Archaic Chinese language

Archaic Chinese refers to the Chinese language spoken and written during the Zhou and Qin dynasties, roughly from 1046 to 207 BCE. This period is further divided into Early, Middle, and Late Archaic Chinese. Early Archaic Chinese is known from bronze inscriptions and parts of classical texts like the Shujing and Shijing. The language featured grammatical structures that depended on unwritten affixes and had distinct personal pronouns.1

Middle Archaic Chinese is represented by early Confucian writings, while Late Archaic Chinese is the language of prominent philosophers like Mencius and Zhuangzi. By this stage, the grammar became more explicit in writing, with grammatical particles playing a significant role. The use of grammatical affixes declined, and verb formation may have involved tonal differences or suprasegmental features. The writing system evolved, with grammatical particles used to form modifiers and embedded sentences, though this system became less distinct in later periods.1