He summarized the chief characteristics of the proper style thus: that words should be employed which the people who commonly use Mandarin can understand; that sentences should conform to the model of the spoken language; and, concerning both of these requisites, that such care should be taken as to brevity, the order of words and clauses, the connective particles, and the evident movement of thought as expressed, that the Chinese would recognize in it a people’s book; and yet one that is free from undignified colloquialisms and localisms. All this he held up as an ideal, not likely to be fully realized by any set of translators, but if distinctly aimed at, more sure to be nearly approached. Toward the close of the work on the Mandarin version still another question of a general nature arose. Throughout most of their labors the committee had before them the revised easy Wen-li translation, and for a part of the time they also had the revised classic Wen-li Bible. Ought the three revised Chinese versions to be harmonized, so as to eliminate all variations? That, of course, would be ideal. On this question the report of the Mandarin Committee, which was as to substance prepared by the chairman, took the negative. It said: The differences are not great, and where they exist, the versions will serve Chinese students as a sort of commentary. There are a multitude of questions in Biblical interpretation which no translation can settle once for all. Moreover, ninety-nine out of a hundred of those who use the Mandarin will never look at any other translation. Two versions in perfect accord seem like a fine product, but it is difficult of realization. An attempt at reconciling the present versions would develop many difficulties. A Mandarin sentence especially is not easy to tamper with. The change of a single word would often dislocate a long sentence, and necessitate retranslation and adjustment to the context.