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DSE Chinese — Paper 1 Classical Chinese: A Lesson Prep Guide for Tutors — Inferring Content Words, Function Words, Translation and Point-per-Mark Answers
Students give up on a whole sentence when one character is unknown. This lesson shows that three clues recover most of the meaning, even with a third of the words unfamiliar.
Objectives — By the end students can: (1) infer six unseen content words from context and word class, naming the clue used; (2) list the five uses of the function word zhi and identify it in a sentence; (3) translate two sentences with the keep, replace, supply method, hitting both key words in each.
01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)
If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.
| Skill | Quick check | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Word class | What usually follows the particle zhi? | A noun |
| Sentence pattern | Markers of a judgement sentence | zhe and ye |
| Translation | Can a classical sentence be translated word for word? | No, the subject must be supplied |
02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)
| Time | Stage | Tutor does | Student does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 min | Read the questions | Look at all eight questions before reading, circle names and places | Students mark names on the passage |
| 5-15 min | Content words | Model three clues: character form, parallel couplets, context | Students infer three words and name the clue |
| 15-35 min | Function words and translation | Five uses of zhi plus keep, replace, supply | Students translate two sentences and swap to check key words |
| 35-53 min | Timed practice | 18 minutes for 8 questions and 18 marks: 6 content words, 4 function words, 6 translation, 2 comprehension | Students work to the clock |
| 53-60 min | Review and exit check | Only wrong answers: which key word was missed | All three exit questions correct |
03 Teaching script (read it out)
Scene 1: Content words yield to three clues, not memorisation
Paper 1 usually carries two classical passages, a short one of about 200 characters and a longer one of about 350, totalling 550; eight questions are worth 18 marks, with content words taking 6 (three items at 2 marks).
Three clues: character form (radicals for money or movement narrow the field), parallel couplets (parallel positions share word class), and context (if the previous line says there was no way to make a living, the next verb is likely sell or borrow).
Always substitute the guess back into the line before writing; if the line does not read, try another sense.
A 2-mark content word usually needs the sense for one mark and a short explanation for the second, so a single character may not be enough.
At least four of six items must be right; missing three means guessing, not inferring.
Three clues: character form (radicals for money or movement narrow the field), parallel couplets (parallel positions share word class), and context (if the previous line says there was no way to make a living, the next verb is likely sell or borrow).
Always substitute the guess back into the line before writing; if the line does not read, try another sense.
A 2-mark content word usually needs the sense for one mark and a short explanation for the second, so a single character may not be enough.
At least four of six items must be right; missing three means guessing, not inferring.
Students say: the three clues for content words, each with an example.
Scene 2: Function words are uses, not translations
The particle zhi has five uses: pronoun, possessive marker, the marker that cancels sentence independence between subject and predicate, the verb to go, and a purely phonetic filler.
Decide in order: if a noun and a verb stand on either side, it usually cancels independence; if a modifier precedes a noun, it is the possessive marker.
Function word items are 2 marks each, four marks in total, and the answer must name the use, not just give a modern meaning.
Model: in the line about the minister being in his prime, zhi sits between the subject and the predicate, so it cancels independence.
The common misconception is translating every zhi as possessive: that is wrong three times out of five.
Decide in order: if a noun and a verb stand on either side, it usually cancels independence; if a modifier precedes a noun, it is the possessive marker.
Function word items are 2 marks each, four marks in total, and the answer must name the use, not just give a modern meaning.
Model: in the line about the minister being in his prime, zhi sits between the subject and the predicate, so it cancels independence.
The common misconception is translating every zhi as possessive: that is wrong three times out of five.
Students say: the five uses and the order used to decide.
Scene 3: Three-step translation: keep, replace, supply
Each translation item is worth 3 marks, two items for 6; the marking gives one mark per key word and one for fluency.
Three steps: keep names, places and titles unchanged; replace single-character classical words with modern two-character words; supply the omitted subject, object and measure words.
Model: a line that says the father abandoned him in the market needs the subject supplied, so it reads, his father left him in the market; drop the subject and the fluency mark goes.
Read the translation aloud at the end: if a modern reader understands it at once, it passes; if not, a word is still unconverted.
Never translate character by character; that produces text no one can read.
Three steps: keep names, places and titles unchanged; replace single-character classical words with modern two-character words; supply the omitted subject, object and measure words.
Model: a line that says the father abandoned him in the market needs the subject supplied, so it reads, his father left him in the market; drop the subject and the fluency mark goes.
Read the translation aloud at the end: if a modern reader understands it at once, it passes; if not, a word is still unconverted.
Never translate character by character; that produces text no one can read.
Students say: the three steps, and the modern sense of the two classical words for flee and run.
04 Question types and worked steps
| Type | Example | Steps | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content word | Explain the sense of the word for goods | Form, couplet, context, then substitute | Sense plus one explanation sentence |
| Function word | Identify the use of zhi in the line | Check the word class on both sides, then the five uses | Name the use |
| Translation | Translate the line about abandoning him in the market | Keep, replace, supply | Two key words, one mark each |
| Comprehension | Why does the writer sigh? | Read the two lines around the exclamation | One point for 2 marks, quote the text |
Sanity check (teach this): Eight questions, 18 marks: 6 plus 4 plus 6 plus 2 must equal the paper total.
Only two key words per translation carry marks, so a character-by-character rendering adds nothing.
Zhi between two nouns is usually possessive; between a noun and a verb it usually cancels independence.
A comprehension answer with no quotation scores nothing, however sincere the feeling.
Only two key words per translation carry marks, so a character-by-character rendering adds nothing.
Zhi between two nouns is usually possessive; between a noun and a verb it usually cancels independence.
A comprehension answer with no quotation scores nothing, however sincere the feeling.
05 Independent practice (3 questions)
| Question | Answer | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Explain the sense of the word for flee in the line about fleeing and dying | To run away, to escape | Sense plus a short explanation |
| Identify the use of zhi in the line about the minister in his prime | It cancels sentence independence | The use is named, not translated |
| Translate the line about the father abandoning him in the market | His father left him in the market | Subject supplied, both key words present |
06 Common mistakes and what to say
| Mistake | Student writes | Say this |
|---|---|---|
| Word-for-word rendering | His father abandon him at market, with no subject or particle | Supply the subject: his father left him in the market. |
| Every zhi as possessive | The minister his prime, read as a possessive | Here zhi cancels independence and is not translated. |
| Guessing content words | I guessed the word for flee meant die | The next clause contrasts fleeing with dying, so it means escape. |
| No quotation | I think the writer felt sad | Quote the line: the writer sighs, because … |
07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)
- All Chinese prep guides in this series — Revisit the Paper 1 classical chapters
- Twenty classical content words, each with a sense and an example line — Start from the character form
- Secondary prep hub — Compare reading strategies across subjects
08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)
| Question | Answer | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Three clues for content words | Character form, couplets, context | All three right: move to a timed paper |
| How many uses of zhi | Five | One wrong: relearn the table |
| Three translation steps | Keep, replace, supply | Two or more wrong: return to the third script |
09 Tutor FAQ
Should unknown characters be skipped?
No. Infer from form and context, substitute back into the line; a blank always scores zero.
Must whole passages be memorised?
No. Learn common senses and function word uses; the passages change each year.
Is spoken Cantonese acceptable in translation?
Write standard written Chinese; colloquial Cantonese characters lose marks.
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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.
