Muwa Gisun Section One

“Plain talking”
Leping’s [notebook]

discourse 1
What banner are you, young man?
I am in the Manchu bordered red banner.
Which regiment?
The first regiment.
Whose company?
Sioiking’s (Xuqing’s) company.
What is your clan?
Tatara.
What is your name?
Leping.
How old are you?
Eleven.
How many people are there in your house?
There are nine people in my house.
What is your status now?
I am an idle soldier.
Can you shoot from a stance?
I cannot yet shoot from a stance.
Can you shoot from horseback?
I cannot yet shoot from horseback.
Can you read?
I can read now.
Which books are you reading?
I read Manchu and Chinese books.
Which Chinese books are you reading?
I have read the Four Books and the Classic of Poetry.
Have you finished reading the Classic of Poetry?
I have still not finished reading it.
Which Manchu books are you reading?
I have read “The Story of the Queue.” Now I am also reading “Plain Talking.”
What “Plain Talking” are you reading?
Created by our teacher, the one in front of your eyes, “Plain Speaking” conversation.
Have you not read the Classic of History, the Classic of Changes, the Liji, or the Chunqiu?
I have not read them yet.
Why haven’t you read them?
Once I have finished reading the Classic of Poetry, I will read the Liji. My teacher would probably not let me read any other book.
Have you learned all the Manchu letters?
I have learned them all.
Do you know all the Chinese characters?
There are some Chinese characters I know, and others I don’t know. I can’t know them all. It’s fine just to know the ones in front of you.
Can you write?
I can write.
Which scripts can you write?
I am able to write both Manchu and Chinese scripts.
How many people are there in your school?
There are a dozen or so people in my school.
Is there writing of essays?
No.
Is there translating of pieces?
Yes.
Is there writing of poetry?
No.
Is there translation into Chinese?
Yes.
What time do you go to school every day?
I go to school at dawn every day.
What time do you leave school?
Leave-taking happens early at my school. The rules at my school are different from those at other schools. Whoever finishes his lesson first is the first to leave. If you don’t finish your lesson, then even if it gets to be evening you still can’t go home. Since my lessons are few and also easy, I always go home first.
Have you done any textual exegesis, young man?
Not yet.
Why does your teacher not give you an explication of texts?
He will eventually.
Can you understand everything when a text is explained to you?
Parts I understand, parts I don’t. When it gets to things that are a little deep and specialized, then I don’t really understand completely.
Sir, once you truly study with devout intent and exhaust yourself in it, then you will come to comprehend naturally. Just don’t keep taking time off.
Yes, sir. The rules at my school are very strict. Even if you are done you still aren’t allowed to ask for time off. Even if I tell my teacher I’m done, no matter what, it is impossible to leave, not to mention get time off.

Introduction