White Rain Studio's Discourse on Ci Poetry

Author: (Qing) Chen Tingzhuo
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1959-10-01
Features: During the Qing Dynasty, the study of ci poetry was highly, and there were many books on the topic of ci poetry. Baiyu Zhai Ci Hua is one of the later important works. Chen Tingzhuo's theories on ci poetry primarily advocate the development of the Changzhou ci school, emphasizing that writing ci poetry should be based on "having feelings" and "having something to." He opposed writing without genuine emotion and also criticized the practice of "speaking in a straightforward manner without leaving room for interpretation." In terms of style, he particularly emphasized "chényù" (a deep, melancholic tone). He said, "Chényù means that the intention is present before the pen touches the paper, and the spirit lingers beyond the words. It expresses the feelings of the aggrieved and the longing of the separated, and everything from the coldness of relationships to the drifting of one's life can be reflected in every blade of grass and every tree. Yet when expressing these emotions, they must be subtle and elusive, as if revealing yet not revealing, lingering and intertwining, never allowing a single word to fully expose the truth. This not only demonstrates a high literary style but also reveals a deep character." Baiyu Zhai Ci Hua argues from various perspectives on the importance of "chényù," covering a very broad range. It evaluates ci poets from the Tang and Five Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, and also criticizes the ci selections and theories of past generations, offering many insightful points for reference. In the preface, the author mentions that he "wrote ten volumes of ci poetry discussions," but only eight volumes were published. In the postscripts by Bao Ronghan and Xu Zhengshi, it is also stated that there are only eight volumes. This may be because the original manuscript was ten volumes but later revised to eight, or perhaps the "ten" in the preface was a typo. Currently, the lead-printed version by Kaiping Bookstore is used as the base text, with the Guangxu twenty-year edition for collation, and it is numbered and punctuated.