There were no elementary classes and he describes how, "I read the Tso-chuan from beginning to end many times but I was really not clear in my mind about what China was."
「那時候沒有所謂的初級課程，第一次上課就念左傳和莊子」，馬教授形容：「左傳前前後後讀了好幾次，腦袋裡根本搞不清中國是什麼。」