Brushtalk is a form of written communication using Literary Chinese to facilitate diplomatic and casual discussions between people of the countries in the Sinosphere, which include China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
History
Brushtalk was first used in China as a way to engage in "silent conversations".
Beginning from the
Sui dynasty (581 to 618), the scholars from China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam could use their mastery of Classical Chinese (;
kanbun; ; Vietnamese:
, chữ Hán: )
to communicate without any prior knowledge of spoken Chinese.
The earliest and initial accounts of Sino-Japanese brushtalks date back to during the Sui dynasty.
The Vietnamese revolutionary Phan Bội Châu () in 1905-1906 conducted several brushtalks with several other Chinese revolutionaries such as Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) and reformist Liang Qichao (梁啓超) in Japan during his Đông Du movement ().
During one brushtalk between Phan Bội Châu and ,
About a hundred of Phan Bội Châu's brushtalks in Japan can be found in Phan Bội Châu's book, Chronicles of Phan Sào Nam (; chữ Hán: ).
There are several instances in the Chronicles of Phan Sào Nam that mentions brushtalks were used to communicate.
Pseudo-Chinese
during his visit to Beijing in 2019 tweeted his schedule, but only using Chinese characters (no kana) as a way of connecting with Chinese followers. While the text is not like Chinese nor is it like Japanese, it was fairly understandable by Chinese speakers. It is a good example of [[Pseudo-Chinese]] and how the two countries can somewhat communicate with each other with writing. The tweet resembled how brushtalks were used in the past.
Examples
One famous example of brushtalk is a conversation between a Vietnamese envoy (Phùng Khắc Khoan; ) and a Korean envoy (
Yi Su-gwang; ) meeting in
Beijing to wish prosperity for the
Wanli Emperor (1597).
The envoys exchanged dialogue and poems between each other.
These poems followed traditional metrics which was made up of eight seven-syllable lines (七言律詩). It is noted by Yi Su-gwang that out of the 23 people in 's delagation, only one person knew spoken Chinese meaning that the rest had to either use brushtalks or an interpreter to communicate.
Two Poems in Presentation to the Envoys of Annam (贈安南國使臣二首) – Korean question
These poems were compiled in the eighth volume () of Yi Su-gwang's book, Jibongseonsaengjip ().
贈安南國使臣其一 A Presentation to the Envoys of Annam, Part One
- Hanja:
- 萬里來從瘴癘鄕
- 遠憑重譯謁君王
- 提封漢代新銅柱
- 貢獻周家舊越裳
- 山出異形饒象骨
- 地蒸靈氣產龍香
- 卽今中國逢神聖
- 千載風恬海不揚
|
- Sino-Korean transcription:
|
- Revised Romanization:
- Man ri rae jong jang ryeo hyang
- Won bing jung yeok al gun wang
- Je bong han dae sin dong ju
- Gong heon ju ga gu wol sang
- San chul i hyeong yo sang gol
- Ji jeung ryeong gi san yong hyang
- Jeuk geum jung guk bong sin seong
- Cheon jae pung nyeom hae bul yang
|
- Sino-Vietnamese transcription:
|
- English translation:
- From a land of mists and plagues, they have come from ten thousand miles away
- Relying on skilled translation, paying respects to the king
- Presenting a newly cast bronze pillar from the Han Dynasty
- Offering tribute, presenting the ancient attire of Việt Thường from the Zhou's lineage
- Mountains yield strange forms, abundant are the bones of elephants
- The earth steams with spiritual energy, producing the fragrance of dragons
- Nowadays China encounters the divine and sacred
- A thousand years of calm winds, the sea does not ripple
|
贈安南國使臣其二 A Presentation to the Envoys of Annam, Part Two
- Hanja:
- 聞君家在九眞居
- 水驛山程萬里餘
- 休道衣冠殊制度
- 却將文字共詩書
- 來因獻雉通蠻徼
- 貢爲包茅覲象輿
- 回首炎州歸路遠
- 有誰重作指南車
|
- Sino-Korean transcription:
|
- Revised Romanization:
- Mun gun ga jae gu jin gi
- Su yeok san jeong man ri yeo
- Hyu do ui gwan su je do
- Gak jang mun ja gong si seo
- Rae in heon chi tong man yo
- Gong wi po mo geun sang yeo
- Hoe su yeom ju gwi ro won
- Yu su jung jak ji nam cha
|
- Sino-Vietnamese transcription:
|
- English translation:
- I've heard your home is in Jiuzhen's dwelling
- A journey of ten thousand miles beyond water stations and mountains
- Do not speak of the different customs in attire and hats
- Instead, let us share words and poetic texts
- You came because of tribute to exchange pheasants through barbarian territories
- Your offerings of tribute become tokens of humble respect and conveyance of imperial significance
- Looking back, the return route to Yanzhou is distant
- Who will once again construct the south-pointing chariot?
|
Reply to the Envoy of Joseon, Yi Su-gwang (答朝鮮國使李睟光) - Vietnamese response
These poems were complied in Phùng Khắc Khoan's book, Mai Lĩnh sứ hoa thi tập ().
答朝鮮國使李睟光其一 Reply to the Envoy of Joseon, Yi Su-gwang, Part One
- Chữ Hán:
- 異域同歸禮義鄉
- 喜逢今日共來王
- 趨朝接武殷冠哻
- 觀國瞻光舜冕裳
- 宴饗在庭沾帝澤
- 歸來滿袖惹天香
- 唯君子識眞君子
- 幸得詩中一表揚
|
- Sino-Vietnamese transcription:
|
- Sino-Korean transcription:
|
- Revised Romanization:
- I yeok dong gwi rye ui hyang
- Hui bong geum il gong rae wang
- Chu jo jeop mu eun gwan han
- Gwan guk cheom gwang sun myeon sang
- Yeon hyang jae jeong cheom je taek
- Gwi rae man su ya cheon hyang
- Yu gun ja sik jin gun ja
- Haeng deuk si jung il pyo yang
|
- English translation:
- From different lands, yet arriving at the same place of courtesy and righteousness
- Joyously encountering today's gathering before the king
- Hastening to court, meeting with honoured headgear and wide-brimmed hats
- Observing the state, gazing upon the splendor of the imperial attire,
- Feasting in the court, sharing in the grace of the emperor
- Returning with sleeves full of the fragrance of heaven
- Only true Junzi can recognize genuine Junzi
- Fortunate to be praised in poetry with a single verse
|
答朝鮮國使李睟光其二 Reply to the Envoy of Joseon, Yi Su-gwang, Part Two
- Chữ Hán:
- 義安何地不安居
- 禮接誠交樂有餘
- 彼此雖殊山海域
- 淵源同一聖賢書
- 交鄰便是信為本
- 進德深惟敬作輿
- 記取使軺回國日
- 東南五色望雲車
|
- Sino-Vietnamese transcription:
|
- Sino-Korean transcription:
|
- Revised Romanization:
- Ui an ha ji bul an gi
- Rye jeop seong gyo rak yu yeo
- Pi cha su su san hae yeok
- Yeon won dong il seong hyeon seo
- Gyo rin pyeon si sin wi bon
- Jin deok sim yu gyeong jak yeo
- Gi chwi sa cho hoe guk il
- Dong nam o saek mang un cha
|
- English translation:
- Wherever one may reside, Uian is a place of tranquillity
- Through etiquette and sincere friendship, there's ample joy
- Though our origins differ by mountains and seas,
- Our deep connection stems from the teachings of sages
- Being good neighbors is rooted in trust
- Advancing virtues requires profound respect
- Remembering the day when the envoy departs for his homeland
- In the southeast, five-coloured clouds herald the return of the chariot
|
Brushtalk with Lê Quý Đôn and I Sangbong
Another encounter with Korean envoy (I Sangbong; ) and Vietnamese envoy (Lê Quý Đôn; chữ Hán: ) on 30 December 1760, led to a brushtalk about the dress customs of Đại Việt (), it was recorded in the third volume of the book, Bugwollok (),
I Sangbong was fascinated with the Vietnamese custom of teeth blackening after seeing the Vietnamese envoys with blackened teeth.
A passage in the book, Jowanbyeokjeon (), also mentions these customs,
The author Jo Wanbyeok () was sold to the Japanese by the Korean military, but since he was excellent in reading Chinese characters, the Japanese traders brought him along. From there, he was able to visit Vietnam and was treated as a guest by Vietnamese officials. His biography, Jowanbyeokjeon records his experiences and brushtalks with the Vietnamese.
Brushtalks between Japanese and Vietnamese
, a journalist working in Vietnam noted that he held brushtalks with locals in his book, The Indoshina monogatari,
In the 18th century Japanese book, Annan-koku Hyōryū-ki, mentions a drifter's account in Annam.
A letter sent from Nguyễn Hoàng (chữ Hán: 阮潢) to in 1607 shows the diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam during that period. The letter reads,
In media
-
A scene in The Partner, a 2013 Japanese-Vietnamese historical film, showed a brushtalk between Phan Bội Châu and .
-
In the 2006 Japanese television drama Attention Please, episode 2 features a scene where Yōko Misaki (played by Aya Ueto) interacts with a Chinese traveler. They attempt to communicate using Chinese characters.
See also
-
Adoption of Chinese literary culture
-
Classical Chinese
Notes
External links
