Gateway to the Chinese Classics: A Practical Introduction to Literary Chinese

This is an excellent book if you are trying to acquire a better understanding of the Dao De Jing or the Analects. The sub-title says it all: A Practical Guide. This is not a high level academic inquiry into literary Chinese. If you want a degree in ancient Chinese literature, this book is probably not for you. If you just enjoy reading classical Chinese poetry or the classics stated above, I believe you will find this book very helpful.

This book assumes you have a reasonable grasp of basic Chinese and characters. Traditional characters and Pin Yin are used throughout the book. Classical Chinese is complicated and Jeannette Faurot rightly points out that you have to "get a feel" for it. The book uses a vast range of examples and many poems to help you develop your own "feel" for how this language works. Language points are well explained and the cultural notes are informative. The last few chapters start leading you into longer texts. I used it for self-study but I'm sure it would work well in the classroom. Now I truly understand the wisdom of "Dao ke dao fei chang dao".