Preface
The fall of the Qing Empire brought about the demise of the Manchu language, but in the Chinese language, some Manchu vocabulary is still preserved, which has become a kind of cultural heritage. However, these Manchu words are not only traces of language, but also a witness of history and a continuation of culture.
From clothing, food, housing and transportation to social life, the Manchu vocabulary preserved in the Chinese language involves all aspects, revealing the exchange and integration of Manchu culture and Han culture. Let's walk into this magnificent history and explore the rise and fall of the Manchu language.
1. The birth and prosperity of the Manchu language
In 1599, a man named Aisin Jueluo Nurhachi created a completely new script for the Jurchens, Manchu. This was the beginning of the Manchu language.
Nurhachi came from a poor family, but he showed great intelligence and leadership from an early age. He is well aware of the importance of writing, because having his own writing can not only enhance the sense of national identity, but also inject new impetus into the development of the Jurchen people.
So, he made up his mind to create a script of his own for the Jurchens. After years of hard work, Manwen was finally born. The creation of the Manchu script not only gave the Jurchens their own script, but also injected new strength into their national identity.
Under Nurhachi's wise leadership, the Jurchens embarked on a massive campaign of conquest. They successively conquered Liaodong, Inner Mongolia and other places, and gradually expanded their territory.
Gradually, Manchu became popular among the Jurchens and became their lingua franca. In 1616, Nurhachi officially changed the term "Jurchen" to "Manchuria" and established Manchu as the official language. Since then, the status of the Manchu language has been increasing day by day and has become an iconic symbol of the Jurchen people.
Second, the status of the Manchu language is increasing day by day
As the territory of the Manchus continued to expand, so did the influence of the Manchu language. In 1644, the Manchus invaded Beijing and established the Qing Dynasty. Since then, Manchu has become the "Chinese" of the Qing Dynasty and occupies a dominant position in various fields such as politics and culture.
The Qing emperors were all Manchus, and they used Manchu when issuing edicts and instructions. The ministers of the imperial court must also use Manchu script when they perform documents. At that time, the Manchu language was ubiquitous and supreme.
Even ordinary people had to learn and use the Manchu language. In order to have a way out in society, some Han Chinese have also joined the ranks of learning Manchu. It can be said that Manchu was the dominant language during the Qing Dynasty.
This situation continued until the Qianlong Dynasty. Although the Qianlong Emperor was also a Manchu, he paid more attention to Han culture, believing that the Manchu language should remain pure and should not be assimilated into the Chinese language. As a result, he ordered a large-scale "clean-up" of Chinese loanwords in the Manchu language. However, this did not have the desired effect, but rather accelerated the decline of the Manchu language.
3. The influence of Manchu on the Chinese language
Although Manchu was dominant during the Qing Dynasty, it did not completely replace the Chinese language. On the contrary, under the long-term interaction between the two languages, Manchu also had a profound influence on the Chinese language.
The first is the extensive borrowing of Chinese vocabulary from the Manchu language. Due to the relatively backward Manchu culture, they need to learn from the Han in many fields. As a result, a large number of Chinese vocabulary words have been introduced into the Manchu language and have become an important part of the Manchu vocabulary. This not only enriches the vocabulary of the Manchu language, but also reflects the blending of the two languages and cultures.
Secondly, Manchu also gave birth to a completely new dialect of Chinese - "Qiren dialect". Qiren dialect is the product of the interaction between the Manchu and Chinese languages, which combines the phonetic, lexical and grammatical characteristics of Manchu and Chinese to become a unique form of language. This dialect was widely popular during the Qing Dynasty and can still be found in Beijing and other places today.
Eventually, some words from Manchu were borrowed into the Chinese language and became part of the Chinese vocabulary. For example, words such as "burying", "knocking", and "dingdong" were all introduced into Chinese from Manchu. These words not only enrich the vocabulary of the Chinese language, but also become a witness to the integration of the two languages and cultures.
Fourth, the decline of the Manchu language
Although the Manchu language was once prosperous during the Qing Dynasty, its glory did not last long. From the Qianlong Dynasty onwards, the status of the Manchu language began to decline gradually.
Although Emperor Qianlong was also a Manchu, he paid more attention to Han culture. In order to prevent the assimilation of the Manchu language into the Chinese language, he ordered a large-scale "clean-up" of Chinese loanwords in the Manchu language. However, this did not have the desired effect, but rather accelerated the decline of the Manchu language.
Another important reason was that the Qing Dynasty adopted a policy of "razing against razing" and stationed a large number of Manchus throughout the country. This undoubtedly strengthened the cultural exchange between the Manchus and the Hans, but it also made it easier for the Manchus to be assimilated into the Han culture, thus gradually abandoning the Manchu language.
By the end of the Qing Dynasty, except for some remote areas, the Manchu language had almost disappeared in the Central Plains. After the Xinhai Revolution, the Manchu language completely lost its official status and could only barely survive in some Manchu families. This marked the final decline of the Manchu language, and its former glory can only become a historical memory.
5. The remnants of the Manchu language in the Chinese language
Although the Manchu language eventually declined, its imprint on the Chinese language remains. In fact, modern Chinese retains a large number of lexical and grammatical features from the Manchu language.
In addition to the above-mentioned words such as "burying", "knocking", and "dingdong", there are many Manchu words that we do not know about, which have also been integrated into the Chinese language. For example, the snack "Saqima", and the titles "Ama", "Eniang" and "Gege" in film and television dramas all originate from the Manchu language. These words not only enrich the connotation of the Chinese language, but also witness the integration of the two languages and cultures.
In addition, some Chinese dialects also retain many traces of Manchu. For example, in the Northeast dialect, there are a large number of lexical and grammatical features from the Manchu language. The formation of these dialects is also the result of long-term exchanges between the Manchu and Chinese languages.
It can be said that although the Manchu language itself has disappeared, its influence on the Chinese language has continued to this day. These relics not only enrich the connotation of the Chinese language, but also witness the historical process of the integration of the two languages and cultures. They are like shining seeds, passing down the Manchu gene and integrating it into modern Chinese.
epilogue
The rise and fall of the Manchu language is like a magnificent epic. It was once the "Chinese" of the Qing Dynasty and held a supreme position; it also had a profound influence on the Chinese language, where the two languages and cultures blended with each other; and in the end, it faded away in the long river of history, leaving only some intermittent traces.
However, these traces have become a witness to the blending of two languages and cultures, witnessing a glorious and turbulent history. Whenever we say the words "buryed" and "knocked", the breath of Manchu lingers there.
Whenever we taste the snack of "Saqima", the shadow of Manchu emerges there. Although the Manchu language has disappeared, its spirit still lives on in the Chinese language, and has become an eternal witness to the fusion of the two cultures.
This is the story of the Manchu language, a story of prosperity and decline. Its demise may be a historical inevitability, but the traces it left in the Chinese language have forever become a witness to the blending of the two cultures. This kind of cultural blending is the inevitable result of historical development and an important embodiment of the progress of human civilization.