History of the Formation of Baihua

Khasanova Feruza

Tashkent State University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Chinese language, Baihua, Wenyan, Bianwen, Huaben and Pinghua, Yulu, Zhugongdiao, Jiaju.

Abstract: In the world of linguistics, today the study of language based on the principles of diachrony and synchrony is

indicated by the urgent task. The history of the Chinese language has been almost forty centuries, and two

branches of the same language, Wennyan and Bayhua, experienced periods of gradual development. Changes

associated with Chinese grammar, vocabulary, and phonetics cause a lot of controversy and are now of great

practical importance. This article analyses in detail the dating of the history of the Chinese language Baihua.

Early sources on Baihua are characterized, and the difference between the classical Wenyan language and

Baihua is revealed.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the realm of world linguistics, the historical

development of Wenyan is scrutinised from various

perspectives. Presently, it is evident that there are

challenges not only in examining the grammatical

structure of Wenyan and Baihua languages but also in

delving into their methodological, semantic-

pragmatic, linguacultural, and cognitive-conceptual

features. These investigations reveal a theoretical gap

in the lexico-grammatical formation of Baihua and

the diachronic aspects of its evolution.

The Chinese language's development and its

periodization in Chinese linguistics have been

explored in the works of renowned Chinese linguists

such as Wang Li, Lu Shuxiang, Xu Shi-yi, Hu Zhu-

an, Jiang Lan-shen, Zhu Qing-ji, Hu Shi, among

others. It is acknowledged that there are studies in the

field of Chinese linguistics that are, to varying

extents, connected to Baihua language and its history.

Notable are the scholarly works of Wang Li (1980),

Hu Ju-an (1983), Jiang Liansheng (2000), and Xu

Shi-i (2015) dedicated to analysing this issue. Hu Ju-

an, for instance, contends that the ancient Chinese

language encompasses not only Wenyan but also

Baihua. It is recognised that the criteria for

periodizing Wenyan and Baihua languages differ

among linguists. Some advocate relying on lexical-

semantic criteria and identifying stages based on

changes in word composition. Others, like Chiang

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0839-3649

Lian-sheng in his monograph "Reflections on the

Ancient Baihua," argue against dividing the history of

the Chinese language into two periods: pre-"May 4th,

1919" movement – ancient Chinese, and post-"May

4th, 1919" movement – Modern Chinese.

In Lu Shuxiang's work, "Essays on Chinese

Grammar," it is emphasised that linguistic changes of

a particular period can be discerned in the language

of written sources. Additionally, it is noted that

during each period, there existed its own distinct

language in circulation. Lu Shuxiang indicates that

written monuments of the Wenyan language and

those referred to as "白话文 baihuawen – used by the

broad masses" were markedly different from each

other.

2 ANALYSIS

It is evident that when periodizing Chinese,

consideration should be given not only to Wenyan but

also to the Baihua language. Similar to Wenyan,

Baihua language plays a significant role in the

periodization of ancient Chinese. It is crucial to

recognise that in ancient China, the classical literary

language of Wenyan and the language of daily

communication, Baihua, coexisted for an extended

period. Sources written in these languages exhibit

radical differences lexically, grammatically, and

1580

Feruza, K.

History of the Formation of Baihua.

DOI: 10.5220/0012986900003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 1580-1583

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

stylistically, underscoring the importance of studying

the periodization of Baihua language. Like any other

language, the Baihua language (白话 bái huà) has a

history of formation. According to information

provided by the Chinese linguist Liu Shuxiang in the

scientific work "Essay on the Grammar of the

Chinese Language," by the time of the 周 Zhou and

秦 Qing dynasties in China, a gap had emerged

between the written and spoken languages. Writers

began to utilise the language of the 周 Zhou and 秦

Qing period. Consequently, the written classical

language Wenyan ( 文言文 wén yán wén), also

known as " 古文 gǔ wén" (old written literary

language), emerged, while the spoken language

became known as 白话文 bái huà wén (common

language). Other sinologists arrived at the same

conclusion, giving rise to two branches of ancient

Chinese: Wenyan and Baihua.

Ancient Classical Wenyan is a language with

origins dating back to a spoken language predating

the Qing Dynasty (221–206 BC). According to M.Kh.

Makhmudkhodjaev, a founder of the Uzbek school of

Chinese studies, "wenyan (文言) was used from the

7th-6th centuries BC until the May 4 movement of

1919 (approximately 27 centuries)." In the lexico-

semantic analysis of the term 文言文 wényánwén

(wenyan), meanings such as "an article written in a

written language" are revealed. 言 yán denotes

describing, characterising, writing, and reflecting,

while another component 文 wén signifies work or

article. 文言文 wényánwén can be translated as

"writing an article in a written language," indicating

that Wenyan is a written literary language.

According to S. Mustafayeva, Wenyan gradually

distanced itself from the oral form after the Han

Dynasty, especially during the Tang Dynasty when

the gap between Wenyan and the spoken language of

Baihua widened significantly. By the early twentieth

century, after the May 4th Movement, Baihua

replaced Wenyan as the dominant language.

Zh.T. Ziyamukhamedov acknowledges that

Wenyan is the language of classical Chinese

literature, prevailing in China until 1919. In modern

times, it has been succeeded by Baihua, a modern

written literary language (a national written

language). Therefore, Wenyan is not only an ancient

language but also a classical Chinese literary

language. Chinese classical literature was

predominantly written in Wenyan. Although Wenyan

is an ancient language, it has not evolved in response

to societal changes. Conversely, Baihua has adapted

and improved with the times, serving as a language of

oral communication that reflects the social changes of

its period. Baihua was officially recognised as a

national language on May 4, 1919, and both Wenyan

and Baihua used traditional hieroglyphs.

Wenyan and Baihua, ancient Chinese languages,

differed significantly not only in application but also

in lexical and grammatical features. According to M.

V. Sofronov, Wenyan's linguistic foundation is

ancient Chinese, while Baihua's linguistic foundation

is medieval Chinese. This stems from Baihua existing

only in oral form before the Middle Ages, and sources

in this language emerged only during the Middle

Ages. Despite coexisting in society, Wenyan and

Baihua were markedly distinct. Various approaches

exist regarding the periodization of ancient Chinese,

some based on phonetic features and others on

grammatical structure. However, Wenyan and

Baihua's linguistic differences must be considered in

the chronology of ancient Chinese language

development.

Jian Lansheng, in his book " 古代白话说略 "

("Description of Ancient Baihua"), emphasises the

inseparable connection between ancient oral speech

and the history of the Chinese language. The

traditional division of Chinese language education

into "ancient Chinese" and "modern Chinese" before

the May 4th Movement overlooks the distinctions

between Wenyan and Baihua, lacking clear

distinctions in the historical stages of Chinese

language development.

Chinese linguist 王力 Wang Li, in his book 汉语

史稿 (History of the Chinese Language), divides the

Chinese language into three periods: ancient,

medieval, and modern. The ancient period spans from

prehistoric times to the end of the 3rd century AD, the

medieval period covers the 4th to the 12th century

AD, and the modern Chinese period spans from the

12th century to the present day.

In his works, Xu Shi-i draws attention to the

significant vocabulary differences between Wenyan

and Baihua, suggesting that only Baihua should be

considered in the chronology. He outlines the

emergence and functioning of the Baihua language

chronologically: 1. The period of the emergence of

Baihua (露头) from the times of 秦 Qin and 汉 Han

to the 唐 Tang period, i.e., from 207 BC to 618 AD.

2. The period of Baihua's development (发展) from

唐 Tang to the 明 Ming period, i.e., from 618 to 1368.

3. The late period of Baihua (成熟) covering the Ming

to the end of 清 Qing times, i.e., from 1368 to 1911.

Based on the analysis of literary sources written in the

Baihua language from the 3rd century BC, including

History of the Formation of Baihua

1581

Bianwen, Huaben, Pinghua, Jugongdiao, Jiaju, and

novels, the history of this language can be divided

into three periods:

The period of formation of the Baihua language -

from 207 BC to 618 AD.

The period of development of the Baihua

language - from 618 to 1368.

The period of perfection of the Baihua language -

from 1368 to 1911.

Lexico-grammatical features of the Chinese

Baihua language can be studied through texts of

various genres such as Bianwen, Huaben, Pinghua,

Jugongdiao, Jiaju, and novels. These sources are

crucial for understanding the historical development,

features, and differences of Baihua from the classical

Wenyan language.

Ancient Baihua language sources, including oral

folk art examples before the Tang Dynasty, reveal

two notable features: difficulty in reading and a

distinctive style characteristic of that period, sharply

differing from the linguistic style of subsequent

periods.

One significant monument in the Baihua language

is the Dunhuang Bianwen, written during the Tang

Dynasty (618-907). Though elements of Wenyan are

present, the yulu genre sources from this period show

fewer borrowed words from Wenyan. Bianwens,

narrated by monks following the Buddha's teachings,

exhibit characteristics close to oral creativity,

emphasizing their unique position in ancient Chinese

Baihua.

Research on the history of the Baihua language

identifies sources such as literary works recorded

from oral speech (e.g., Donghuan Bianwen, Huaben,

Pinghua of the Song Yuan era), precise sources

recorded for specific needs (e.g., Neo-Confucian

yulu, Buddhist yulu, diplomatic records), and Baihua

materials in works written in Wenyan.

Analyzing the Pinghua genre "新编五代史平话"

(The History of the Formation of the History of Five

Dynasties) reveals features of the Baihua language.

For example, early texts show a predominance of

Wenyan elements, while later texts exhibit more

frequent use of Baihua elements, indicating linguistic

evolution.

The Baihua language's written monuments also

include a translation of the sutra “太子須達拏經”

(“Sutra about the Prince of Sudan”), providing

insights into grammatical laws and linguistic changes

in ancient Chinese.

During the Ming and Chin dynasties, Baihua

sources played a crucial role in creating modern

Chinese grammar. Works such as "水浒传" ("River

Ponds"), "三国" ("Three Kingdoms"), " 西游记 "

("Journey to the West"), and "红楼梦" ("Dream in

Red Terem") written in ancient Baihua reflected

linguistic richness and dialectal diversity.

The widespread use of Baihua in medieval China

was facilitated by Pinghua, Tang dynasty stories, and

novels from the Ming and Chin dynasties. The

transition from Wenyan to Baihua gained momentum

after the May 4th Movement of 1919, marking the

official recognition of Baihua as a national language.

Language reform during the May 4th Movement

led to protests against Wenyan, and publications like

" 新青年" ("New Youth") played a pivotal role.

Efforts were made to simplify characters, and

alphabetic writing was introduced, but it proved

ineffective due to the diversity of languages and

dialects in China.

The vocabulary of the Baihua language was

enriched through the creation of new words and

borrowing from foreign languages. Periodicals like "

无锡白话报

" ("Wuxi Baihua Newspaper") and "北京

白话报" (Beijing Baihua Newspaper) played a

crucial role in the rapid dissemination of new foreign

words.

Despite attempts at writing reform, including

simplifying characters and introducing alphabetic

writing, the transition to an alphabetic script was

unsuccessful in China. The 拼音字母 alphabet aided

in reading characters but didn't become an

autonomous means of writing.

In conclusion, the study of ancient Baihua

language sources provides valuable insights into the

historical development and unique features of the

language. These sources, spanning different genres

and periods, offer a rich tapestry of linguistic

evolution in China.

3 CONCLUSIONS

Several literary written sources in the Baihua

language, dating back to the 3rd century BC, are

acknowledged as ancient Baihua sources: Bianwen,

Huaben, Pinghua, Yulu, Zhugongdiao, and Zazui.

Based on the analysis of these sources, Chinese

linguist Xu Shi-yi proposed a periodization for the

formation and development of the Baihua language:

the formation period (207 BC to 618 AD), the

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development period (618 to 1368), the maturity

period (1368 to 1911), and the period of official use

(1911 to 1955). However, Xu Shi-yi did not include

the "transitional period" from 1919 to 1955 when

Baihua transitioned to Putonghua as the official

literary language. In this dissertation, the term

"transitional period" is introduced to Chinese

linguistics, signifying a critical phase.

During the Song Dynasty, Baihua became the

language of mass Chinese folk literature and later

served as the foundation for written literature and the

novel genre. By the 14th century, works like "水浒传

" (River Pools), "三国" (The Kingdom), "西游记"

(Journey to the West), and "红楼梦" (Dream in the

Red Chamber) were written in Baihua, influencing

the theoretical foundations of modern Chinese

vocabulary and grammar. These novels favored

polysyllabic lexical units and incorporated lexical

items from specific dialects.

In the early 19th century, there was a gradual

displacement of Wenyan by Baihua, with Baihua

entering journalism at the end of the Qing dynasty.

Baihua, being simpler and more understandable than

Wenyan, began to dominate periodicals, leading to a

period of diglossia - the coexistence of Wenyan and

Baihua.

From the May 4th Movement in 1919 until the

transition to Putonghua in 1955, a "buffer zone" or

"transition period" emerged in Chinese linguistics,

marked by significant reforms. Phonetic alphabets,

simplification of written characters, the development

of dialectology, and the introduction of punctuation

in newspapers characterized this fruitful period.

Baihua gained prominence in newspapers,

magazines, and periodicals during this time.

Despite efforts to transition to alphabetic writing,

including the creation of several alphabets, the idea

proved ineffective as these systems couldn't capture

the polyphonic nature of the Chinese language. The

alphabets were used only to aid in reading

hieroglyphs.

The enrichment of Baihua's vocabulary was

influenced by the creation of new words, the

introduction of terms in medicine, chemistry, and

psychology through borrowing foreign words, and

the translation of foreign scientific and literary

sources.

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