I also self-studied Chinese language and literature, ancient Chinese and ancient literature. Is it difficult to choose? Are they all from books?

Ancient Chinese novels are an important part of Chinese literature. Their creation began in the pre-Qin period, and through the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing and other periods, they formed a rich history, literature, and artistic achievements. The most famous works in ancient Chinese novels included Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margins, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and so on. These works not only occupy an important position in the history of Chinese literature, but also have high artistic value and literary value in the world. Studying ancient Chinese novels can help us better understand Chinese literature and culture, and at the same time, it can also provide us with important literary creation and cultural heritage. I hope my answer will be helpful.

Chinese philology, ancient Chinese literature, and modern Chinese literature were the three branches of Chinese literature. The difficulty of taking the postgraduate entrance examination and the employment prospects were different. Chinese philology was a branch of philology that mainly studied Chinese characters, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and meaning. The difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination is relatively high. It requires a deeper understanding of language and a good ability to express and read. In terms of employment prospects, graduates of Chinese language and literature could engage in education, culture, scientific research and other fields. Ancient Chinese literature mainly studies ancient Chinese literary masterpieces and cultural heritage. The difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination is relatively low, but it requires a relatively rich historical and cultural knowledge. In terms of employment prospects, graduates of ancient Chinese literature could engage in literary research, education, and cultural industries. Modern and contemporary Chinese literature mainly studies modern and contemporary Chinese literary works and cultural heritage. The difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination is relatively low, but it requires a relatively rich knowledge of literary works and cultural background. In terms of employment prospects, graduates of modern and contemporary Chinese literature could engage in literary research, education, and cultural industries. Generally speaking, the difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination for Chinese language and philology was relatively high, but the employment prospects were relatively broad; the difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination for ancient Chinese literature was relatively low, but the employment direction was relatively concentrated; the difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination for modern and contemporary Chinese literature was relatively low, and the employment prospects were relatively broad.

Chinese Language and Literature refers to the study of Chinese literature, culture, and language, including the study of ancient Chinese and modern Chinese. Ancient Chinese: refers to the historical stages of Chinese characters and Chinese language, from the pre-Qin period to the peak of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is an important foundation of ancient Chinese literature. "Song and Yuan literature: refers to the literature of China's Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) and Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). It is an important period in the history of Chinese literature. Representative literary works include Water Margins, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, etc."

Self-taught Chinese Language and Literature was a subject that involved Chinese language, literature, culture, history, and many other aspects. The main learning content included the basics of Chinese, selected literary works, literary history, and an introduction to language. The graduates of this major can be engaged in related work in the fields of news media, cultural communication, education, scientific research, foreign language teaching, etc.

Ancient Chinese literature and ancient Chinese literary history were two different concepts. Ancient Chinese literature referred to the literary works created by individual authors in ancient Chinese history, including poetry, prose, novels, operas, and other artistic forms. The history of ancient Chinese literature was a study of the development and evolution of ancient Chinese literature, including the origin, development, climax, valley, and extinction of literature. Therefore, although ancient Chinese literature and ancient Chinese literary history both involved ancient Chinese literary works, their research methods, content and scope were different.

The choice of modern literature or ancient literature for the Chinese language and literature entrance examination depended on one's personal interest and development direction. Ancient literature emphasized the study of history, culture, politics, and other aspects. It mainly involved the Pre-Qin philosophers, Han and Tang literature, Ming and Qing novels, and other periods. It could cultivate literary quality and historical insight, and it would also deepen the understanding of Chinese culture. Modern literature, on the other hand, paid more attention to the exploration of human nature and thinking about social issues. It mainly involved Lu Xun, Lao She, Mo Yan, etc. It could cultivate literary creativity and critical thinking, and have a deeper understanding of modern Chinese social and cultural issues. Therefore, if he wanted to cultivate his literary knowledge and historical insight, ancient literature was a good choice. If one wanted to improve literary creativity and critical thinking, modern literature might be more suitable. Of course, this was only a personal suggestion. The final choice still needed to be made according to his own situation and goals.

The Chinese language and literature, as well as ancient Chinese literature, were closely related to classical Chinese. The classical Chinese is a form of literature in ancient Chinese literature. It has an important position in the history of Chinese literature and is known as the peak of ancient Chinese literature. In the Chinese language and literature, classical Chinese was also an important research object. Many ancient Chinese literary works were written in classical Chinese. At the same time, there are many usages and habits of classical Chinese in modern Chinese, such as idioms and sayings. Many of them were formed in ancient classical Chinese.

The origin of ancient Chinese literature could be traced back to the pre-Qin period. The main works included the Book of Songs, the Songs of Chu, the Analects of Confucius, and the Tao Te Ching. In the Han Dynasty, a number of important literary works appeared, including "Nineteen Ancient Poems,""Yuefu Za Qu" and "Records of the Historian." The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of ancient Chinese literature. The main works included Tang poetry, Song poetry and Yuan opera. Among them, Tang poetry was famous for its superb artistic skills and profound thoughts, while Song Ci and Yuan Qu were famous for their wide range of subjects and diverse styles. The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the peak period of ancient Chinese literature. The main works included "Dream of the Red Chamber","Journey to the West","Water Margins" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". These works not only made great achievements in literature, but also deeply reflected the social reality and people's lives at that time.

The basic subjects for the postgraduate entrance examination of ancient Chinese literature usually included: 1. The history of ancient Chinese literature, including the history of ancient literature, literary trends, literary schools, ancient literary works, etc. 2. History of Chinese literary criticism: Including the history of Chinese literary criticism, literary theory, literary critics, etc. 3. A selection of ancient Chinese literary works, including Tang poetry, Song Ci, Yuan Qu, Ming and Qing novels, and other classic literary works. 4. Ancient Chinese cultural knowledge: Including ancient cultural knowledge, traditional festivals, ancient etiquette, etc. 5. The interview was an important part of the Ancient Chinese Literature Entrance Examination. It mainly examined the candidate's literary accomplishment, thinking ability, and innovation ability.