Chu Ci

Author: Zhong Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: China is a country with extremely flourishing poetic creation. The Chuci represents the early stage of the development of ancient Chinese poetry and refers to a new poetic form that emerged in southern China during the Warring States period. It also refers to the poems written by the great romantic poet Qu Yuan and later writers using this poetic form, as well as an anthology of these poems. Together with the representative work of Central Plains literature, the Book of Songs, it forms the two major sources of Chinese poetic history and holds a special significance in the history of Chinese literature. The Chuci is called "Chu" because its phonology, mood, ideology, and even spiritual demeanor bear distinct characteristics of the Chu region. In terms of form, the Chuci primarily breaks the four-character verse structure of the Book of Songs and replaces it with longer five-, six-, seven-, or even eight-character lines, while retaining the exclamatory word "xi" used in singing. In terms of structure, it overcomes the limitations of the Book of Songs, which primarily consists of short chapters and repetitions, and develops into a lengthy "sectioned but chapterless" form, better suited to expressing complex social life and emotions experienced over a broader temporal and spatial span. Additionally, the Chuci maintains a relatively close connection with music.