Journal of Sinology

The Decade of “Belt and Road Initiative” and the Promotion of Chinese Language Education

Suppakorn KHONKHLONG, Paneeya KRADUMPORN, Maneeporn SAKSOONG — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Since 2013, when the People's Republic of China announced the “Belt and Road initiative”, it has driven and linked itself to various regions, including Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Over the past decade, this initiative has promoted the expansion and continuous development of Chinese language education in these regions. This effort is part of a broader plan known as "people-to-people bonds," which is one of the five major initiatives under the “Belt and Road initiative”. This plan focuses on supporting and developing Chinese language education, believing that teaching Chinese will lead to a correct understanding of China and benefit the strategy's implementation. Thus, Chinese language education serves as a bridge towards sustainable connections between countries and plays a crucial role in the “Belt and Road initiative”. Therefore, educational institutions and institutes that offer Chinese language courses should take advantage of this opportunity to find ways to develop and adapt their teaching methods in response to changing economic conditions.

Teaching Competence and Its Affecting Factors of Local Chinese Teachers in Middle Schools in Thailand

Caijun LIN — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The purposes of this research were to reveal the current situation, main problems, reasons and influencing factors of the teaching competence of local Chinese teachers in middle schools in Thailand. This research applied the method of combining questionnaire survey and interview, from the five dimensions of the basic knowledge and skills of Chinese, Chinese communicative competence, Chinese culture and intercultural communication, classroom teaching and organization, and classroom management investigated and analyzed the teaching competence of local Chinese teachers in middle schools in Thailand, and discussed the correlation between their Chinese teaching competence and the factors such as their Chinese level, teaching years, age, educational background and majors studied. The study shows that: 1) The overall teaching competence of local Chinese teachers in middle schools is relatively high, but their teaching competence in Chinese communicative competence is average, and their teaching competence in Chinese culture and intercultural communication and Chinese basic knowledge and skills is not high enough; 2) Local Chinese teachers in middle schools have various specific problems in all dimensions of teaching competence, and the reasons are complex and diverse; 3) The teaching competence of local Chinese teachers in middle schools is significantly related to their Chinese level and majors, but not to their age, teaching years and educational background. Based on the results of this study, we put forward some suggestions to promote the development of the teaching competence of local Chinese teachers in middle schools in Thailand.

The Sentence Rearrangement Errors in HSK Level 5 of Third-Year Chinese Major Students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkhla University

Saksorn BOPROM, Aticha PETRATTANAMUNEE, Thitiwan CHEEWAWIPHAS — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The aim of this study was to examine the sentence rearrangement errors of 52 third-year Chinese major students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkhla University, during the 2020 academic year as well as to identify the underlying causes of these errors. To accomplish these objectives, their writing responses to the 16 questions in the HSK level 5 exam were analyzed based on criteria including syntax and semantic relationships, logical reasoning, and Chinese character writing skills.

The findings showed that the students faced challenges in four areas, including word order at both (1) the phrase and (2) the sentence levels, (3) logical reasoning, and (4) stroke order and stroke count when writing Chinese characters. Among these, the word order of 把（ba-sentence）was the most frequently identified issue. Additionally, the three causes of the challenges were discovered as follows: (1) Inadequacy of understanding target language grammar which was the most commonly reported cause, (2) L1 negative transfer, (3) unreasonable meaning, and (4) irrelevant Chinese characters in the questions.

The Factors influencing Thai CFL Learners’ Understanding of the Correct Selection of Chinese Confusing Words through Reading HSK 5 Passages

Nititaya SOONTORNTHAMNITI — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This research investigates the factors influencing Thai Chinese Foreign Language (CFL) Learners understanding the correct selection of Chinese confusing words through reading HSK 5 passages. The focus is on answering the research question: What factors contribute to the correct selection of Chinese confusing words? This research employs mixed method approach, collecting the data by asking the learners to complete reading exercises taken from HSK5 test. The researcher utilizes confusing words concept and cognitive semantics perspective as framework of data analysis.
From the result, four aspects associated with Thai CFL Learners’ understanding of the correct selection of Chinese confusing words were revealed. These include understanding 1) the conceptual meaning (理性意义) and sense of meaning (义项), 2) the use of context-specific vocabulary, i.e., related words or synonym, corresponding pairs(词语搭配); the emotion of the words (感情色彩), 3) the use of words in relationship linkage structures, including cause and effect, as well as conflict, which is evident or appears with clear pronouns, and 4) the use of words through a consistent concept, involving thought, daily life situation, and seasons. In conclusion, Thai CFL Learners are able to identify and use Chinese confusing words correctly when the words appear in a clear context and align with compatible conceptual framework. The results further suggest that focusing on utilizing the concept of Chinese confusing words and conceptualization in teaching and learning will contribute to developing Thai CFL Learners’ skills and abilities in using Chinese vocabulary.

Role Model of “Good” or “Highly Esteemed" People in the Chinese Didactic Literary Work “Caigen tan” and the Thai Didactic Literary Work “Klong Lokanitti”

Srisupang THANAWATSATCHASERI, Suree CHOONHARUANDEJ — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This article aims to study and compare the similarities and differences between the characteristics of junzi and “(nak) prat/pundit” as used in the didactic literary works Caigen tan and Klong Lokanitti respectively. The results find that the two terms are quite similar regarding their personality traits, that is, being a person of thinking and wisdom, morality, honesty, etc. In terms of their differences, due to the influence of three lines of philosophical thought, namely Confucius, Taoism, and Buddhism in Chinese society, and the influence of Buddhist doctrines in Thai society, it may be divided into 3 points, namely: 1) Chinese society emphasizes teaching principles of conduct for the peaceful coexistence of people in society according to Confucius' guidelines, regardless of one’s family background, whereas in Thai society, some people still believe that being a pundit runs in the family. It is innate wisdom without being taught by anyone; 2) Chinese society emphasizes living a simple, moderate way of life following the Taoist principles, whereas Thai society emphasizes knowing how to assess people and how to behave ourselves; 3) Chinese society emphasizes letting go and not be attached to all things following the Zen Buddhist philosophy, whereas Thai society emphasizes faith in the Dhamma and the learning and seeking of Dhamma teachings. Therefore, it may be concluded that the good role models that are admirable in both works are similar in essence, with only minor differences in details.

Error Analysis of the Chinese Noun Quantifier “ge” by Thai Learners of Chinese in China

Khosawan KONGKAMNERD — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The present study investigates errors in the use of “ge” （个）, a frequently used Chinese noun modifier, by Thai learners of Chinese in China. I analyzed 374 essays (totaling 75,241 characters) written by Thai learners of Chinese from the HSK Dynamic Composition Corpus ver2.0. The analysis focused on occurrences and types of errors in “ge” usage. Results identified four main error types: incorrect reference, omission, incorrect addition, and typos. The first two errors were most prominent, suggesting difficulties for some Thai learners in using “ge” contextually. Additionally, inconsistencies were found in the use of simplified and traditional Chinese characters for “ge.” This study emphasizes the need for instructional strategies that help Thai learners of Chinese understand the nuanced use of “ge” in various contexts.

The Interpret of the Principle of “Chinese-Style Democracy” in the Xi Jinping Era on the Principles of the Western Neoliberalism

Thareerat PRACHOOMSAN, Pornpawis LHAPEERAKUL — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This research constitutes a qualitative inquiry, employing a methodology reliant on the examination of pertinent academic literature to conduct analysis and draw conclusions. Its primary objective is to investigate the evolution and tenets of neoliberal democracy, the principles of “Chinese-Style Democracy” during the tenure of Xi Jinping, and the interpretation thereof. This inquiry seeks to juxtapose the principles of “Chinese-Style Democracy” during Xi Jinping's era with those of neoliberal democracy prevalent in the Western world, across three distinct perspectives: economic, societal, and international political realms.

The study found that democracy becomes the best democracy when all interests taken by the government as a representative of the people are acutely distributed to all people, not taken by a few groups. The interpretation of the principle of “Chinese-Style Democracy” in the Xi Jinping era on the principles of the western Neoliberalism, are both similar and different perspectives as the result of historical context, economics, politics, and diversity of cultures.

Therefore, Firstly, economic perspective, China agrees with the free market as a tool for developing country, they encourage ownership of capital, and the right to manage resources but also control property and resource accumulation as individuals. However, the government should play a role in economic activities and interference in some part of economic to ensure that all people receive basic social welfare and social security. Next, social perspective, Neoliberal democracy focuses on rights, freedom, and the pursuit of opportunities from individual abilities, social development is driven by democracy. However, China uses democracy as a tool to solve social problems. China's democracy is representative of the people who truly care about the interests of the people. Developing society to improve equality in society, the development is also adaptable to social change. In the view of public interest, people should have equal opportunities to access, rather than individual abilities. People have rights and freedoms within an appropriate framework. Lastly, the international political perspective, in the point of view of China found that the quest to determine whether a country is a true democracy should be judged by the standards of its people based on the rule of law. Democracy in practice and respect for other people's democratic as well.

The Study of the Structure and Meaning of the Word “走 (zǒu)” as a Component in Chinese Language

Marisa SEACHENG — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The research aims to study the structure of the Chinese words that have the word “走(zǒu)” as a component, and to study the meaning of the word “走(zǒu)” in the words as well as to analyze the relation between the structure and the meaning of the words that are consisted of “走(zǒu)”

The result of the study shows that the grammatical structures of the words that are consisted of the word “走(zǒu)” both in the form of “走+X” and “X+走” cam be categorized in 4 groups which are verb – object, verb – complement, extension – main word, and parallel structures. The verb – object structure is the main format structure of the words that are consisted of “走(zǒu)”

From the study of the meaning of the word “走(zǒu)” as a component, it shows that there are 18 different meanings which are 1) the action of moving forward of human, land animals, and bird, 2) to run, 3) to walk quickly, 4) to move, to be moved, and the occurrence of movement, 5) the tendency and the possibilities of something, 6) to leave, 7) to go, 8) to escape, 9) to visit, 10) the leak or to transpire, 11) to change or losing the original form, 12) to be not accurate or distorted, 13) to mistake or fault, 14) to travel, 15) to wander, 16)to do something, to carry out, or to act, 17) to meet or to run into something, and 18) to transport or to deliver. The study also discovers 5 groups of the meanings which are not included in the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary and Chángyòng gòucí zìdiǎn which are the meaning in group 3, 12, 13, 15, and 18.

The result of the study of the structure and meaning of the words with “走(zǒu)” as a component suggests that the structure and meaning are significantly related for instance, the structure of verb – object (走+Noun) with same type of object tend to have relatively the same meaning.

Analysis of Cross-cultural Communication Misunderstandings between China and Thailand from the Perspective of Performed Culture Approach (PCA)

Chao MA — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This article analyzes the misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication between China and Thailand. It begins by providing a brief overview of the cross-cultural history between China and Thailand, and then employs methods such as literature review, comparative analysis, and inductive deduction to illustrate examples of cultural differences between the two. Additionally, concepts like "cultural stories" and the "five elements of communicative behaviors analysis" proposed by Galal Walker are introduced to offer fresh perspectives on cross-cultural misunderstandings in Sino-Thai communication. These analyses are connected to the cultural education aspects of Chinese teaching in Thailand, aiming to provide references and further analytical insights in this field.

Time Metaphors of Local Words Qian and Hou in Mandarin Chinese and Thai

Ornisa URAPEEPATANAPONG — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This article applies the theory of cognitive metaphor to explaining spatial concepts and time metaphors in actual use in the Mandarin Chinese and Thai languages. The preliminary analysis indicates that the spatial concepts of “Qian” (front) and “Hou” (back) can be all used as time metaphors in Mandarin Chinese and Thai. Therefore, this article focuses on the study of the similarities and differences between Qian and Hou in Mandarin Chinese and [naː41]and [laŋ24] in Thai. Hopefully, the research results will be beneficial in teaching Mandarin Chinese and Thai to foreigners.

An Analysis of Semantic Relation of Aspect Markers in Chinese and Thai

Tawan KANGWANSURAKRAI, Theerawat THEERAPOJJANEE — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Chinese and Thai are the languages that do not have a grammatical category of tense nor verb conjugation to express sense of time. Because of specific features of each language, some categories classifications and meaning explanations cannot completely correspond with the other language. At present the concept of comparing meanings of Chinese and Thai aspect markers and their aspectual meanings is still insufficient. Moreover, Thai learners who study Chinese learn Chinese and Thai aspect markers by translating the meanings of the markers from textbooks or dictionaries. This results in unable to completely comprehend or misunderstand the real meanings. Therefore, this article presents the concept that can classify Chinese and Thai aspect markers and their aspectual meanings including analyzing criterion and defining aspect markers to specify relation types between Chinese and Thai aspect markers.

According to the study, it is found that there are three semantic relations of aspect markers in Chinese and Thai. 1. The corresponding of Chinese and Thai aspect markers in terms of their definitions and usages. 2. The similarity of aspect markers’ definition and usage in Chinese and Thai. 3. The unique characteristics of aspect markers’ definition and usage in Chinese and Thai.

Research on Chinese Network Harmonized Words

Minghui XU, Kanokporn NUMTONG — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This study delves into the phenomenon of homophonic words in the Chinese online variety show "I CAN I BIBI" focusing on seasons 1 to 7. Reviewing the program's background and success, the paper emphasizes the extensive use of homophonic words in the debate segment, adding a humorous touch to the show. Existing research on homophonic words in "I CAN I BIBI" is limited, lacking systematic classification and comprehensive summaries. Through systematic analysis, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the origins and functions of online homophonic words, offering new cases and classification methods for rhetorical studies. The significance of this research lies in advancing the study of online homophonic words and providing experience and references for future research on online language phenomena. Utilizing humor theory, face theory, multilingual space theory, and methods such as film data analysis, literature review, and corpus analysis, this paper aims to thoroughly explore the language phenomenon of online homophonic words and provide valuable insights for theoretical discussions and practical applications. In summary, the study summarizes the number as well as the distribution of online harmonic words in seasons 1-7 of "I CAN I BIBI", refines the classification of the reverse use of harmonics in existing foreign languages, and further proposes the innovative classification of image harmonic words. Harmonized words demonstrate Chinese linguistic wisdom and sense of humor, reflecting rich hieroglyphic thinking and creative linguistic structures, while pursuing phonetic beauty and artistic expression, deepening international audiences' understanding and perception of Chinese culture.

Ideas for the Construction of Chinese-Thai e-Tandem Course with the Aim of Creating a Target Language Environment

Xinhui LU, Bei LU, Teavakorn KHUMSAT — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The acquisition of a foreign language within a native linguistic context holds significant importance for non-native speakers. Presently, the Thai Language major at Nanjing Tech University Pujiang Institute confronts challenges, notably the scarcity of Thai language instructors and the limited duration of study programs in Thailand. These factors undermine the efficacy of learning within the target language environment. In response, the Thai Language major has initiated the integration of e-Tandem learning, a method that facilitates remote language learning with native speakers. This approach is designed to augment practical language practice within the native linguistic context and assist learners in enhancing their language proficiency. This article commences with an analysis of the e-Tandem learning method, highlighting its benefits and delineating its constraints. Subsequently, it proposes a framework for the construction of a Chinese + Thai e-Tandem course. The framework encompasses several key components, including the setting teaching objectives, the teaching and operation models, the articulation of teaching content and plans, and the methodologies for feedback and assessment. These elements collectively aim to optimize the learning experience and achieve a balanced and effective bilingual educational program.