On the Character傳

Whether you’re spreading rumors or legends， you need 傳古往今來多少事，一部青史一傳說.

It’s said that a legend is simply a rumor with stamina. Immersed in the mundane details of the everyday， people need a virtual， magical word for sweet respite. An imaginary universe， heroic characters， magic， and exciting adventures—there’s no limit to the wizardry of escapism. In Chinese， the word for legend is 傳奇 （chu1nq！）， with 奇 （q！） meaning “strange， unusual， or extraordinary，” but it’s with the passage， or 傳 （chu1n）， of these legends that we shall concern ourselves.

The traditional version of 傳 is 傳， which was originally a noun， pronounced as zhu3n， referring to postal carriages in ancient times. It is a pictophonetic character， with the “people” radical “亻” indicating the meaning， the postman， while

專 serves as the pronunciation guide.

Gradually， this term was extended to serve as a verb， meaning to hand something from one person to another， or from one generation to the next. This leads to the term 祖傳秘方 （z^chu1n m#f`ng）， a secret prescription handed down from an early ancestor of the family； or 傳經送寶 （chu1nj～ng s7ngb2o）， to pass on one’s valuable experience. On a sports team， there is the term 傳幫帶 （chu1n b`ng d3i）， which consists of three one-character verbs： pass， help， and lead， which refers to the tradition of veterans helping rookies. The idiom 傳宗接代 （chu1nz4ng ji8d3i） means to have a son to carry on one’s family name.

Passing or handing down information with the character 傳 can be broader； for this meaning， we have the word 傳播 （chu1nb4， spread， publicize， disseminate）. For example， 傳播謠言 （chu1nb4 y1oy1n） is “to spread rumors，” while rumor itself can be translated into 傳言 （chu1ny1n）. It is said that bad news has wings， and Chinese has a similar proverb： “好事不出門，壞事傳千里。（H2osh# b ch$m9n， hu3ish# chu1n qi`nl@. Good news never goes beyond the gate； while bad news spreads far and wide.）”

傳 can also mean “express” or “convey.” Language isn’t the only way one might express oneself. Lovers convey their feelings through eye contact， which is called 眉目傳情 （m9im chu1n q！ng， flash amorous glances）； vivid imagery in writing and painting can also express strong emotions， so it is called 傳神之筆 （chu1nsh9n zh～ b@， pen that conveys spirit）. If something is too subtle or profound to be conveyed， you can say 其中奧妙，不可言傳。（Q！zh4ng 3omi3o， bk0 y1nchu1n. What lies within defies all description.）

In modern Chinese， we have the word 傳染 （chu1nr2n， infect， be contagious）. It can be used for disease， as in， 她怕把病傳染給孩子。（T` p3 b2 b#ng chu1nr2n g0i h1izi. She was afraid of giving the disease to her child.） Emotions， feelings， and atmospheres are also contagious. You can say， 他的熱情傳染給了和他一起工作的每一個人。（T` de r-q！ng chu1nr2n g0i le h9 t` y#q@ g4ngzu7 de m0i y！ g- r9n. His enthusiasm infected everyone who worked with him.）”

As zhuan， this character is a noun with three meanings. The first meaning is “commentary on classics.” For example， Confucian classics and the scholarly commentaries on them

are called 經傳 （j～ngzhu3n）. The second meaning refers to biographies， which， as part ancient Chinese history texts， are called 列傳 （li-zhu3n）； autobiography is 自傳 （z#zhu3n） and a profile or biographical sketch is called 小傳 （xi2ozhu3n）. The last meaning is “novel or story written in a historical style.” One example is the book 《水滸傳》 （Shu@h^ Zhu3n）， one of China’s four great classics， translated as Outlaws of the Marsh.

Proverbs involving zhuan include 言歸正傳 （y1ngu～ zh-ngzhu3n）， meaning “to come back to the story” or “return to the subject”； 樹碑立傳 （shb8i l#zhu3n， to write a biography and build a monument for somebody） refers to actions that boost one’s prestige and popularity， often used pejoratively， as in， 他那半真半假的回憶錄不過是給自己樹碑立傳而已。（T` n3 b3n zh8n b3n ji2 de hu！y#l b%gu7 sh# g0i z#j@ shb8i l#zhu3n 9ry@. His memoirs of half-truth and outright invention were just to build up his own image.） If you refer someone as 名不見經傳 （m！ng b% ji3n j～ngzhu3n， name not found in the classical canon）， you mean that he or she is not a well-known figure， or more directly， is a nobody.

So， with a little help， you now know how to tell legends， encourage teammates， and write an autobiography—not bad for a little character about an ancient postal service.