Students read classics - regulated verse

Author: Zhang Mengji
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The development of Chinese poetry consists of three major stages. The first stage is the era of four-character poems, the second stage is the era of five-character classical verse, and the third stage is the era of regulated verse. The completion of regulated verse holds profound significance for the entire history of poetry. Since four-character poems flourished in pre-Qin times, their origins remain unknown to this day. Five-character classical verse evolved from the Han Dynasty to the Liang and Qi Dynasties, spanning about four hundred years (assuming it began with Mei Chong of the Western Han Dynasty and ended in the late Liang Dynasty, still short of four hundred years). Whether in terms of poetic conventions (length and parallelism) or content and themes, it underwent constant evolution, making it a dynamic and ever-changing poetic form—like a live volcano. Regulated verse, however, maintained a stable eight-character structure with strict metrical rules—but we also know that throughout history, talented writers have emerged one after another, and no unchanging conventions could possibly constrain all poets of every era. Therefore, within this constrained poetic form, inevitable diverse creative theories have been incorporated, each striving to adapt the form to individual artistic expression. Among these theories, some have become systematic works, while others remain scattered opinions in individual essays. This book includes famous regulated verse from the history of Chinese literary criticism, such as Mount Zhongnan, Midnight Clear, Yellow Crane Tower, and Spring Outing Along the Qiandao Lake, offering annotations and appreciations, analyzing the vocabulary used and the artistic imagery created.