Dr. Shi Yuzhi, National University of Singapore, visited our universityinstitute to teach a rather specialthe course "Chinese Language and Culture" for our graduate students from the May 20th to 24th. The lecture was presided over by Professor Zhong Shuneng. All the MTI graduate of our college and some graduate student tutors also attended the lecture.
Dr. Shi Yuzhi was giving his lecture.
Presided over by Premier Zhong Shuneng.
The course "Chinese Language and Culture" is one of the courses in a series on humanities education for graduate students in our college. It aims to help students understand Chinese language and culture in depth and enhance their humanistic literacy. What’s more, it guides students to think about the inheritance, development, and innovation of Chinese culture, and strengthen students' identity with traditional Chinese culture.
In the course of the lecture, Dr. Shi paid great attention to the cultivation of students' logical thinking ability and the improvement of their humanistic literacy. He took the Chinese words, vocabulary, and grammar as clues, with the help of a large number of literature and classics, and showed the development of Chinese culture and their own experience in the study of Chinese cultural classics. When it came to the question of how to analyze and understand ancient cultural books, Dr. Shi Yuzhi put forward the following five methods:
First, language method: Dr. Shi has elaborated in detail the use of the language and character method. We should set up the view of language evolution, system, knowledge, and commonness, so that we can correctly interpret historical events and literary works.
Second, thought harmony law. A person's thought has the whole consistency, when appearing in a different position in his works, the meaning to be expressed is basically the same. Therefore, when there is a different interpretation of a sentence, authors can make use of the reference.
Third, the method of sequential implication: with the comparison between the story of "the Analects of Confucius" and Si Maqian's "Historical Records", Dr. Shi pointed out that in the process of reading the cultural classics, attention should be paid to the order and details of the narration. Do not follow others.
Forth, historical context method: when interpreting the meaning of a sentence, we should set us in all historical contexts involved in the sentence.
Fifth, breaking the pattern of thinking: each individual and every nation has its own pattern of thinking which to a great extent affects the interpretation of historical figures, so we should break the pattern of thinking. We should follow the principles of simplification, humanization and aesthetic appreciation, and therefore interpret historical figures and events objectively.
Questions and discussions between teachers and students.
On how to learn language and culture and improve his knowledge literacy, Dr. Shi thinks that he should read extensively and listen to other relevant courses so as to diversify his knowledge structure. Deep understanding of their professional areas, in-depth research and pay close attention to the latest development trend of the related research are also significant endeavors.
At the end of each lecture, Dr. Shi set aside a half-hour of free time for participants to ask questions. In the question-and-answer session, Dr. Shi gavemade patient and meticulous answers to the questions raised by the students, which deepened the students' understanding of the contents of the lecture. This lecture has greatly broadened the view of graduate students in our college and plays a positive role in promoting the humanistic quality education of the graduate students in our college.
Translated by Tang Cuicui