Abstract
Earlier studies of what are conventionally referred to as ＂patient-as-subject＂ and ＂passive＂ sentences in pre-Qín Chinese have addressed two problematic issues: (1) simply distinguishing the two types; and (2) determining the grammatical conditions under which the presumed passive markers 見 ＂jiàn＂ and 於 ＂yú＂ occur. In this paper, the author suggests discarding the active/passive contrast in the analysis of Pre-Qín Chinese, and recommends instead a contrast of stative vs. (humanly) active. It is here proposed that ＂patient-as-subject＂ sentences and ＂passive＂ sentences should be recognized by virtue of their verb types, and that either type serves the same grammatical function. Likewise, ＂jiàn＂ and ＂yú＂ should be analyzed as markers indicating direction of interpersonal treatment. This paper thus offers alternative solutions to the old conundrums, and provides evidence against the old assumption that Pre-Qín Chinese maintained an active vs. passive voice distinction as in English.