Which readings are used for 漢文？


If I am reading a Chinese text to a Japanese audience, how can I know which
reading to use for each character? Of the 音読み, there can be 呉音, 漢音, and 唐音 to
choose from.

Also for pronunciation, would rhythm be modified to stress individual
characters in deference to their monosyllabic origin in Chinese speech?

(I am a beginner and have no background on this topic.)

For example if I was trying to impress a Japanese Buddhist scholar by reciting
the ｢般若心経」, a classical Buddhist text written in Chinese, how would I pick the
readings for the first sentence: 「観自在菩薩行深般若波羅蜜多時、照見五蘊皆空、度一切苦厄。」 As far as I
know there is no Japanese translation with words rearranged and inserted. This
is probably not a useful skill since I doubt I will ever find another person
interested in hearing me recite classical Chinese literature in Japanese. In
fact, I could probably just pick readings as I choose for mnemonic purposes
only, but I was curious if there is a set of 'correct' readings.




_It's a question somehow unanswered for a fairly long time, while it doesn't
seem to be too complicated to answer._

> _If I am reading a Chinese text to a Japanese audience, how can I know which
> reading to use for each character? Of the 音読み, there can be 呉音, 漢音, and 唐音
> to choose from._

There are two major types of situation to read Classical Chinese text in
Japanese you might encounter: **buddhist sutras** , and **all others**.

In the latter case, it's usually recited through
[漢文訓読](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanbun#Example), where all untranslated
words (= remained as 音読み) are read prescriptively in **漢音** (though the rule
was established relatively recently that there's no assurance older documents
before Meiji conform to it).

> `兄弟` (brothers)
>
>   * everyday: きょうだい (both in 呉音) 「うちは三人兄弟だ」 _My family has three brothers. (
> "I (who's male) have two brothers / I have three boys.")_
>   * 漢文訓読: けいてい (both in 漢音) 「人は皆兄弟有り」 _[Other men all have their
> brothers.](http://ctext.org/analects/yan-yuan#n1386)_
>

Anyway, in most cases you don't need to practice the method first-hand, unless
you are an enthusiastic Japanology researcher, because almost all of well-
known texts already have translations, and what you have to do is just follow
the textbook.

The buddhist sutras, on the other hand, are read _as is_ and the pronunciation
differs roughly between sects and schools. The largest portion of them use
**呉音** , but according to [here](http://tobifudo.jp/newmon/okyo/goon.html) and
[here](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%97%E7%84%A1%E9%98%BF%E5%BC%A5%E9%99%80%E4%BB%8F),
天台宗{てんだいしゅう} has some 漢音 sutras, and 黄檗宗{おうばくしゅう} (a Zen sect) uses 唐宋音 in
every piece.

> `南無阿弥陀仏` (Namo Amitābhāya)
>
>   * 呉音: なむあみだぶつ
>   * 漢音 (天台宗-style): なもあびたふ
>   * 唐宋音: なむおみとふ (Compare to Contemp. Mandarin _nāmó ēmítuófó_ )
>

>
> `観自在菩薩行深般若波羅蜜多時照見五蘊皆空度一切苦厄`
>
>   * 呉音: かんじざいぼさつぎょうじんはんにゃはらみたじしょうけんごうんかいくうどいっさいくやく
>   * 唐宋音: かんつざいぷさへんしんぽぜぽろみとすちゃうけんういんきゃいくんといちぇくえ  
>  (Again, compare to Contemp. Mandarin _guānzìzài-púsa xíng shēn bōrě-
> bōluómìduō shí zhàojiàn wǔyùn jiē kōng dù yīqiè kǔè_ )
>

Note that sutras contain many Sanscrit and Pali transcriptions that often
deviate from dictionary reading of kanjis.

> _Also for pronunciation, would rhythm be modified to stress individual
> characters in deference to their monosyllabic origin in Chinese speech?_

Yes, in buddhist tradition. In [this YouTube
clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InkJE2PMX3Y) you'll notice that every
character (syllable) is pronounced in the same length.




_It's a question somehow unanswered for a fairly long time, while it doesn't
seem to be too complicated to answer._

> _If I am reading a Chinese text to a Japanese audience, how can I know which
> reading to use for each character? Of the 音読み, there can be 呉音, 漢音, and 唐音
> to choose from._

There are two major types of situation to read Classical Chinese text in
Japanese you might encounter: **buddhist sutras** , and **all others**.

In the latter case, it's usually recited through
[漢文訓読](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanbun#Example), where all untranslated
words (= remained as 音読み) are read prescriptively in **漢音** (though the rule
was established relatively recently that there's no assurance older documents
before Meiji conform to it).

> `兄弟` (brothers)
>
>   * everyday: きょうだい (both in 呉音) 「うちは三人兄弟だ」 _My family has three brothers. (
> "I (who's male) have two brothers / I have three boys.")_
>   * 漢文訓読: けいてい (both in 漢音) 「人は皆兄弟有り」 _[Other men all have their
> brothers.](http://ctext.org/analects/yan-yuan#n1386)_
>

Anyway, in most cases you don't need to practice the method first-hand, unless
you are an enthusiastic Japanology researcher, because almost all of well-
known texts already have translations, and what you have to do is just follow
the textbook.

The buddhist sutras, on the other hand, are read _as is_ and the pronunciation
differs roughly between sects and schools. The largest portion of them use
**呉音** , but according to [here](http://tobifudo.jp/newmon/okyo/goon.html) and
[here](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8D%97%E7%84%A1%E9%98%BF%E5%BC%A5%E9%99%80%E4%BB%8F),
天台宗{てんだいしゅう} has some 漢音 sutras, and 黄檗宗{おうばくしゅう} (a Zen sect) uses 唐宋音 in
every piece.

> `南無阿弥陀仏` (Namo Amitābhāya)
>
>   * 呉音: なむあみだぶつ
>   * 漢音 (天台宗-style): なもあびたふ
>   * 唐宋音: なむおみとふ (Compare to Contemp. Mandarin _nāmó ēmítuófó_ )
>

>
> `観自在菩薩行深般若波羅蜜多時照見五蘊皆空度一切苦厄`
>
>   * 呉音: かんじざいぼさつぎょうじんはんにゃはらみたじしょうけんごうんかいくうどいっさいくやく
>   * 唐宋音: かんつざいぷさへんしんぽぜぽろみとすちゃうけんういんきゃいくんといちぇくえ  
>  (Again, compare to Contemp. Mandarin _guānzìzài-púsa xíng shēn bōrě-
> bōluómìduō shí zhàojiàn wǔyùn jiē kōng dù yīqiè kǔè_ )
>

Note that sutras contain many Sanscrit and Pali transcriptions that often
deviate from dictionary reading of kanjis.

> _Also for pronunciation, would rhythm be modified to stress individual
> characters in deference to their monosyllabic origin in Chinese speech?_

Yes, in buddhist tradition. In [this YouTube
clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InkJE2PMX3Y) you'll notice that every
character (syllable) is pronounced in the same length.

