扒车喵文言文作为中华文化的重要载体流传千年，是我们民族文化的共同记忆，在美版知乎Quora上，韩国网友提问道：文言文这么晦涩难懂，为何中国要求其学生必须要学习？这引起各国网友的围观和热议，他们普遍认为文言文作为中国文化的重要符号，下一代对它的学习不可或缺。
问题：中国学生为什么非要学习文言文这么难懂的语言？
海外网友Flame Gu的回答
First of all, to some extent, I want to say that you are right. I agree with you that in the stage of compulsory education (grades 1 to 9), we really need to learn some entry-level classical Chinese, which is the reality of basic education in China.
首先，在某种程度上，我想说你是对的。我同意你的观点，在义务教育阶段（一年级到九年级），我们确实需要学习一些入门级的文言文，这就是中国基础教育的现实。
Second, since you ask why, I will answer your question from the following perspectives.
第二，既然你问为什么，那么我从以下几个角度回答你的问题。
The importance of classical Chinese:
文言文的重要性：
In a narrow sense, classical Chinese was widely used from the spring and Autumn period to the late Han Dynasty (5th century BC to 2nd century AD). It soon became the official written language of Chinese society until the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1910.
从狭义上讲，文言文是春秋至汉朝末期（公元前5世纪至公元2世纪）广泛使用的语言，它很快成为中国社会的正式书面语言，直到1910年清朝被推翻。
Ancient literati recorded more than 2000 years of history in classical Chinese. It carries the precious heritage of our civilization. In my opinion, it means much more to us than Latin means to European society.
古代文人墨客用文言文记载了2000多年的历史。它承载着我们文明的宝贵遗产。在我看来，它对我们的意义远远超过拉丁语对欧洲社会的意义。
In a broad sense, classical Chinese is opposite to modern Chinese, including classical Chinese (narrow sense), poetry, vernacular novels and so on. It depicts the whole picture of our great 5000 year civilization and makes people full of hope even in the darkest time of our country.
从广义上讲，文言文与现代汉语相反，包括文言文（狭义）、诗歌、白话小说等。它描绘了我们伟大的五千年文明的全貌，让人们即使在我们国家最黑暗的时候也满怀希望。
Why did the government decide to introduce classical education?
为什么政府决定引进古典教育？
China is a civilized country, not a nation-state. Anyone who identifies with Chinese culture is considered Chinese and can integrate into the mainstream society, even if he is not Han.
中国是一个文明国家，而不是一个民族国家。任何认同中国文化的人都被认为是中国人，可以融入主流社会，即使他不是汉族人。
In other words, Chinese people are united by a common written language, universal values and universal social norms, even though they may speak different dialects, live in different regions and have different clans. This is also the most powerful argument against the argument that Cantonese is a unique language rather than a Chinese dialect.
也就是说，中国人被共同的书面语言、普遍的价值观和普遍的社会规范团结在一起，即使他们可能会说不同的方言，生活在不同的地区，拥有不同的宗族。这也是反对粤语是一种独特语言而不是中国方言等说法的最有力的论据。
I think the reason why Chinese schools teach classical and Mandarin at the same time is that if they teach them at the same time, the effect will be better.
我认为，中国学校同时教授古典文学和普通话的原因是，如果同时教授，效果会更好。
Mandarin is its main structure, and classical literature is its supplement. Putonghua is superficial and cannot teach students some basic and abstract concepts. For example, people who have only received Mandarin education may not understand the relationship between the full moon and homesickness, autumn and sadness.
普通话是它的主要结构，古典文学是对它的补充。普通话是肤浅的，不能教会学生一些基本和抽象的概念。例如，只接受过普通话教育的人可能无法理解满月与思乡、秋天与哀伤等之间的联系。
Therefore, the promotion of classical education will further strengthen the national identity deeply influenced by language and culture. This is the secret of how China has maintained national unity for more than 2000 years, which is why not only the Han people, but also other ethnic minorities (not forced but encouraged) learn Chinese.
因此，推广古典教育将进一步加强深受语言和文化影响的民族认同感。这就是中国如何在2000多年的时间里保持国家统一的秘密，这也是为什么不仅汉族人，还有其他少数民族（不是被迫而是鼓励）学习汉语的原因。
“月落乌啼霜满天 江枫渔火对愁眠”，”The moon is falling, the crows are crying, the air is filled with the chill of autumn frost, the lights of maple trees and fishing boats are reflected in the water, but I can’t sleep because of sadness.) This short poem is full of cultural symbols, such as “the moon, crows, autumn, red leaves and fishing boats”.
“月落乌啼霜满天 江枫渔火对愁眠” （月亮落山了，乌鸦啼哭了，空气中弥漫着秋霜的寒意，枫树和渔船的灯光倒映在水中，我却因为悲伤而无法入睡。）这首短诗充满了文化符号，如“月亮、乌鸦、秋天、红叶和渔船”。
These cultural symbols have been used to this day, and they can be self-evident without explanation. But for people without classical education, this is almost incomprehensible.
这些文化符号一直被使用到今天，它们不需要解释就可以不言自明。但对于没有受过古典教育的人来说，这几乎是无法理解的。
Social response
社会反应
In fact, there are far fewer voices against teaching classical literature in schools than against English. The Ministry of education is planning to take English as an elective subject in the college entrance examination, but it is absolutely impossible to delete classical Chinese.
事实上，反对在学校教授古典文学的声音远远少于反对英语的声音。教育部正计划将英语作为高考的选修科目，但绝对不可能删除文言文经典内容。
Personally, although I’m not good at it, I prefer to learn classical Chinese rather than modern Chinese. It is so simple and wonderful that it deeply touches my soul. I hope one day I can express my feelings in such powerful language like those famous poets.
就我个人而言，虽然我并不擅长，但我更喜欢学习古典汉语而不是现代汉语。它是如此简洁、精彩，深深地触动了我的灵魂。我希望有一天我能像那些著名的诗人一样，把自己的感情用如此有力的语言表达出来。
People used to say that “a picture expresses thousands of words”. Under appropriate circumstances, some classical quotations can certainly do better.
人们过去常说“一幅画表达千言万语”。在适当的情况下，一些经典的引语可以做得更好。
Chinese people also tend to name their children, companies, etc. in ancient Chinese. A good name will give people a better first impression. In fact, not only Chinese, but also people in East Asia and Vietnam will use Chinese when naming. For example, all the ruling titles of the emperor of Japan are named based on Chinese classical literature.
中国人也倾向于用古文来给他们的孩子、公司等起名。一个好的名字会给人更好的第一印象，实际上，不仅是中国人，东亚和越南的人在命名时也会使用中文，比如所有日本天皇的统治头衔都是基于中国古典文学命名的。
Finally, China, like the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Ryukyu and Vietnam, has a long history and is bound by Chinese classical language. All history is written in classical Chinese.
最后，中国与朝鲜半岛、日本、琉球和越南一样，有着悠久的历史，都受到中国古典语言的约束，所有的历史都是用文言书写的。
For some political reasons, both North Korea and Vietnam abolished Chinese, which caused great losses to their culture. Now people living there simply can’t understand what their ancestors wrote when visiting their historical sites.
出于政治考虑，南北朝鲜和越南都废除了汉语，这对他们的文化造成了巨大损失，现在生活在那里的人们根本无法理解他们的祖先在参观他们的历史遗址时写了什么。
I can’t imagine such a thing happening in China one day. When our children visit the Forbidden City and ask me what the emperor wrote on the plaque, how sad it should be?
我无法想象有一天在中国会发生这样的事情，当我们的孩子们参观紫禁城，问我皇帝在牌匾上到底写了什么，这该是多么悲哀的一件事啊？
美国专家史蒂文•温廷敦的回答
I think there are three reasons for this:
对此我认为有以下3点原因：
1) To enable students to better understand history is the key to understanding modern literature and current Chinese society. Whether it is official history or unofficial history, ancient Chinese dynasties have a tradition of writing history books. Although the historical records are written by the rulers of the dynasty, the study of ancient books can still provide a specific perspective for our current research.
1）使学生更深刻的理解历史，这是理解现代文和当前中国社会文化的关键。不管是正史还是野史，中国古代王朝都有撰写史书的传统。尽管史册都是由王朝统治者撰写而不尽其实，但研习古书仍然可以为我们当前的研究提供一个特定的视角。
If someone can read these letters, I mean to understand their meaning, not just the meaning of words. Even if there is no translation, they also understand the implied meaning of words.
如果有人能读懂这些手札，了解其含义而不非单纯只有字面的意思，即使没有译稿，其也可以明白字词的言外之意。
There is no doubt that translation is always more difficult to convey the author’s thoughts than the original.
毋庸置疑，翻译总是比原作更难以传达作者的思想。
Many events in Chinese history have been recorded, which is indeed the treasure of Chinese culture.
中国历史上发生的许多事件都被记录下来，这确实是中国文化的瑰宝。
But if possible, why didn’t the people at that time explain the truth of the incident directly?
曲笔和春秋笔法向来是古代史家的传统，要是不存在当时统治者的审查和要求，他们为何不直接了当的说明事件的真实原委呢？
2) In order to improve national self-esteem. In my opinion, for most Chinese people, material wealth does not mean spiritual self-confidence. The current sense of spiritual inferiority can be traced back to the whole 20th century or even 1840.
2）为了提高民族自尊心。在我看来，对大多数中国人来说，物质的富足并不意味着精神上的自信，当前的精神上的自卑感可以回溯到整个20世纪甚至1840年。
At that time, in the face of the booming western world, the Chinese, especially the upper class, attributed the regulations on land expropriation compensation to the weakness of the country and the poverty of the people. Chinese vernacular also came into being at that time.
在那个时代，面对蓬勃发展的西方世界，中国人，尤其是上层阶级，将割地赔款的条例，归咎于国家的软弱和人民的贫困，中国的白话文也是那时候应运而生的。
At the same time, it is also significant for China’s classical literature teaching, and also embodies China’s traditional concept: the essence and the dross. This is an important part of the reconstruction of national self dignity.
同时，对中国古典文学的教学也具有重要的意义，这同时也体现了中国传统的观念，即：取其精华，去其糟粕。这是民族自我尊严重构的重要组成部分。
3) In order to provide more fun in life (this is purely personal opinion, but I still want to point out in particular).
3）为了给学生在学习生活中提供更多的乐趣（这纯属个人意见，但我还是要特别指出）。
Maybe not all students can enjoy it, but some of them will benefit from it in their future life:
也许并不是所有的学生都能以此为乐，但是必然会有一部分因此而在他们未来的生活中受益：
For example, some people read stories about how their ancestors fought against the cruel nature and recovered land from the Yellow River Basin; Some people read stories about how their ancestors fought against the Huns and how they developed and prospered the cities along the ancient Silk Road; Some people read how their ancestors fought against imperialism and fought for freedom in the era of colonialism.
像有些人读到关于其先祖如何与残酷的自然斗争，从黄河流域收回土地的故事；有些人读到关于其先祖如何与匈奴人对抗，又如何发展繁荣古代丝绸之路沿路城市的故事；有些人读到，在殖民主义时代，其先祖们是如何与帝国主义对抗的，为自由而战。
Some people may feel lucky that the school has created an opportunity for them to understand the great era in which their ancestors lived, and they will feel how cool it is to read Confucius’ quotations without a dictionary. Ancient books have made it possible for the Chinese people to understand the history of the whole nation.
有些人可能会觉得幸运，学校为他们去了解其先祖曾生活过得伟大时代创造了机会，而他们会觉得在没有字典的情况下阅读孔子的语录是多么的酷，古书为中国人了解全民族的历史创造了可能。
In a word, it helps Chinese people look back on the past and look forward to the future, and tests their understanding of classical characters without third-party translation.
总而言之，它帮助中国人回顾过去，展望未来，并考验了国人在没有第三方译文的前提下，对古典文字的了解。
中国网友刘若雨的回答
Because ancient Chinese is more beautiful and concise, and it is the language our ancestors have been using for thousands of years. Learning this ancient language will contribute to a better understanding of Chinese history and culture.
因为古汉语更优美、更简洁，而且它是我们的祖先在过去几千年里一直使用的语言。学习这种古老的语言将有助于更好地理解中国的历史和文化。
古文字马的演变
In China, we have an old saying: words carry the Tao. Philosophy and moral education are transmitted through words, which is the way of inheriting Chinese cultural heritage and identity in the past 5000 years.
在中国,我们有句老话:言以载道。哲学和道德教育是通过文字传递的，这就是过去五千年里，中国文化遗产和身份认同的传承方式。
Frankly speaking, the proportion of Chinese classical teaching is very small. Its purpose is only to remind students of their cultural traditions and roots. I’m not sure whether Western children have taught Shakespeare’s Sonnets or excerpts from some famous plays in school.
坦率地说，中国古典教学的比例非常小，它的目的只是为了提醒学生们他们的文化传统和根源，我不确定西方的孩子们是否在学校里教过莎士比亚的十四行诗或一些著名戏剧的摘录。
Students may not appreciate its beauty, but some people may be interested and spend more time learning more things. To be honest, I think learning a foreign language is the most difficult challenge for most Chinese students, and it will certainly account for a higher proportion of their courses.
学生们可能不会欣赏它的优美之处，但有些人可能会有兴趣，花更多的时间去学习更多的东西。老实说，我认为对于大多数中国学生来说，学习外语是最困难的挑战，而且肯定会占据他们所学课程的比例更高。
If your ancestors lived a long life, write down all their experiences for your future reference. But you just can’t understand what a pity it is
如果你的先祖十分长寿，并且写下他们所有的经历，供你以后参考。但你就是看不懂，这是多么遗憾的一件事情。
Is this forced to learn? I think this is the way and carrier of the development and inheritance of Chinese culture.
这是被迫去学习么？我倒是觉得这是中华文化发展传承的方式和载体。
1、 In China’s 5000 year history, our ancestors have left countless cultural heritages. It is the essence that passes through the precipitation of time. When you read them, you will find that history is always surprisingly similar.
1、在中国5000年的历史中，我们的祖先留下了无数的文化遗产。经过时间的沉淀传承下来的都是其中的精华。当你读它们的时候，你会发现历史总是惊人的相似。
Compared with the continuous evolution and inheritance of civilization, the time of human survival is like a drop in the ocean, and our ancestors are like computers, which provide us with reference by recording their experiences and ideas. I think this is one of the reasons why we should advocate our ancestors.
相对于文明的持续演化传承，人类存活的时间就好像沧海一粟，而我们的祖先就像计算机一样，通过记录下他们的经历和想法来给我们提供参考，我想这就是为什么我们应该崇尚先祖的原因之一。
2、I think you ask this because you don’t know much about Chinese classical literature. I always feel very lucky to have so many beautiful Chinese poems and wonderful articles. Some are so beautiful that I cry when I read them. When I read these books, I can feel what they thought at that time between the lines. This is a very magical thing.
2、我觉得你之所以这样问，是因为你不太了解中国的古典文学。我总是感到很庆幸，能有这么多美丽的中国诗歌和精彩的文章。有些是如此美丽，以至于我读了都要哭出来。当我读这些书的时候，我能感觉到了他们字里行间流露的当时的所思所想，这是一件很神奇的事情。
3. Without Chinese classical literature, you can’t understand the origin of modern Chinese. In order to achieve a better writing level, a certain amount of knowledge accumulation is necessary.
3、如果没有中国古典文学，你就无法理解现代汉语的来源。为了达到更好的写作水平，一定数量的知识积累是必要的。
4. Given that there are still countless undiscovered ancient books. So if one day these ancient books are discovered by Archaeology and you don’t understand their meaning, will you feel sorry?
4、鉴于目前仍然有无数尚未被发现的古籍。故而如果有一天这些古籍都被考古发现而你却不明白其含义，你会不会感到遗憾呢？
Is there any country where students don’t study their country’s classical literature.
有没有哪个国家的学生不学习他们国家的古典文学。
I mean those countries with history and classic literature, such as France, Britain, Greece, Spain, Japan, India, Russia and so on, and even the United States have a very short history (241 years to now). Students in these countries will not read the literary works of great writers such as Edgar Allen, Mark Twain, William Faulkner and Hemingway?
我的意思是那些有历史和经典文献的国家，像法国,英国,希腊,西班牙,日本,印度,俄罗斯等等,甚至美国有很短的历史(241年至今),这些国家的学生会不读埃德加·爱伦,马克·吐温,威廉·福克纳、海明威等伟大的作家的文学作品?
China has a history of more than 5000 years. You can imagine how many masterpieces are worth reading and studying. These are great historical and cultural heritages.
中国有5000多年的历史，你可以想象有多少值得一读和研究的杰作，这些都是伟大的历史文化遗产。
