Collection of Qin Guan: An Annotated Chronological Edition (New Annotations of Famous Ancient Literature Collections) - Volume 1 and 2

Author: Zhou Xiguan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features:
Qin Guan (1049–1100) was a Northern Song Dynasty poet. His courtesy names were Shaoyou and Taixu, and his sobriquet was Huaihai Jushi. He was from Gaoyou (now part of Jiangsu Province). He served as the Zhengzi of the Secretariat Department and concurrently as a compiler in the National History Institute. Due to his political alignment with the Old Party, he was regarded as a member of the Yuanyou Faction and suffered multiple after Shaoheng. His literary talent was appreciated by Su Shi and was one of the "Four Scholars of Su's Gate." He excelled in both poetry and ci (a classical Chinese poetic form). His ci often depicted romantic love between men and women, with some works expressing sorrow for his own fate. His style was graceful, subtle, and elegant, with a clear and refined beauty. His poetic style was similar to his ci style. He left behind works such as 《》 and 《》. His ci is characterized by a delicate, refined, and tender style, with a melancholic and sorrowful tone, filled with longing and lament. He has long been regarded as one of the representative writers of the school of graceful and delicate poetry. He had a significant influence on later ci poets. Qin Guan's works include 《》 and 《》. 《》 is also known as 《》.
Commentaries on Qin Guan:
(Zhu Xiaozang) Among recent authors, none compare to Shaoyou. For example, "Beyond the setting sun, scattered crows, the flowing water winds around a solitary village"—even those who cannot read can recognize it as naturally beautiful language.
(Chao Wugao) Su Zan's ci surpasses his emotions, while Qiqing's emotions surpass his ci. Only Shaoyou perfectly balances both.
(Cai Boshi) The only ci masters of our time are Qin Qi and Huang Ji. The Tang Dynasty's poets cannot compare.
(Chen Houshan) Qin's ci focuses on emotion but lacks historical allusions. Like a poor family's beautiful woman, though exceptionally lovely and graceful, she ultimately lacks the elegance of wealth.
(Li Yian) Though Shaoyou's ci is graceful, its style is too weak.
(Hu Yuanren) Qin Shaoyou's ci has a light and elegant style, with no decline in its spirit. Its clarity does not break the flow, and its essence lingers, revealing its depth over time.
(Zhang Shuxia) Shaoyou's ci excels in both emotion and rhyme, surpassing Su and Huang. Though less widely circulated, he is a master of ci.
(The Siku Quanshu) Qin Shaoyou is indeed a master of ci. He recently paved the way for Mei Cheng and guided his path; in the distant past, he traced his roots to Wen and Wei, capturing their essence without imitating their form. Thus, the ci underwent a transformation. Yet, this transformation did not stray from the proper path, so critics did not fault it for changing but rather found it necessary. Later generations often compare Qin and Liu. Liu, in comparison to Qin, is like a slave who cannot even match him—how can they be mentioned in the same breath?