Xie Bao Xuan Poetry Training Compilation

Author: Yao Nai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-10-01
Features: Yao Nai (1731–1815), a Qing Dynasty litterateur, styled Ji Chuan and also known as Meng Gu, with the studio name Xibo Xuan, and widely known as Mr. Xibo. He was from Tongcheng, Anhui. He passed the imperial examination in the 28th year of the Qianlong reign and was selected as a Cishiji. He held positions such as Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, examiner for the provincial examinations, co-examiner for the national examinations, and Lang of the Ministry of Justice. In the 15th year of the Jiaqing reign, he was honored to rejoin the Lu Ming banquet and was granted the rank of fourth rank. He excelled in classical Chinese prose. In his later years, he successively lectured at academies such as Jiangnan, Ziyang, and Zhongshan. He was an important writer of the Tongcheng school of classical Chinese prose and held the highest position within the school. He inherited the classical Chinese prose studies of his hometown compatriots Fang Bao, Liu Dagui, and Yao Fan, becoming the synthesizer of classical Chinese prose in the Tongcheng school and also supplementing and developing its literary theory. He expanded Fang Bao's concept of "Yi Fa" by advocating the unity of "Yi Li, Kao Ju, and Ci Zhang," and inherited and promoted Liu Dagui's "Shen Qi" theory by proposing the theory of unifying "Shen, Li, Qi, and Wei" with "Ge, Lu, Sheng, and Se." At the same time, he summarized and generalized the stylistic theories of articles from past dynasties, developing the aesthetic view of "Yang Gang Yin Rou" as opposites complementing each other. He wrote works such as "Collected Works of Xibo Xuan" and edited "Selected Modern Verse" and "Compendium of Classical Chinese Prose," which were widely circulated. His prose was concise, rigorous, and elegant, with representative works such as "Record of Ascending Mount Tai," "Eulogy for Yuan Suiguan," and "Record of Visiting Meibei Spring." Yao Nai's writing style traced back from Fang Bao, Liu Dagui, and Gui Youguang to the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song," and was close to the prose of Ouyang Xiu and Zeng Gong. It was concise,,, elegant, and easygoing, much like his character. Among the writers of the Tongcheng school, he was the most expressive in emotion and leaned toward the beauty of "Yin Rou." His essays, such as "Commentary on Wu Zixu," "Commentary on Li Si," and "Commentary on Jia Sheng Ming Shang Shang Lun," prefaces and postfaces, such as "Preface to the Meaning of the Chapters of the Laozi," "Preface to Haiyu Poetry Collection," "Preface to Hetang Poetry Collection," and "Preface to the Eighty-Year-Old Eulogy for Mr. Liu Feng," and letters, such as "Letter to Scholar Weng" and "Letter to Scholar Wang Huizhu," as well as biographies and legends, such as "Record of Ascending Mount Tai," "Biography of Mr. Zhu Zhujun," and "Eulogy for Yuan Suiguan," all reflect his writing style. However, his writing lacked vigor and grandeur, and he lacked the content reflecting social reality. Yao Nai's poetry had a clear and distant charm, especially in his shorter verse forms, but it was overshadowed by his reputation as a prose writer. His poems such as "Song Written on the Day of the New Year with Zi Ying at the Sun Watching Pavilion," "Miscellaneous Poems on the River," "Morning Departure from Jinling," "On the City Wall of Yuezhou," "Mountain Journey," "Bamboo Branch Songs of Nanchang," and "Leaving Chizhou" were all rich in charm. From this book, we can see the characteristics of Yao Nai's poetic creation and theory, as well as the meaning it contains. Additionally, the outstanding value of this poetry collection lies in:
1. The compiler, Yao Yongpu, a distant relative of Yao Nai, was very familiar with the deeds of his great ancestor. In the compilation, he extensively cited rare first-hand materials, providing the writing time and background of each poem. This not only helps readers better understand the content of the poems but also provides valuable materials for studying Yao Nai and the Tongcheng school.
2. As a compilation, this book involves many classical facts, which helps people read and learn poetry.
3. In terms of the compilation style, the richness of this book can be paired with Huiding's "Yuyang Mountain Person's Essence Collection Compilation" as a double treasure.
4. Yao Nai wrote a great deal of poetry in his life, but due to his understanding of poetry as self-entertainment, he often wrote it by hand and gave it to others without keeping a draft. This book, compiled by his son Yao Zhizhui as a private collection, preserves many poems not found in other versions, which is something researchers should pay attention to.