, D.D., C. M. Society's Bishop of South China, Hongkong. Leaves 42. Size 10 inches by ⁠5+3/4⁠ inches. Printed in type. Published at St. Paul's Colloge, Hongkong, 1877.

​(34).—曉初訓道 'Peep of Day.' Translated from the English by Mrs. Cunningham, (née Miss Lillie Happer), Canton. Leaves 114. Size ⁠9+3/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/4⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published at the A.P.M., Canton, 1879.

(35).—'Story of the Bible-women,' by Mrs. Cunningham, Canton. (We have not seen this book nor or do we know anything about it but its title).

(36).—頌讚神詩 'Hymn Book.' Translated by Miss Hattie Noyes, A.P.M., Canton, from the Hymn Book in the Mandarin language, adopted by the American Presbyterian Synod of China. Leaves 279 and 7. Size ⁠9+1/16⁠ inches by ⁠5+5/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published at A.P.M., Canton, 1883. The wooden blocks have been destroyed and it is not likely to be reprinted. It is now entirely out of print.

(37).—福音聖詩 'Gospel Hymns.' Issued by S.B.C., Canton. Leaves 25. Size ⁠8+1/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+1/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published by the Baptist Tract Society, Canton, 1884.

(38).—讚美神詩 'Children's Hymn Book.' Translated by Mrs. Happer, A.P.M., Cauton. Leaves 16. Size ⁠8+1/8⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks, probably in Canton. No date.

(39).—舊約詩篇 'Book of Psalms.' Translated by Rev. R. H. Graves, M.D., D.D., S.B.C., Canton. Leaves 114. Size ⁠9+1/2⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/4⁠ inches. Printed from type, in Shanghai, at the A.P.M. Press. 1884. Published by the A.B.S.

(40).—神道指正 'The King's Highway by Rev. John Newton.' Translated from the English by Mrs. Noyes, A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 26, 14, 14, 16, 15, 11, 1, 11, 14 and 12. Illustrated with foreign pictures, 1880. Size ⁠9+3/4⁠ inches by ⁠5+3/8⁠ inches. Printed from wooden blocks, probably in Canton. No place of publication on title page.

(41).—'Little Pillows.' Translated by Mrs. Noyes, A.P.M., Cantou.

(42).—三字經 'Three Character Book.' Translated into Cantonese Colloquial by Miss Hattie Noyes, A.P.M., Cantou, from the original in the book-language, which was written (in the book-langnage) by Rev. A. P. Happer, M.D., D.D., A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 24 and 5. Size ⁠6+3/4⁠ inches by ⁠4+3/4⁠ inches. No date. Printed from wooden blocks, probably at Canton. No place of publication on the title page.

​(43).幼學四字經 FOUR CHARACTER BOOK.' Translated by Miss. Hattie Noyes, A.P.M., Canton, from the original in the book-language which was written (in the book-language) by Rev. A. P. Happer, M.D., D... A.P.M., Canton. Leaves 20. Size 8 inches by inches. Printed from wooden blocks, probably at Canton, No date or place of publication on title page. The Ten Commandments, Creed, Lord's Prayer, Now I lay me down to rest and the Morning Hymn are at the end of the book. (44).—人靈戰紀土話 THE HOLY WAR." Translated from the English by Miss Young, S.B.C., Canton. Two vols. bound in one. Leaves I., 83 and 81. 1887. Size 9 inches by 5 iuches. Printed from wooden blocks. Published at Canton, S.B. Mission. < (45) 出埃及記 EXODUS.' Translated by Rev. H. V. Noyes, A.P.M., Canton. Pages 85. Size 7 inches by 48 inches. Printed in Shanghai, from type. at the A.P.M. Press. 1888. Published under the auspices of the. A.B.S. < t (46) 利未記 LEVITICUS. Translated by Rev. H. V. Noyes, A.P.M., Canton. Pages 62. Size 7 inches by 4 inches. Printed from type, in Shanghai, at the A.P.M. Press. 1888. Published under the auspices of the A.B.S. (47)一復傳律例書 DEUTERONOMY." A.P.M., Canton. Pages 80. Size 7 Translated by Rev. H. . Noyes, inches by 5 inches. Printed from type, in Shanghai, at the A.P.M. Press.. 1888. Published under the auspices of the A.B.S. (48).—耶穌道理問答 A SMALL CATECHISM OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.* Prepared by Miss Lewis, A.P.M., Canton, and printed at her own expense. Leaves 18. Size 6 inches by 4 inches. Printed from wooden blocks. No date, or place of publication on title page. (49)- 馬太傳問答 WESTMINISTER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS," 4 vols. Translated from the English by Mrs. Cunningham, Canton. Matthew. Leaves 69. Size 9 inches by 5 inches or 5 inches. Printed and Published in Canton, at the A.P.M.. 1888. (50).-馬可傳問答. Do. Mark. Leaves 118. (51). 路加傳問答 Do. Luke. Leaves 69. (2)- 約翰傳問答 Do. John. Leaves 86. All uniform with the above. Published in the same year in Canton, as above. ​(53)-聖書問答舊約 OLD TESTAMENT CATECHISM.' Prepared by Miss Hattie Noyes, A.P.M., Canton.* Leaves 73. Size 94 inches by 5 inches. Printed from wooden blocks, 1888. Published at A.P.M., Canton. ال (4)-聖書問答新約 NEW TESTAMENT CATECHISM.' Prepared by Miss Hattie Noyes, A.1.M., Canton.* Leaves 44. Size 9 inches by 5 inches. Printed from wooden blocks, 1888. Published at A.P.M., Canton. (55).-曉初再訓 LINE UPON LINE, Part I.' Mrs. Cunningham, C'auton. Leaves 124. Published at A.P.M., Canton. (50)-曉初三訓 LINE UPON LINE, Part II.' Mrs. Cunningham, Canton. Leaves 117. Published at A.P.M., Canton. (57)-民數紀略 'NUMBERS." Translated from the English by Printed from wooden blocks, 1888. Translated from the English by Printed from wooden blocks, 1889. Translated by Rev. H. V. Noyes, A.P.M., Canton. Pages 92. Size 7 inches by 4 inches. Printed from type. in Shanghai, at A.P.M., Press. 1889. Published under the auspices of the A.B.S. (58)一新約聖書 NEW TESTAMENT." In two vols. Leaves Vol. I., 58, 36, 63, 48, 59 and Vol. II., 196. Size 9 inclics by 5 inches. Vol. I., Matt. Acts, translated by a Union Committee representing several Missions. As far as we can learn now, Mark was chiefly the work of Rev. G. Piercy, E.W.M., Canton; John, of Rev. C. F. Preston, A.P.M., Canton Luke, of the Rev. A. Krolczyk, Rhenish Mission; while Matthew and Acts were either shared, or possibly the work of Rev. C. F. Preston. The whole passed through the hands of the Committee before being adopted, It has since been revised once or twice, the Union Version Committee being still in existence, Rev. H. V. Noyes now representing the A.P.M., on it. Vol. II., Rom.-Rev. is solely the work of the A.P.M., Canton Rev. A. P. Happer, M.D., D.D., translating Rom., 1st. & 2nd. Cor., 1st. & 2nd. Tim., and Titus. Rev. B. C. Henry, D.D., Gal., Eph., Phil., Col., and 1st & 2nd. Thess. while Rev. H. V. Noyes did Heb.-to Rev. inclusive. Printed from type at A.P.M., Press, Shanghai, 1889. Vol. I., published under the anspices of the A.B.S., & B. & F.B.S. Vol. II., published under the auspices of the A.B.S., and will probably be also adopted by the B. & F.B.S. 3.

• We are uncertain whether these are translations or original works.

​(59) 約書亞記 JOSHUA. Translated by Rev. H. V. Noyes, A.P.M., Canton.

Pages 57. Size 7 inches by 5 inches. Printed from type, in Shanghai, at A.P.M., Press. 1892. auspices of the A.B.S. - Published under the Translated by Rev. H. V. Noyes, inches by 5 inches. Printed Published under the auspices (60) 士師並路得記 JUDGES AND RUTH. A.P.M., Canton. Pages 56 and 8. Size 7 from type, at A.P.M., Press, Shanghai. 1892. of the A.B.S. (61)-以賽亞書 ISAIAH. Translated by Rev. B. C. Henry, D.D., A.P.M., Canton. Uniform with the above. Printed from type, at A.P.M., Press, Shanghai, 1893. Published under the auspices of the A.B.S. 2 G (62) Ma-Hol Ch'uen Fuk Yam Shue. GOSPEL OF MARK.' Union Version, Pages 75. Royal 8vo. This is in Romanized Colloquial. Printed from type, 1892. Published by the B. & F.B.S.* (C)-4 - 6 橵母耳書 SAMUEL. Translated by Rev. H. V. Noycs, A.P.M., Canton. Uniform with Isaiah. Printed from type, at A.P.M. Press, Shanghai. Published under the auspices of the A.B.S. In the press. (64) 列王紀略 KINGS.' Translated by Rev. II. V. Noyes, A.P.M., Canton. Uniform with Isaiah. Printed from type, at A.P.M. Press, Shanghai. Published under the auspices of the A.B.S. In the press.†

• A revised edition of this is being printed. The Gospel of Luke and a Primer will also shortly

be issued in the Romanized Colloquial. The rest of the books of the Old Testament have been translated by Rev. H. V. Noyes and Rev, B. C. Henry and are undergoing review and examination by the A.P.M., Canton, preparatory to being seut to the press. They will be issued shortly.