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written language will cut in half the time necessary for acquiring a working knowledge of Mandarin, which can be used in all parts of China. Meanwhile a pen or pencil will enable one to communicate with any educated Chinese or Japanese.

There are three kinds of Chinese literary style in common use in Foochow. While using for the most part the same characters. with the same meanings, they have peculiarities of pronunciation, diction, and syntax.

a. Foochow colloquial character is used in the commonest version of the Bible, in simple tracts, and in some of the (often vulgar) novels which circulate among the common people. Its basis is Wenli or classical insofar as that is used in common speech. In style and diction it is the same as the spoken language. Characters have been borrowed or invented to represent purely colloquial terms, so books written in this style are only partially intelligible to people from other parts of China. The use of this style seems to be decreasing.

b. Wenli (ùng lī 文理) or classical is the "universal Latin" of all China. It was standardized by the old examination system, so the only difference between different dialect regions is in pronunciation. In Foochow many characters have a classical and a colloquial pronunciation, such characters appearing in this Dictionary in two or more places. Often both pronunciations are used in conversation, the classical pronunciation being especially common in new terms or polite phrases. Formerly in imitation of the classics the style was very condensed and abstruse (ciáng ùng 正文) but in modern books there is a tendency towards simple and clearer expression (chiēng ùng 淺文) and even towards the Mandarin style.

c. Mandarin or the National Language (guók ngṳ̄ 國語) is the language spoken with minor variations by three-fourths of the people of China. In its written form it is now in common use throughout China including Foochow, in books and newspapers, though it tends to become a little less colloquial and more literary in the process. It uses the same characters as Wenli, but with some expressions peculiar to itself. It is also much less condensed than the Wenli. As a written language, it is intelligible to anyone conversant with Wenli, even though he may not know the Mandarin pronunciation. The best translation of the Bible in Chinese, and most modern magazines and books are in this style.

There is room for considerable difference in methods of learning the written language. Probably most would agree that it should be begun as soon as possible. By starting with the colloquial character, the student will be able more quickly to make use of what he