This article falls within the scope of WikiProject Writing systems, a WikiProject interested in improving the encyclopaedic coverage and content of articles relating to writing systems on Wikipedia. If you would like to help out, you are welcome to drop by the project page and/or leave a query at the project’s talk page.Writing systemsWikipedia:WikiProject Writing systemsTemplate:WikiProject Writing systemsWriting system
This article is within the scope of WikiProject China, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of China related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ChinaWikipedia:WikiProject ChinaTemplate:WikiProject ChinaChina-related
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Taoism, a project which is currently considered to be inactive.TaoismWikipedia:WikiProject TaoismTemplate:WikiProject TaoismTaoism
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Thelema, a project which is currently considered to be inactive.ThelemaWikipedia:WikiProject ThelemaTemplate:WikiProject ThelemaThelema
James Legge's translation of Chinese Classics uses at least two romanization systems: one can be found in his traslation of The Four Books (of Confucianism); the other in The Sacred Books of the East, edited by F. Max Müller. The first of these could properly be called Legge romanization; while the second should be called Legge romanization modified after the transliteration system of the Sacred Books of the East (or a shorter name). The system reproduced in Wikipedia is the last one. In the following chart you can find roughly the equivalents between Hanyu pinyin (HYPY), James Legge's transliteration (JL), and James Legge's transliteration modified after the system used in The Sacred Books of the East (JL-TSBE).
'''HYPY JL JL-TSBE
Initials'''
b p p
p p’ ph
m m m
f f f
d t t
t t’ th
n n n
l l l
g k k
k k’ kh
h h h
j ch, ts k, 3
q ch’ kh
x hs, h hs, h
zh ch k
ch ch’ kh
sh sh sh
r z z
z tsz 3ze
c ts’ 3h
s s, sz s, sz
'''Finals'''
-a -â -â
-o -o -o
-e -o -o
-i -ih, -e -ih
-ai -âi -âi
-ei -ei -ei
-ao -âo -âo
-ou -âu -âu
-an -an -ân, -gan
-en -ăn -ăn
-ang -ang -ang
-eng -ăng -ăng
-i yî, -î yî, -î
-ia -iâ -iâ
-ie ye, -ieh -ieh
-iao -iâo -iâo
-iou yû, -iû yû, -iû
-ian yen, -ien yen, -ien
-in -in -in
-iang -iang -iang
-ing -ing -ing
-u wû, -û wû, -û,
ua wa wa
-ue -o
-uo -o, -oh wo, -o
-uai wâi wâi
-uei -ûi wei, -ui
-uan wan wân
-un -un wăn, -un
-uang wang wang
-ong -ung -ung
-ü yü, -ü -ü
-üe -üeh -üeh
-üan yüan, -üan yüan, -üan
-ün -ün -ün
-iong yung, -iung, yung, -ung
Two things in the way: 1) no definitive proof that this system was based on Mandarin. 2) not enough sample to reconstruct it. I tried reconstructing the consonants, here is the result. (I am using the fraktur Z in unicode instead of the substitute characters.)