A translation of the excerpt about Yuan rimebooks from Wang Li given previously

["Dylan Sung" <dylanwhs@ukgateway.net>]

I've had a request to translate the passage given earlier because the inquirer
couldn't read Chinese on their computer.

I hope my translation is accurate, as I have no formal schooling in the Chinese
language.

Cheers,
Dylan.

===================================================


第七章 元代音系 (1279-1368)

Chapter 7 Yuan Dynasty's Phonetic System

本章講元代音系，主要是根據周德清《中原音韻》和桌從之《中州音韻》。
這兩部書的音系統完全相同。所以同時應用這兩部書的材料。

This chapter discusses the phonology of the Yuan Dynasty, in particular
according to Zhou DeQing's "ZhongYuan YinYun" (Rhymes of the Central Plains) and
Zhuo Congzhi's "ZhongZhou YinYun" (Rhymes of the Central Plains).

周德清的《中原音韻》書成於1324年，刊行在1333年以後，桌從之的
《中州音韻》成書年月未詳，但是1351年四川楊朝英《朝野新聲太平樂府》前面
提到“燕山卓氏《北腔韻類》”，這《北腔韻類》就是《中州樂府音韻類編》，
也就是《中州音韻》，從前有人說卓氏的《中州音韻》是根據周德清
《中原音韻》修改的，此說不可靠。

Zhou DeQing's "ZhongYuan YinYun" was completed in 1324, and published from 1333,
Zhuo Congzhi's "ZhongZhou YinYun" completion date is unknown, but in 1351
Sichuan Province Yang ChaoYing's "ChaoYe XinSheng TaiPing YueFu" (Court and
Commoner "New Sounds Great Peace" Ballads and Songs) mentions at the start,
"YanShan ZhuoShi (Mr. Zhuo from Swallow Mountain's "BeiQiang YunLei" (Northern
Accent Rhyme List)", this BeiQiang YunLei is "ZhongZhou YueFu YinYunLei Bian"
(Compendium of Rhymes for Ballad and Songs of the Central Plains), which is
"ZhongZhou YinYun", in the past, there were some who said that Mr. Zhuo's
ZhongZhou YinYun was revised and based upon Zhou DeQing's ZhongYuan YinYun, but
this is unreliable.


周德清《中原音韻》應該代表大都（今北京）的語言系統。周氏雖是江西高安人，
但是他在大都居住久，而且是搞戲劇的，他的《中原音韻》必然是根據大都音
的。元曲用韻與《中原音韻》完全一致，足以證明《中原音韻》是大都音。

Zhou DeQing's ZhongYuan YinYun is supposed to represent the sounds of DaDou (now
Beijing) 's phonological system. Mr. Zhou was from GaoAn in Jiangsu Province,
but he lived in DaDou for a long time. Moreover, he was involved with the stage.
His ZhongYuan YinYun is certainly based upone the sounds of DaDou. The rhymes
employed in YuanQu (popular Yuan verse) and ZhongYuan YinYun are exactly the
same, which confirms that ZhongYuan YinYun is the DaDou accent.

《中州樂府音韻類編》沒有反切，並且分陰字，陽字，陰陽字三類；
《中原音韻》有反切雖未必是桌從之所作，既然它和《中原音韻》的語言系統相
符合，即可以利用它來證明元代的大都音。本章的反切例證，用的是
《中州音韻》的反切。

ZhongZhou YueFu YinYun LeiBian does not have fanqie (initial-ending
representation of Chinese syllables), but instead separates into three
characters of characters, YinZi (vowel ending), YangZi (ends in -m, -m, -ng) and
YinYangZi. ZhongYuan YinYun does have fanqie, but it is not necessarily Zhuo
CongZhi's. Since it and ZhongYuan YinYun's phonological systems are virtually
the same, it is possible to use it to authenticate the sounds of Yuan Dynasty
DaDou sounds. This chapter's fanqie exmaples come from ZhongZhou YinYun's
fanqie.