Zhong Bojing Xiao Pin

Author: Chief Editor: Li Shiyao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-08-01
Features:
The preface to the publication explains that in ancient times, the term "xiapin" () did not carry a distinct literary meaning. It was merely a term used in the Six Dynasties period to refer to abridged Buddhist scriptures. As noted in the "Literature" section of Shishuo Xinyu (《》), "The Buddhist scripture Discerning Emptiness has both detailed and abridged versions—detailed ones are called Dapin (), and abridged ones are called Xiapin ()." The use of "xiapin" outside of Buddhist scriptures became prominent after the mid-Ming Dynasty. Tian Yicheng wrote Zhuquan Xiapin, and Zhu Guozheng, imitating the style of Song Hongmai's Rongzhai Suibiji (《》), compiled a miscellaneous collection titled Yongzhuang Xiapin in 32 volumes. Collections titled with "xiapin" include Chen Jieru's Wanxiang Tang Xiapin, Pan Zhiheng's Luanxiao Xiapin, and Wang Sirren's Xue'an Wenfan Xiapin. Collections named after "xiapin" as anthologies include Huangming Shiliujia Xiapin, Guobao Xiapin, and Xianqing Xiapin. Naturally, "xiapin" implies brevity, but this is merely its external characteristic. It also possesses an indispensable intrinsic quality. The rise of the late Ming Gong'an school's "spiritual essence" theory and the Jingling school's advocacy of "lonely emotion and single thread" both contributed significantly to the enhancement of xiapin's inner character. The flourishing of prose xiapin by the late Ming period was closely tied to the era's cultural trends, reflecting a form of literary self-awareness. It acted as a light cavalry in traditional prose, leaving an indelible mark everywhere it went. Liu Shiting's preface to Wenzhi (《》) once discussed the "unintentional" realm of xiapin: "Among all literary masters throughout history, those who were not overly concerned with writing often achieved the highest level. Take figures like Chunyu and You Meng from ancient times—they roared with laughter, their hats falling off, or sang and shouted passionately, yet their words could calm the furious and brighten the gloomy. The essence of literature is nothing more than this." Modern scholar Yu Pingbo also held a similar view: "The perfection of literary endeavors follows a general principle: 'Seeking what you cannot find, you may find it without seeking.' This principle is particularly evident in the creation of xiapin texts" (Preface to the Reprint of Fusheng Liuji).
Xiapin belongs to the tradition of prose, yet it transcends the boundaries of a single genre. It encompasses everything from miscellaneous records of people and events, landscape travelogues, eulogies and prefaces, diaries and fables, to moral sayings and prefaces, biographies and letters, and notes on poetry—all finding their place under the banner of xiapin. The xiapin of the Ming Dynasty expressed individual spirit, aligning with the era's trend of personal liberation. Discussing art and literature, it was full of wit; depicting landscapes, it was rich in emotion. The Ming xiapin sought the sacred realms of the soul. It was all-encompassing yet concise, conveying profound meaning in simple language, carrying hidden significance. The Ming xiapin recorded the footsteps of a generation of writers. In the 1930s, Lin Yutang wrote in Yanzhi pian (《》), "I want a fine collection of books, a few Ming xiapin, a portrait of Li Xiangjun on the wall for worship, and a box of cigars on the desk." The Ming xiapin nurtured a generation of prose masters in the 1930s, and in today's flourishing wave of prose and xiapin, it will continue to provide nourishment for writers and all interested readers!
Our publishing house, based on the broad needs of modern readers, has selected xiapin texts by Xu Wei, Tang Xianzu, Chen Jieru, Yuan Zongdao, Yuan Hongdao, Yuan Zhongdao, Zhong Xing, Wang Sirren, Tan Yuanchun, and Zhang Dai, adding annotations. Each collection is named after the author's courtesy name to maintain formal consistency, with the overall title Mingren Xiapin Shijia () to delight readers. This series of carefully selected and annotated xiapin collections will take you into a colorful and radiant world of literary wonders.
Fragment from Shige Gui (《》):
The preface to the selection of ancient poems titled Shige Gui (《》) does not mean that the poems of the ancients are to be to what I have selected. Rather, it is hoped that what I have selected will to the ancients. By introducing the spirit of the ancients to connect with the eyes and minds of later generations, allowing their eyes and minds to rise above the ordinary—that is all. Since Zhaoming's selection of ancient poems, people have come to regard his selections as ancient poems. Thus, ancient poems are called the "selected style." The Tang Dynasty's ancient poems are called "Tang selections." Alas! Not only have ancient poems disappeared, but even the name "ancient poems" has nearly vanished. Why? Because people to them, and the power of the selector can make people, and even make the name and reality of ancient poems both perish. How can I dare to speak of selection? Let me argue: The years of literary trends cannot but decline with each generation. Yet the intent and inspiration of poets always seek novelty in each era. Novelty lies in taking a different path, but the changes in the path are limited. The spirit, however, cannot be the same, and its changes are endless. To grasp the limited changes to seek novelty and compete with the trends of the times—I believe one can be novel but cannot be high. In the end, when the path changes and novelty fades, they fade together. Is it not more exhausting and distant to strive for novelty? This is the fault of those who do not seek the true poems of the ancients.
Now, there are those who study the ancients, but in essence, they take the most superficial, narrow, and familiar aspects of the ancients, as if the ancients were truly there. Those who are quick to correct this must create their own poems outside the ancients to seek novelty. Yet their novelty is often the same as the ancients' dangerous and obscure aspects, or else their vulgarity. Then how can they satisfy those who study the ancients? Unable to satisfy their hearts, they yet firmly tell others, "A thousand changes and transformations do not go beyond the ancients." When asked who the ancients are, they again refer to the most superficial, narrow, and familiar aspects of the ancients. The world has truly forgotten the ancients! Zhong Xing and his fellow townsman Tan Yuanchun were concerned about this. They reflected within themselves, not daring to claim whether one "learns from the ancients" or "does not learn from the ancients," but only sought where the true poems of the ancients lay. True poems are the product of spirit. Observe their hidden emotions and solitary threads, how they wander in the midst of the noisy, yet with an open mind and firm will, they roam alone in the boundless. Like a visitor who almost meets someone, a seeker who is fortunate to obtain something, or a person who is joyful upon entering a room—without daring to claim that my views are not the same as the earlier claim that "a thousand changes and transformations do not go beyond the ancients." Yet I dare not fill it with the superficial, narrow, and familiar.
When the book was completed, it covered ancient times to the Sui Dynasty, totaling fifteen volumes, titled Shige Gui. The early Tang Dynasty had five volumes, the mid-Tang Dynasty nineteen volumes, the mid-Tang Dynasty eight volumes, and the late Tang Dynasty four volumes, totaling thirty-six volumes, titled Tangshi Gui. Upon reviewing it, the long-loved poems of the ancients seemed like newly composed poems of the present. Seeing my evaluations of the ancients' words as if they were the words of others. In a moment, the minds of the ancients and I were exchanged, and there was no stopping—what was the reason? It was here that the spirit of me and the ancients was close or distant, before or after, and as if it forced people to have a stopping point.