Description
Book SynopsisChina is home to one of the largest and oldest societies in the world, and presently contains fifty-six ethnic groups. Among them is the Zhuang, the largest of the minority populations, which partakes in a very long history of preliterate oral traditions. This volume presents an introduction to Zhuang language and culture in Zhuang proverbs. The two thousand proverbs explored in this text bear the weight of Zhuang history and culture, and embody the wisdom collected from publications, manuscripts, and the speeches of the people who live in Zhuang villages. These proverbs are grouped into nine sections: Truths; Morality; Family; Everyday Life; Social Life; Labor; Nature; Customs; and Politics. Together, they form an essential distillation of the Zhuang history, tradition, philosophy, and most importantly, its legacy. This accessible introduction which includes translations in Zhuang Pinyin letters, Mandarin, and American English for each proverb provides an important corpus for the
Trade Review
«The book will be of obvious interest to those who enjoy collections of translated proverbs from other cultures. lt will also be important to any library that builds collections related to China or related to proverbs and associated folklore.»
(Peter Unseth, Proverbium 34/2017)
Table of Contents
Preface – Introduction – Saeh Leix 事理 Truths – Coih Ndang 修养 Morality – Ndaw Ranz 家庭 Family – Gwndaenj 生活 Everyday Life – Doxgyau 社交 Social Life – Guh Hong 生产 Labor – Gwnzbiengz 自然 Nature – Mbanj Ranz 乡土 Customs – Haenh Guek 时政 Politics – Glossary – Notes – Index.
