From "Guo Wen" to "Guo Yu": The Subject Revolution underneath the Difference in Wording

In 1920, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China announced that "The Guo Wen course in national schools will be changed to Guo Yu... The first and second grades of national schools will be taught in Guo Yu from this autumn." Starting from the difference between "Guo Wen" and "Guo Yu", this paper traces the origin of the meaning of "Guo Wen" and "Guo Yu" and its application in modern times, exploring the reasons for the issuance of this decree in combination with the provisions of the school system and social background in different stages. Firstly, the study finds that the modern meanings of "Guo Wen" and "Guo Yu" are not divorced from the basic connotations of "Wen" and "Yu" in ancient China. Secondly, the study shows that after the Ministry of Education ordered the change of "Guo Wen" into "Guo Yu", the mandarin was still comprehensively promoted in the "Guo Yu" course despite the obstruction of the old forces. The goal of consistence between language and text has been achieved; Chinese subject from the previous elite education to the public education, and it is also in line with the inevitable trend of social development. The teaching content of the "Guo Yu" course also attaches more importance to children's literature.