Book of Songs

Author: Deng Qitong
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Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: For every child, school exam scores are not important; what truly matters is cultivating their interest in learning and the ability to think and solve problems through education. As the old saying goes, "Three years determine a lifetime." Child psychology research has found that the period from 0 to 13 is the best time for memory in their lives. During this time, their ability to absorb is as powerful as a sponge. Give them classics, and they will absorb them deeply into their hearts. As they grow older, the essence of these classics will gradually ferment within them, and from then on, "Walking with the classics and associating with the sages" will permeate their entire lives! Classics are works that awaken human nature, opening up people's wisdom! Classics can reach the deepest parts of a person's soul, cultivating an elegant temperament and a kind and generous character! Classical Chinese, also known as literary language, is the language used in most classics, refined and elevated over thousands of years into a beautiful, concise, and precise language. In the long river of China's 5,000-year civilization, the classics that have survived to this day are the Five Classics, the Six Histories, the Four Books, and the Four Collections, which contain a wealth of idioms, allusions, ethics, humanities, history, etiquette, and customs of Chinese culture. Under the influence of these classics, children will naturally exude an elegant aura from the inside out, becoming knowledgeable, polite, open-minded, and greatly enhancing their learning ability. To facilitate children's recitation, teachers and parents can explain them when needed. This book is based on the annotations of the Ruan Edition of the Thirteen Classics and incorporates various versions, after careful research, interpretation, and pronunciation work. It adopts a novel and exquisite layout design that is suitable for both children and adults: large fonts that don't strain the eyes, easy-to-read pinyin, eye-catching two-color phonetic annotations, explanatory notes to clarify doubts, illustrated content to cultivate interest, and voice-overs to make learning fun through listening.
The Shijing (Book of Songs) is China's earliest collection of poetry, traditionally believed to have been compiled by Confucius from over 3,000 ancient poems into 305, with Confucius saying, "The Book of Songs, in one word, is: pure and uncorrupted." Confucius also said, "One learns from the Book of Songs, stands firm through rites, and achieves perfection through music." The Shijing is rich in content and divided into Feng (), Ya (court poetry), and Song (sacrificial hymns), encompassing folk ballads, aristocratic poetry, capital melodies, local folk songs, court music, and street ballads. Therefore, Confucius advised his disciples, "Why not learn the Book of Songs? It can inspire, observe, foster camaraderie, and express grievances. Near at hand, it teaches one to serve parents; far away, it teaches one to serve the ruler. It increases one's knowledge of birds, animals, plants, and trees." The Shijing is a vital source of Chinese poetry and even Chinese literature, with its content, ideas, imagery, language, and creative methods having an immeasurable influence on later generations. Ancients summarized the Shijing with the "Six Meanings": Feng, Ya, Song, Fu (direct narration), Bi (metaphor), and Xing (association by similarity). The language of the Shijing has long become a treasure of our linguistic heritage, with many idioms like "throwing peaches and receiving plums," "a fair and gentle woman," "trembling with fear," "gazing up at high mountains," and "facing tigers and crossing rivers" originating from it. "The world reveres Li Bai's poetry, yet who does Li Bai revere more? Only by exploring the boundless meaning of Feng and Ya can one grasp the peerless elegance of the universe." It turns out that Tang poetry also originated from the Shijing. By reciting the Shijing, we take the same starting point as great poets like Li Bai and Du Fu!