Rime Primer

Author: Wen Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Poetry and couplets are important literary forms in ancient China, having been passed down for over two thousand years and still retaining strong vitality today. In ancient times, children as young as those attending private academies were trained in this literary discipline, with strict requirements for tones, phonology, and meter. As a result, numerous works on prosody emerged, among which Shengli Qimeng (Rhythm and Rhyme Enlightenment) by Che Wanyou during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty is one of the most representative examples. Shengli Qimeng is a work on poetic tones, serving as an introductory reading for children learning to compose poetry. Among the many similar works, it stands out due to its rich and practical content, as well as its elegant and lively language.
The content of Shengli Qimeng is arranged in the order of the Pingshui Rhyme Table, featuring three-character, four-character, five-character, and seven-character lines. It not only exhibits perfect parallelism and fluent language, making it easy to recite, but also achieves a high degree of unity between knowledge and practicality. It covers a wide range of knowledge, from poetry and prose to philosophy, religion, and history, allowing readers to receive training in poetic techniques while also gaining extensive knowledge of traditional culture.
To help more young friends understand this classic work, we have provided detailed annotations for obscure characters and historical allusions in the original text. Additionally, we have selected a representative allusion from each rhyme section to introduce in the form of a story, making the reading experience more engaging and enjoyable. By reading Shengli Qimeng, you can not only savor the joy brought by beautiful rhyming texts but also gain a deeper understanding of classical culture—truly achieving twice the result with half the effort.