漢語(漢代)

Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)

Sinitic (Old/Eastern Han Chinese) · historical / hidden variety

FamilySinitic (Old/Eastern Han Chinese) SpeakersExtinct ScriptChinese characters (clerical/seal scripts) CountriesHan Dynasty China (206 BCE-220 CE) Official inHan Dynasty Vitalityextinct ISO 639-3lzh

Han Dynasty Chinese (206 BCE-220 CE) represents Late Old Chinese transitioning toward Early Middle Chinese, with the Eastern Han period (25-220 CE) showing the earliest features that would crystallize in Middle Chinese rhyme tables. The Han era canonized Classical Chinese (wenyan) as the literary standard — a register that endured across East Asia for two millennia, shaping Korean hanja, Japanese kanbun, and Vietnamese chữ Hán traditions. The dynasty saw the establishment of the Imperial Academy (太学), state Confucian orthodoxy, the Shiji of Sima Qian, the Shuowen Jiezi etymological dictionary (121 CE), and clerical-script standardization that produced the modern Han-character forms.

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)

Water

/ɕiwiɪʔ/

Fire

/huɑiʔ/

Sun

/ȵit/

Moon

/ŋiuɑt/

Mother

/muːʔ/

Father

/biuoʔ/

Eat

/ʑiək/

Drink

/ʔiəm/

Love

/ʔɑːi/

Heart

/siəm/

Tree

/muok/

House

/ʔuok/

Dog

/kʰiuɛn/

Cat

/mau/

Hand

/ɕiuʔ/

Eye

/miuk/

Hello

萬福

/miuɑn piuk/

Thank you

/ziɛ/

One

/ʔiit/

Good

/dʑiɛn/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Old/Eastern Han Chinese) languages

Meaning Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)Old ChineseMlabriClassical Chinese (Cantonese pedagogical)DunganOld Khmer
Water /ɕiwiɪʔ/ /ɕyɪX/ /*s.turʔ/ om /om/ /sɵy˧˥/ щүй /ɕy/ ទឹក /tik/
Fire /huɑiʔ/ /xuɑX/ /*qʷʰəjʔ/ ʔus /ʔus/ /fɔ˧˥/ хуә /xuə/ ភ្លើង /pʰlɤːŋ/
Sun /ȵit/ /ȵit/ /*C.nik/ ŋay /ŋai/ /jɐt˨/ жѳтў /ʐɨtʰu/ ព្រះអាទិត្យ /preh ʔaːtit/
Moon /ŋiuɑt/ /ŋʉɐt/ /*ŋʷat/ thel /tʰel/ /jyt˨/ юә /yə/ ខែ /kʰae/
Mother /muːʔ/ /muX/ /*məʔ/ mɛʔ /mɛʔ/ /mou˩˧/ ма /ma/ មាតា /maːtaː/
Father /biuoʔ/ /bɨoX/ /*paʔ/ paʔ /paʔ/ /fu˨/ ба /pa/ បិតា /pitaː/
Eat /ʑiək/ /ʑik/ /*mə.lək/ ʔiʔ /ʔiʔ/ /sɪk˨/ чы /tʂʰɨ/ ស៊ី /siː/
Drink /ʔiəm/ /ʔimX/ /*qrəmʔ/ ʔaa /ʔaː/ /jɐm˧˥/ хә /xə/ ផឹក /pʰək/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)
客舍 對面 所見之
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)
客舍 對面 所見之
試穿 酒店 對面 間鋪 入面 見到嘅 套西裝
試穿 客棧 對面 店鋪 看著其 套西裝
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
逆旅 對面 邸店 所見之

Han readings compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Old Chinese) languages

Character Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)Proto-Tibeto-BurmanProto-Sino-TibetanProto-Hmong-MienProto-AustroasiaticProto-JaponicKorean (DPRK)
*ʔi[t] /*ʔi[t]/ *dyiək /*dyiək/ *ʔɨ /*ʔɨ/ *muəjʔ /*muəjʔ/ *pitə-tu /*pitə-tu/ il /il/
*ni[j]-s /*ni[j]-s/ *g-nis /*g-nis/ *nĭy /*nĭy/ *ʔu̯i /*ʔu̯i/ *ɓaːr /*ɓaːr/ *puta /*puta/ i /i/
*s.rum /*s.rum/ *g-sum /*g-sum/ *sɨm /*sɨm/ *pjɔu /*pjɔu/ *peːʔ /*peːʔ/ *mi /*mi/ sam /sam/
*s.li[j]-s /*s.li[j]-s/ *b-ləy /*b-ləy/ *lĭy /*lĭy/ *plei /*plei/ *puənʔ /*puənʔ/ *jə /*jə/ sa /sa/
*C.ŋˤaʔ /*C.ŋˤaʔ/ b- 形*b-ŋa /*b-ŋa/l- 形*l-ŋa /*l-ŋa/ *ŋāH /*ŋāH/ *prja /*prja/ *itu /*itu/ o /o/
*k.ruk /*k.ruk/ *d-k-ruk /*d-k-ruk/ *rŭk /*rŭk/ *kruk /*kruk/ *pruʔ /*pruʔ/ *mu /*mu/ ryuk /ɾjuk̚/
*[tsʰ]i[t] /*[tsʰ]i[t]/ *(s-)nĭt /*(s-)nĭt/ *pɔh /*pɔh/ *nana /*nana/ ch'il /tsʰil/
*pˤret /*pˤret/ *b-r-gyat 形*b-r-gyat /*b-r-gyat/*b-g-ryat 形*b-g-ryat /*b-g-ryat/ *ryēt /*ryēt/ *tNɕaːm /*tɲcaːm/ *ja /*ja/ p'al /pʰal/
*[k]uʔ /*[k]uʔ/ *d-kəw /*d-kəw/ *kwɨH /*kwɨH/ *N-ɟuə̯X /*N-ɟuə̯X/ *kəkənə /*kəkənə/ ku /ku/
*t.[g]əp /*t.[g]əp/ *k(ʰ)ĭp /*k(ʰ)ĭp/ *gju̯əpD /*gju̯əpD/ *təwə /*təwə/ sip /ɕip̚/
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