Manchu-Chinese Zidi Shu “Eating the Crab”. Translation from Manchu and Chinese, Introduction and Commentaries

The origin of the Manchu written texts is connected with the introduction of Manchu script in the early 17th century. Some literary texts, shamanic songs and popular tales are classified under the original literature of the Manchus. During the Qing dynasty existed an unusual genre of short anecdotes zidi shu 子弟书 (“youth books”) which was popular among bannermen and was recited in the tea houses of Beijing, Shenyang and other cities. The texts are written in a mixed Manchu-Chinese language where Manchu words are transcribed in Chinese characters. A rare zidi shu titled “Eating the Crab” was introduced by Stephen Wadley in 1991 in facsimile and English translation. The Manchu words are given in Manchu script and are accompanied by their Chinese translation. The text describes the everyday life of a bannerman family: the husband and his wife do not know how to cook and eat a crab, their aunt comes to save the situation. The whole description is given in a humorous way, and was definitely popular among the visitors of the tea houses. The text is interesting for linguists as an example of a mixed language. It may attract the attention of ethnologists as it gives detailed descriptions of female costume and everyday life scenes. The article presents a Russian translation of the zidi shu with commentaries.