Explore the mysteries of Qu Fu

Author: Zhao Kuifu | Editor-in-Chief/Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: The transformation from the real world to the surreal world in Li Sao, it also pays special attention to guiding and hinting at people's traditional cultural mindset, making the transition natural, as if from land to water and from water to land. For example, when the poet writes about being scolded by his only relative, Yu, who cannot understand him, he feels immense sorrow and loneliness in the chaotic world, and thus "crosses the Yuan and Xiang rivers to the south" and "appeals to Zhong Hua," entering the realm of fantasy from the real world. If "crossing the Yuan and Xiang rivers to the south" is still on the ground, "appealing to Zhong Hua" can be understood as pouring out his heart to the shrines or tombs of the ancient sages. After the appeal, "riding the four jade dragons and soaring on the phoenixes, I swiftly ride the dustless wind to ascend," he transitions from the ground to the heavens, from the mortal world to the celestial realm. Appealing to Zhong Hua has in fact become the transition from the real world to the surreal world. As the poet travels through the heavens, visiting Xian Gu, knocking on the gates of the Emperor, ascending Lang Feng, and seeking Mi Fei, he achieves nothing, reaffirming his belief that "the world is murky and jealous of the virtuous, and it hides beauty while praising evil." In a half-dreamlike state, he realizes he is still living in the corrupt and dark reality of Chu, leading to the plot of Ling Feng's divination and Wu Xian's descent, transitioning from the world of illusions to the real world. When deciding to leave Chu, he says, "I break the jade branches to adorn myself and refine the jade dust to bind my hair," using fantastical descriptions as hints and guidance for the transition from the real world to the mythic realm, followed by "I encounter my path at Kunlun." Kunlun is a mountain in the mortal world but also a place where immortals reside in legend, so the poet uses it as a bridge between the heavens and the mortal world. Later, he says, "I set off at Tianjin at dawn," clearly transitioning from the mortal world to the celestial realm. The divine steeds (dragon horses) in Li Sao serve to connect the real world with the surreal world. The horse's role as a vehicle in real life and the long-standing myths and fantasies associated with it have made it the ideal medium for traveling between the mortal and divine realms. Its actions perfectly reflect the emotional rhythm of the lyrical protagonist: when the protagonist is troubled and indecisive, the horse moves slowly and steadily, wandering by the Orchid Marsh; when the protagonist is filled with righteous indignation and cannot hold back, the horse gallops without stopping on the Pepper Hill; and when the protagonist wishes to continue pursuing and struggling for ideals, the horse soars on clouds and wind, carrying the protagonist to a magical world. It can be said that the divine steeds in Li Sao play a crucial role in the poem's structure, serving as a successful artistic creation by the poet.
"Combining subtle emotions to express words, I raise my hands to present them to the beautiful one" (the king), the following 12 lines are the content of the appeal ("raise" is interpreted by Wang Yi as "hold," meaning to present). If these 12 lines are not seen as the content of the appeal, then nothing is presented to the king ("beautiful one"). The phrase "combining subtle emotions to express words" would then become empty talk. Later, it is said, "I present these emotions and words, but Xun, deaf and blind, does not hear." This means that after presenting his words, the King of Chu does not listen. This corresponds to "combining subtle emotions to express words, I raise my hands to present them to the beautiful one," indicating that the appeal section is complete. This is similar to the narrative style of "appealing to Zhong Hua in Li Sao" and "kneeling and spreading my robe to express words, I am truly justified in this righteousness" in Li Sao. The appeal in Li Sao is directed at Zhong Hua, while in Chou Si, it is directed at the King of Chu. Zhong Hua (Emperor Shun) is a sage-king of ancient times, and pleading to him is roughly equivalent to saying, "This heart can only be expressed to heaven." Although the King of Chu is the one who exiled him, he is also the only one capable of supporting him in realizing his political ideals. His appeal to the King of Chu is not only to clarify right and wrong and wash away his grievances but also to seek an opportunity to serve the country. Whenever he pours out his grievances, he often thinks of many painful events, and thus his emotions are deeply stirred, and tears stream down his face. Chou Si says, "I mourn the indecisiveness and hope for advancement, my heart is wounded and heavy." Li Sao also says, "I grasp the fragrant herbs to hide my tears, and my robes are soaked with waves of tears." Lin Yunming, in The Light of Chu Ci, believed that Chou Si was written during the King of Chu's exile in Hanbei. He said, "Therefore, he did not present his words in the Jiangnan region but did so in Hanbei; the Aiyi chapter speaks of exile, but this chapter does not, which can be understood." This principle also applies to Li Sao. At the same time, the thoughts, emotions, and psychological states expressed in the appeal of Chou Si are consistent with those in Li Sao. Look at Chou Si: "In the past, you and I made a promise, saying the evening would be the time. But halfway, you turned back and had other intentions." Li Sao: "At first, we made a promise, but later, you regretted and had other plans. I am not troubled by separation, but I grieve the King of Chu's frequent changes." Chou Si: "You spoke to me but did not trust me, and you were angry on my account." Li Sao: "The King of Chu does not understand my true feelings, but instead believes slander and becomes angry." A person's recollection of past events is influenced by their current mood and psychological state; secondly, by the clarity of various images stored in the brain (due to factors such as the length of time since the memory); and thirdly, by the surrounding environment that triggers the movement of these images in the brain. The two appeals in Chou Si and Li Sao clearly show that they were created in the same period. This section of the appeal in Chou Si has not received much attention from scholars in ancient and modern times. Scholars often classify it as part of the previous or following section when explaining and dividing the text, viewing it as general lyrical or reflective writing, or even cutting it apart and assigning it to different sections. For Qu Yuan's works, whether in terms of content or form, we have not yet fully grasped them correctly, which is also one reason why we cannot properly understand their interrelationships.
Below are two familiar sections of poetry from Li Sao:
"Making lotus leaves into clothes and gathering orchids into robes. If no one knows me, it does not matter, as long as my heart remains fragrant."
"Towering my crown and lengthening my jade pendants. Fragrance and lustre mix, yet my pure essence remains unimpaired."
Reading these lines, the image of the lyrical protagonist, with his weary appearance but towering crown and long pendants, wandering by the Orchid Marsh and riverside, immediately comes to life. The spirit of cleanliness, self-cultivation, and independence from corrupt forces can also be seen through the paper. To explain the artistic charm of these lines, one must consider the poem as a whole and analyze it from the perspective of artistic integrity, as well as from the aspects of ideological connotation, tone, and rhetorical techniques. However, even from the miraculous techniques in the language of these eight lines, it is enough to see the rich lyricism and strong artistic of Qu Yuan's works.
Below, we will analyze the formal expression of these lines. First, look at the first four lines. "Ji" refers to the leaves of the water chestnut; "he" refers to the leaves of the lotus; and "fenghuang" refers to the lotus flower. The leaves of the water chestnut, lotus, and lotus flower are large in size and have bright colors, resembling red and green silk fabrics. This is the material basis for using ji, he, and fenghuang to metaphorically represent clothing. In general, metaphors are based on the similarity of a certain natural attribute of the metaphor. However, in these four lines, the connection between the metaphor and the is not limited to this; although the bright colors of the water chestnut, lotus leaves, and lotus flowers play a certain role in highlighting the lyrical protagonist's external image, the poet's main purpose is not here.
Looking at the later two lines of this stanza: "If no one knows me, it does not matter, as long as my heart remains fragrant." The poet uses the fragrant and pure clothing to symbolize his "heart"—noble sentiments, pure character, and a good heart. Ji, he, and fenghuang grow in water, are clean and fragrant, and have bright colors. People generally have a fondness for them, and they are often used to metaphorically represent beautiful things. This metaphorical connection gives them emotional significance beyond their physical properties. Qu Yuan uses them to symbolize his spiritual world, based precisely on this emotional significance.
From the perspective of formal structure, these four lines skillfully use a pun to tie the metaphor and the together. This pun is "fragrance." "Fragrance" originally describes the scent of flowers and plants, but here it is used to describe the "heart," linking the "heart" naturally to the lotus leaves, water chestnut leaves, and lotus flowers of the previous two lines. Thus, the symbolic meaning of the first two lines becomes clearly directed.
If the last line were "as long as my heart is noble," it would also be acceptable. However, in that case, the connection between the metaphor and the would not be as seamless, and the entire stanza would not be as integrated and achieve the purpose of expressing emotions as directly and perfectly.
The same applies to the later section. When the poet writes about raising his crown and lengthening his pendants, he is not just describing clothing but also revealing his inner self, hinting that in the face of corrupt officials and declining moral standards, he remains true to the truth and maintains his purity and nobility. Therefore, after making such prominent and symbolic descriptions of his external appearance, he says, "Fragrance and lustre mix, yet my pure essence remains unimpaired." His towering crown and long pendants are symbols of his "pure essence remaining unimpaired."
From a formal perspective, the poet uses "fragrance" to correspond to "pendants" and "lustre" to correspond to "crown." The fragrance is released, and the lustre shines, embodying the poet's character, will, and spirit in an invisible way.
If the later section is purely symbolic, then the earlier section is a combination of metaphor (using ji, he, and fenghuang to represent the material of the clothing) and symbolism (using fragrant and pure clothing to symbolize noble qualities and sentiments). Moreover, the metaphor here uses an implicit technique (without using words like "like," "as," or "similar to"). This aligns with the romantic tone and extraordinary imagination of the entire poem, and in connection with the context, it appears extremely natural and harmonious.
"As a drop of water can reveal the sun." The analysis above is just a drop of Qu Yuan's works. However, from this, we can see that the metaphors in Qu Yuan's works are different from those in the Book of Songs: the metaphors in the Book of Songs generally rely on the similarity of a natural attribute of the metaphor, while Qu Yuan's metaphors not only pay attention to the natural attributes of the metaphor but also more to the emotional significance they acquire in relation to people. The metaphors in the Book of Songs are generally explicit, while Qu Yuan's metaphors more often use implicit or veiled techniques (antimetaphor). Qu Yuan also uses symbolic techniques, sometimes combining metaphor and symbolism, which is something the Book of Songs does not have.
Overall, the metaphors in Qu Yuan's works form a relatively stable relationship between the metaphor and the, as stated in the preface to Chu Ci Zhangju·Li Sao: "Good birds and fragrant herbs are paired with loyalty and integrity; evil birds and foul objects are compared to slanderers and treacherous ministers." Unlike the constant pursuit of novelty in ordinary metaphors, Qu Yuan's metaphors achieve a better feedback effect on the reader through multiple connections and repeated repetition between the metaphor and the. Therefore, compared to ordinary metaphors, they are also richer in lyricism.
We often say that Qu Yuan inherited and developed the metaphorical and symbolic techniques of the Book of Songs. Of course, in the process of literary art development, there is always some inheritance from previous experiences. However, what exactly was developed? Previous answers were often brief and vague. For example, many people cite the use of men and women to metaphorically represent the king and ministers to explain the metaphorical system of Qu Yuan's works and its development of the metaphorical and symbolic techniques of the Book of Songs. In fact, the use of men and women to metaphorically represent the king and ministers did not form a metaphorical system in Qu Yuan's works. From an aesthetic perspective, it is not a contribution and has no special aesthetic significance.
On what basis did Qu Yuan develop the metaphorical and symbolic techniques? Some scholars have provided answers, but they have not been able to reveal the basic style of the Chu ethnic language in the pre-Qin period or understand the development of Chu literature from a horizontal perspective and the process of Chu regional literary development. I believe that clarifying this question will help us gain a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the characteristics of Qu Yuan's metaphorical and symbolic techniques and his inheritance and development in language.