| This study is a synchronic investigation of the coverbs in Classical Chinese. The coverbs examined include the locative coverbs yu, yu, hu the instrumental coverb yi; the benefactive coverb wei; the ablative coverbs zi, you, cong; and the comitative coverb yu.;To pursue a better understanding of Classical Chinese syntax, the present study approaches it as an internally-consistent system that may be deduced through logical analysis. The starting point chosen for such analysis is the special characteristics of Classical Chinese texts, several fundamental distinguishing features of Classical Chinese that have been pointed out by various scholars. In the beginning section, a list and elaboration of these special characteristics is followed by examples which show the importance of fully recognizing and appreciating them when we read the ancient texts and analyze their syntactic structure.;Recognizing that the coverbs all originated as verbs, the discussion of each coverb begins with an attempt to define its fundamental properties as a full verb. Understanding its nature as a verb enables us to better understand the semantic denotation and syntactic structure of its coverb usage.;Contrary to common opinion, this study argues that the change of word order of a coverb phrase often results in a different semantic focus and syntactic implication. In some cases in which a coverb phrase occurs after another verb phrase, the semantic emphasis is deliberately put on the coverb phrase which then serves as the nucleus of the predicate in a sentence.;Some other issues surrounding the individual coverbs are also addressed, including the verb complement construction, the lack of a syntactic construction for passivity in Classical Chinese, and the fact that the coverbs have often been mistaken as conjunctions because observers have overlooked the implications of subject omission and the topic-comment structure of Chinese sentences.;A Classical Chinese pedagogy proposal is included which advocates a grammar-focused instruction that teaches students to recognize the special characteristics of Classical Chinese texts and the grammatical structure of Classical Chinese sentences.;Finally, the study concludes with a call for more research into the special characteristics of Classical Chinese and the insights they bring to the study of the ancient texts. |
