Myths and Legends of China Part 36

Unfortunately the fruit of the union took more after their father than their mother, and though comely of limb had exceedingly ugly features. [50] They were therefore obliged to continue to wear the head-covering adopted by their father at the marriage ceremony, and this became so much an integral part of the tribal costume that not only has it been worn ever since by their descendants, but a change of headgear has become synonymous with a change of husbands or a divorce. One account says that at the original bridal ceremony the bride wore the red mantilla to prevent her seeing her husband's ugly features, and that is why the headdress is worn by the women and not by the men, or more generally by the former than the latter, though others say that it was originally worn by the ugly children of both s.e.xes.

And of a Wors.h.i.+p

This legend explains the dog-wors.h.i.+p of the Jung tribe, which now consists of four clans, with a separate surname (Lei, Chung, Lang, and Pan) to each, has a language of its own, and does not intermarry with the Foochow natives. At about the time of the old Chinese New Year (somewhere in February) they paint a large figure of a dog on a screen and wors.h.i.+p it, saying it is their ancestor who was victorious over the Western invader.

Conclusion

If the greatness of nations is to be judged by the greatness of their myths (using the word 'great' in the sense of world-famous and of perennial influence), there would be few great nations, and China would not be one of them. As stated in an earlier chapter, the design has been to give an account of Chinese myth as it is, and not as it might have been under imaginary conditions. But for the Chinese philosophers we should in all probability have had more Chinese myths, but philosophy is unifying, and without it we might have had a break-up of China and perhaps no myths at all, or none specially belonging to China as a whole and separate independent nation. Had there been great, world-stirring myths there could hardly but have been also more wars, more cruelty, more wounding of the "heart that weeps and trembles,"

more saturating of the earth with human blood. It is not a small thing to have conquered myth with philosophy, especially at a time when the Western world was still steeped in the grossest superst.i.tion. Therefore we may be thankful that the Chinese were and are a peace-loving, sober, agricultural, industrial, non-military, non-priest-ridden, literary, and philosophical people, and that we have instead of great myths a great people.

But if the real test of greatness is purity and justice, then Chinese myth must be placed among the greatest of all; for it is not obscene, and it is invariably just.

The p.r.o.nunciation of Chinese Words

During the course of Chinese history the restriction of intercourse due to mountain-chains or other natural obstacles between various tribes or divisions of the Chinese people led to the birth of a number of families of languages, which again became the parents of numerous local dialects. These dialects have in most cases restricted ranges, so that that of one district may be partially or wholly unintelligible to the natives of another situated at a distance of only a hundred miles or less.

The Court or Government language is that spoken in Peking and the metropolitan district, and is the language of official communication throughout the country. Though neither the oldest nor the purest Chinese dialect, it seems destined more than any other to come into universal use in China. The natives of each province or district will of course continue to speak to each other in their own particular dialect, and foreign missionaries or merchants, for example, whose special duties or transactions are connected with special districts will naturally learn and use the dialects of those districts; but as a means of intercommunication generally between natives of different provinces, or between natives and foreigners, the Court language seems likely to continue in use and to spread more and more over the whole country. It is to this that the following remarks apply.

The essentials of correct p.r.o.nunciation of Chinese are accuracy of sound, tone, and rhythm.

Sound

_Vowels and Diphthongs_

_a_ as in _father_.

_ai_ as in Italian _amai_.

_ao_. Italian _ao_ in _Aosta_: sometimes _a-oo,_ the _au_ in _cauto_.

_e_ in _eh_, _en_, as in _yet_, _lens_.

_ei_. Nearly _ey_ in _grey_, but more as in Italian _lei_, _contei_.

_e_. The vowel-sound in _lurk_.

_ei_. The foregoing _e_ followed enc.l.i.tically by _y_. _Money_ without the _n_ = _mei_.

_erh._ The _urr_ in _purr_.

_i_. As a single or final syllable the vowel-sound in _ease_, _tree_; in _ih_, _in_, _ing_, as in _chick_, _thing_.

_ia_ generally as in the Italian _Maria_.

_iai_. The _iai_ in the Italian _vecchiaia_.

_iao_ as in _ia_ and _ao_, with the terminal peculiarity of the latter.

_ie_ as in the Italian _siesta_.

_io_. The French _io_ in _pioche_.

_iu_ as a final, longer than the English _ew_. In _liu, niu_, almost _leyew, neyew_. In _chiung, hsiung, iung_, is _eeyong_ (_o_ in _roll_).

_o._ Between vowel-sound in _awe_ and that in _roll_.

_ou._ Really _eo_; _ou_ in _round_.

_u._ The vowel-sound in the French _tu, et_.

_ua._ Only in _uan_, which in some tones is _uen_. The _u_ as above; the _an_ as in _antic_.

_ue_. The vowel-sounds in the French _tu es_.

_uo_. A disputed sound, used, if at all, interchangeably with _io_ in certain syllables.

_u_. The _oo_ in _too_; in _un_ and _ung_ as in the Italian _punto_.

_ua_. Nearly _ooa_, in many instances contracting to _wa_.

_uai_ as in the Italian _guai_.

_uei._ The vowel-sounds in the French _jouer_.

_ue._ Only in final _uen_ = _u-un_; frequently _wen_ or _wun_.

_ui._ The vowel-sounds in _screwy_; in some tones _uei_.

_uo._ The Italian _uo_ in _fuori_; often _wo_, and at times nearly _oo_.

_u._ Between the _i_ in _bit_ and the _u_ in _shut_.

_Consonants_

_ch_ as in _chair_; but before _ih_ softened to _dj_.

_ch'_. A strong breathing. _Mu_ch-ha_rm_ without the italicized letters = _ch'a_.

_f_ as in farm.