The Collected Works of Qin Guan: An Annotated Chronological Edition

Author: Zhou Xiguan, Cheng Zixin, et al. (Annotations)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-07-01
Features: The works of Qin Guan include The Collected Works of Huaihai and The Short and Long Verses of the Huaihai Scholar. The Short and Long Verses of the Huaihai Scholar: Also known as The Lyrics of the Huaihai Scholar.
Commentaries on Qin Guan include:
(Zhu Xiaozang) Among recent authors, none can match Shaoyou. For example, "Beyond the setting sun, a few crows fly, the flowing water winds around a lone village"—even those who cannot read can recognize it as naturally beautiful language.
(Chao Wuyou) Zhan's prose excels in emotion, while Qiqing excels in emotion in his prose. Only Shaoyou truly balances prose and emotion.
(Cai Boshi) The only modern lyricists who rival Qin Qi and Huang Jiu are unmatched by the Tang dynasty's masters.
(Chen Houshan) Qin's lyrics focus on emotion but lack historical allusions, like a poor family's beautiful woman—though she is exceptionally lovely and graceful, she ultimately lacks the elegance of wealth.
(Li Yian) Shaoyou's lyrics are graceful, yet his style is somewhat weak.
(Hu Yuanren) Qin Shaoyou's lyrics are elegant in form and dignified in spirit. They maintain a clear and unbroken flow, leaving no lingering aftertaste, and their true charm reveals itself with time.
(Zhang Shuxia) His lyrics excel in both emotion and rhyme, surpassing Su and Huang. Though less widely circulated, he remains a master of lyrical composition.
(The Siku Quanshu Preface) Qin Shaoyou is indeed a master of lyrics. He paved the way for later masters like Mei Cheng and drew inspiration from Wen and Wei of the distant past, capturing their essence without imitating their form. Thus, lyric poetry underwent a transformation. Yet this transformation remained within bounds, so critics neither faulted it for changing nor felt it had to change. Later generations often compare Qin and Liu, but Liu, who merely imitates Qin without merit, cannot be placed on the same level!