Dictionary of Appreciating Pre-Qin Poetry

Author: Jiang Liangfu et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-05-01
Features: This book is part of the Literary Appreciation Dictionary series published by our press. It includes poetry works from the pre-Qin period, such as the Classic of Poetry, the Chuci, and other ancient folk songs. The Classic of Poetry and the Chuci are the two major sources of realism and romanticism in Chinese classical literature. Other ancient songs, such as the Shiguwen, also hold significant importance and have exerted a profound and far-reaching influence on the development of later literature. With the aim of tracing the origins and showcasing the rich treasures of Chinese literature, we have compiled this Appreciation Dictionary of Pre-Qin Poetry to complement other dictionaries published earlier by our press. Due to the limited number of poems that have survived from the pre-Qin era, the entire Classic of Poetry and the Chuci (works from before the Han Dynasty) have been included. The Chuci pieces Buju (Consulting the Oracle) and Yufu (The Fisherman) are not strictly poetic in form but possess poetic qualities and are closely related to other Chuci chapters, so they are also included. Ancient folk songs from the pre-Qin period recorded in literature, such as the Jiran Song (Song of Striking the Earth), the Nanfeng Song (Song of the South Wind), and the Qingyun Song (Song of the Blue Clouds), which are often suspected of being forgeries by later scholars, are also compiled in this book for reference. Considering the difficulty of reading ancient texts for general readers, detailed annotations and translations of the original poems have been provided. In the appreciation essays, the different interpretations of the works by scholars throughout history are introduced appropriately to enable readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of each piece.