Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1913-04-07
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How | Taught the Man.
DARN the American
IdiOm
BY Holland.

In the summer of 1876 there appear
ed at Hartford. Conn, some two hun
dred Chinese youths OF ages from
twelve to sixteen. They were under
the direction of an educational com
mission consisting Of three high
grade mandarins, two OF whom we're
afterward ministers from China TO
important foreign nations
Accompanying this educational com
mission was a brilliant and scholarly
mandarin whose name was Kwong
Kichieu The students and their di-
rectors were sent from China upon
the advice of the distinguished Yung
Wing, who was a graduate of Yale
college in 1853. who became an Amer
lean citizen and who married a
charming and very intelligent woman
Of Hartford. It is due largely to the
influence Of Yung Wing that the
awakening in China began.
Mr.. Yung (Chinese custom reverses
our own so that what with us would
be the last name is in China the first)
asked me to cooperate with Kwong
in what was to be a monumental
Chinese English dictionary. / was
told that Mr. Kwong was the inter
prefer for the Chinese education COM
mission. I was also told that he had
begun, some years before in China,
the preparation of a Chinese-Ameri-
can dictionary.
"There are number of dictionar-
les in which the equivalent English
words for Chinese words appear but
these have always been the work of
foreigners" said Mr.. Yung. so far
as | know, Mr. Kwong is the first
citizen of China to attempt the pre-
paration OF a dictionary Of this kind.
He has already completed the greater
part of &C. but he is anxious to ap-
pend to it a list of English and
American idioms translated into the
Chinese language. He has found this
very difficult, and has in fact despair
ed of completing the work. 1t is this
part Of the work that he seeks assist
ance."
With this explanation l called upon
Mr. Kwong. He was handsome
man. with broad, intellectual brow.
bright eyes and very intelligent face.
His head was surmounted with
slullcap upon which was placed the
button of a high rank mandarin.
81 am very glad to see YOU said
Mr. Kwong. He spoke English with
out any accent. His manners were
charming Let us have some tea by
way OF introduction" His servant
produced a pot OF hot water into
which Mr. Kwong poured about a tab
lcspoonful of tea. The aroma was ex-
quisite We began slipping tea from
the little cups, and as we did so Mr..
Kwong continued:
II cannot understand the American
idioms. and if ! do not understand
chem ! cannot give the equivalent for
them in the Chinese language, yet
know that the English language is
full OF idioms, and If my dictionary is
to be of any value it will have to con-
! tain a list of them with the Chinese
equivalents. Let us begin with one
which has puzzled me greatly for
several days" In that in formal and
unconventional manner the work OF
translating q American idioms into
Chinese was begun.
"This is the idiom.' said Mr. kwong
~ can't get the idea through my
head 7 hear that idiom very often
used I do not understand IT, What
can man get through his head but
some sharp instrument or 2 bullet?
We will begin upon this tonight, If you
please
Thereupon ! began a session that
lasted two hours II entailed intense
mental concentration. The Chinese
mind did not grasp the figure Of meta.
( phor which was behind the express
sion ito get an idea through ones
head"
At last wrote out a sentence and
said TO Mr. Kwong Now we win
suppose that this sentence is under
stood by you only when YOU are read
ing it with your right eye. But if
place the sentence so that you Rad
70 with your left alone then you can
imagine that the thought which the
sentence conveys passes from the
right side Of your brain to the left
or. in other words through your
head"
He slipped his tea reflectively: Their
he jumped 10 his feet and said. "Ai
last I understand. | know the Chin
csc equivalent. Now my dictionary
is sure of completion. If I can have
one idiom explained in this way
can have all OF them"
This work lasted some six months
but when il was completed the Chin
ese-American dictionary was practi
cally finished Il was published abou
year later. an immense volum,
which became standard authority n
some parts OF China.
Copyright. 1918. Nv Il. J. Edwards