Friday, August 7, 2009

Chinese TV lectures explaining "The Three-Character Classic (三字经)"

The Three-Character Classic (san zi jing, 三字经) is a Chinese classic text that has traditionally been used for the education of children. Written in triplets of characters, the text enbodies Confucian thoughts and is easy for memorization. For centuries, it had served as the textbook for young children picking up learning and had thus played an important role in maintaining the Confucian tradition in China.

In 百家讲坛 (bai jia jiang tan), a TV program of China Central Television (CCTV), Prof. Qian Wenzhong of Fudan University explains the classic text sentence by sentence. The online vedios of the TV lectures are available here.

References:
Wikipedia: The Three-Character Classic
San zi jing (with the fulltext of San zi jing and its English translation)
San zi jing (text and audio files)
.......

Also, a biography of Prof. Qian Wenzhong:
http://baike.baidu.com/view/855133.html?fromTaglist

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Free Trial for Japan Knowledge+NR (August 1 to 31, 2009)


We currently have a subscription to Japan Knowledge Classic that includes valuable sources such as Nihon Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, Daihyakka Zensho (Encyclopedia Nipponica), Nihon Jinmei Daijiten, among others.

Japan Knowledge Plus, the new version of Japan Knowledge, will have additional features such as Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 日本国語大辞典 (Nikkoku Online ; standard Japanese language dictionary with over 500.000 entries), as well as Rekishi Chimei Taikei (historical place name dictionary with 200.000 entries) The trial period expires on August 31, 2009 and it can be accessible on-campus at: http://www.jkn21.com/

It would be extremely helpful if you could give us some feedback on this database. Let us know which resources you find most useful. Please feel free to contact Fabiano Takashi Rocha, Japan Studies Librarian by either phone: 416-978-2300 or by email: fabiano.rocha@utoronto.ca with your comments, or if you need any assistance with using the database.

Enjoy the free trial!!