Lion-Eating Poet in The Stone Den - Explanation

Explanation

Classical Chinese is a written language and is very different from spoken Chinese. Different words that have the same sound when spoken aloud will have different written forms, comparable to deer and dear in English.

Also, many characters in the passage had distinct sounds in Middle Chinese. All the various Chinese spoken variants have over time merged and split different sounds. For example, when the same passage is read in Cantonese, there are seven distinct syllables - ci, sai, sap, sat, sek, si, sik - in six distinct tone contours, leaving 22 distinct character pronunciations. In Min Nan or Taiwanese, there are six distinct syllables - se, si, su, sek, sip, sit – in seven distinct tone contours, leaving 15 character pronunciations. Even with Dioziu (Chaozhou/Teochew), there are eleven distinct syllables - ci, cik, sai, se, sek, si, sip, sik, chap, chiah, chioh - in six distinct tone contours, leaving 22 distinct character pronunciations. However, it is still debatable whether the passage is any more comprehensible when read aloud in other dialects than it is in Mandarin.

« Si1 si6 sik6 si1 si2 » (Cantonese Jyutping)
Sek6 sat1 si1 si6 si1 si6, si3 si1, sai6 sik6 sap6 si1.
Si6 si4 si4 sik1 si5 si6 si1.
Sap6 si4, sik1 sap6 si1 sik1 si5.
Si6 si4, sik1 si1 si6 sik1 si5.
Si6 si6 si6 sap6 si1, ci5 ci2 sai3, si2 si6 sap6 si1 sai6 sai3.
Si6 sap6 si6 sap6 si1 si1, sik1 sek6 sat1.
Sek6 sat1 sap1, si6 si2 si6 sik1 sek6 sat1.
Sek6 sat1 sik1, si6 ci2 si3 sik6 si6 sap6 si1.
Sik6 si4, si6 sik1 si6 sap6 si1, sat6 sap6 sek6 si1 si1.
Si3 sik1 si6 si6.
« Si--sī Si̍t-si Sú » (Min Nan or Taiwanese)
Se̍k-sek si-sū Si--sī, sī su, sè si̍t si̍p-su.
Sī sî-sî sek-sī sī-su.
Si̍p-sî, sek si̍p-su sek-sī.
Sī-sî, sek si--sī sek-sī.
Sī sī sī si̍p-su, sī sí sè, sú sī si̍p-su sè-sè.
Sī si̍p sī si̍p su-si, sek se̍k-sek.
Se̍k-sek sip, sī sú sī sit se̍k-sek.
Se̍k-sek sit, sī sí sì si̍t sī si̍p-su.
Si̍t-sî, sí sek sī si̍p-su, si̍t si̍p se̍k-su-si.
Sī sek sī-su.
« si1 si6 ziah8 sai1 se2 » (Teochew)
zioh8sig4 si1se6 si1si6, si7 sai1, si7 ziah8 zab8 sai1.
si6 si5si5 sêg4 ci6 si6 sai1.
zab8 si5, sêg4 zab8 sai1 sêg4 ci6.
si6 si5, sêg5 si1si6 sêg4 ci6.
si6 si6 si6 zab8 sai1, si6 si2 si3, sai2 si6 zab8 sai1 si7si3.
si6 sib8 si6 zab8 sai1 si1, sêg4 zioh8sig4.
zioh8sig4 sib4, si6 sai2 si6 cig4 zioh8sig4.
zioh8sig4 cig4, si6 si2 ci3 ziah8 si6 zab8 sai1.
ziah8 si5, si2 sêg4 si6 zab8 sai1, sig8 zab8 zioh8 sai1 si1.
ci3 sêg4 si6 se7.
« Si1 si5 sik7 si1 si3. » (Gan Chinese)
Sak6 sit7 si1 si5 si1 si5, si5 si1, si5 sik7 set6 si1.
Si5 si4 si4 sik7 si5 si5 si1.
Set6 si4, sik7 set6 si1 sik7 si5.
Si5 si4, sik7 si1 si5 sik7 si5.
Si5 si5 si5 set6 si1, si5 si3 si5, si3 si5 set6 si1 si5 si.
Si5 sit7 si5 set6 si1 si1, sik7 sak6 sit7.
Sak6 sit7 sit7, si5 si3 si5 sik7 sak6 sit7.
Sak6 sit7 sik7, si5 si3 si4 sik7 si5 set6 si1.
Sik7 si4, si3 sik7 si5 set6 si1, sit7 set6 sak6 si1 si1.
Si4 sik7 si5 si5.
« si zi zeh si si. » (Wu Chinese)
zah seh si zi si zi, zi si, zi zeh zeh si.
zi zi zi seh zi zi si.
zeh zi, seh zeh si seh zi.
zi zi, seh si zi seh zi.
zi zi zi zeh si, zi si si, si zi zeh si zi si.
zi zeh zi zeh si si, seh zah seh.
zah seh seh, zi si zi seh zah seh.
zah seh seh, zi si si zeh zi zeh si.
zeh zi, si seh zi zeh si, zeh zeh zah si si.
si seh zi zi.
« si1 si5 sit8 si1 si3 » (Hakka Chinese)
sak8 sit7 si1 si5 si1 si5, si5 si1, si5 sit8 sip8 si1.
si5 si2 si2 sit7 si5 si3 si1.
sip8 si2, sit7 sip8 si1 sit7 si5.
si5 si2, sit7 si1 si5 sit7 si5.
si5 si3 si5 sip8 si1, si1 si5 si5, si3 si3 sip8 si1 si5 si5.
si5 sip8 si5 sip8 si1 si1, si7 sak8 sit7.
sak8 sit7 sip7, si5 si3 si5 sit7 sak8 sit7.
sak8 sit7 sit7, si5 ts'i3 ts'i5 sit8 si5 sip8 si3.
sit8 si2, ts'i5 ts'i5 si5 sip8 si1, sit8 sip8 sak8 si1 si1.
ts'i5 sit7 si5 si5.

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