A Comprehensive History of Chinese Rhetoric: The Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties Volume

Author: Zong Tinghu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-02-01
Features: The multi-volume Comprehensive History of Chinese Rhetoric, edited by the renowned rhetoric scholars Zheng Ziyu and Zong Tinghu, has recently been completed by Jilin Education Press. The book is divided into five volumes: "Pre-Qin, Han, Wei-Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties," "Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, Yuan," "Ming and Qing," "Modern," and "Contemporary." With over 2.12 million words in total, it is a monumental work in the history of Chinese rhetoric studies. This grand work summarizes and reviews the vast body of Chinese rhetorical theories, analyzing and depicting the historical trajectory of the development of rhetoric in ancient, modern, and contemporary China. Its publication holds significant importance for the advancement of Chinese rhetoric studies, and it is truly a cause for celebration. After reading the entire book, I believe it has the following prominent features:
1. Rich and Comprehensive Historical Materials. The book covers a broad scope with abundant and detailed historical materials. From the Pre-Qin and Han periods to the modern and contemporary era, it involves over 400 scholars and literati from ancient and modern times who discussed rhetoric, and it analyzes more than 250 ancient and modern rhetorical treatises. Many previously unknown materials have been unearthed and introduced, greatly expanding the field of this historical study.
2. Comprehensive and Detailed Analysis. In terms of compilation, the ancient and modern sections focus on rhetorical studies in various literary forms such as essays and poems, with scholars and treatises as subheadings for introduction. The modern and contemporary sections, however, organize the content by the various aspects of rhetoric as main headings and scholars' treatises as subheadings for analysis. The book adheres to the principle of integrating viewpoints with materials, combining macro and micro perspectives to highlight key points, balance broader and specific aspects, and present a well-organized summary and review. In some volumes, based on the needs of the period, a comprehensive and multi-angle analysis of rhetorical studies during that time is provided.
3. Prudent and Insightful Critiques. The "Introduction" sections of each volume offer insightful analyses of the main characteristics of rhetorical studies during that historical period and their status in the history of rhetoric. The book's summary of modern rhetorical research methods and its analysis of the overall trends in contemporary rhetoric are both novel and innovative. The division of the history of rhetoric into periods in the modern, contemporary, and late-modern eras also demonstrates originality.
Given these points, we believe this "Comprehensive History" can be considered a masterpiece in the current field of Chinese rhetoric studies.
The book is divided into three parts:
Part One covers the rhetoric of the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, and Jin dynasties, including seven chapters: "Rhetoric of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," "Rhetoric of Early Tang Historiography and Literature," "Rhetoric of the High and Mid-Tang Essays," "Rhetoric of the Late Tang Essays," "Rhetoric of Early Tang Poetry," "Rhetoric of the High and Mid-Tang Poetry," and "Rhetoric of the Late Tang and Five Dynasties Poetry."
Part Two covers the rhetoric of the Song dynasty, including nine chapters: "Rhetoric of Northern Song Essays," "Rhetoric of Southern Song Essays," "Rhetoric of Northern Song Poetry (Part 1)," "Rhetoric of Northern Song Poetry (Part 2)," "Rhetoric of Northern Song Poetry (Part 3)," "Rhetoric of Southern Song Poetry (Part 1)," "Rhetoric of Southern Song Poetry (Part 2)," "Rhetoric of Southern Song Poetry (Part 3)," and "Rhetoric of Ci (a poetic form)."
Part Three covers the rhetoric of the Jin and Yuan dynasties, including two chapters: "Rhetoric of Prose and Poetry" and "Rhetoric of Classics and Drama."