Book of Songs -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Classics

Author: Qing Ru Xu, translated by Wang Jie
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: This book includes the full text of the earliest poetry anthology in China, the Book of Songs (Shijing), accompanied by insightful annotations. The content is comprehensive, and the annotations are easy to understand. Readers can gain a certain understanding of the style and techniques of the Book of Songs from this book, which also helps improve their appreciation and reading skills. The Book of Songs was originally called Poetry and was later referred to as the Book of Songs after being included in the Confucian classics. It was compiled during the Spring and Autumn period, collecting approximately 305 poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn period over about 500 years. Legend has it that the Zhou royal court sent to collect folk poems, known as "poem collection," which were then compiled into an anthology. According to records in the Records of the Grand Historian and other historical texts, the Book of Songs was edited by Confucius. However, modern scholars often doubt this claim. The Book of Songs is divided into three major categories: "Feng," "Ya," and "Song." "Feng" includes fifteen "state airs," "Ya" consists of the "Great Ya" and "Small Ya," and "Song" comprises the "Zhou Song," "Lu Song," and "Shang Song." The poems originated in regions that are now Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, and Hubei. The "Feng" are mostly folk songs, the "Ya" are mostly songs for banquets, and the "Song" are mostly poems for worshipping gods and ancestors. The form of the poems is primarily four-character lines, and they widely employ the techniques of fu, bi, and xing. The excellent poems in the Book of Songs are vividly descriptive, with simple yet beautiful language, natural and harmonious rhythms, and strong artistic appeal, earning them praise through the ages. During the Han Dynasty, there were four schools of thought on the Book of Songs: the Lu, Qi, Han, and Mao schools. The Lu, Qi, and Han schools were part of "modern literary poetry studies," which were established as doctoral disciplines in the Western Han Dynasty but gradually declined after the Wei and Jin periods. The Mao school, representing "ancient literary poetry studies," became popular after the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Mao Shijing became the standard text after the Wei and Jin periods. Since then, the study and transmission of the Book of Songs have continued without interruption. Many scholars have dedicated their efforts to this field, contributing to the development of the study of the Book of Songs and profoundly influencing the development of Chinese literature. The authors deeply love their national culture and hold the Book of Songs, a treasure of literature, in high regard. Combining years of research and teaching on the Book of Songs, they have not only drawn on the achievements of past scholars but also engaged in independent thinking, connecting ancient and modern customs, languages, and more to uncover hidden meanings and insights in the poems, aiming to offer fresh perspectives. This book was written with these efforts. The Chinese nation has a millennia-old history of civilization, creating a splendid and brilliant ancient culture that has left humanity with abundant spiritual wealth. It has not only played a significant role in the formation and development of the Chinese nation but also continues to hold great practical significance today. It helps people correctly understand their national history, receive patriotic education, cultivate moral character, improve the cultural quality of the entire nation, and promote the prosperity of socialist culture. These are the cultural essence of our Yellow River descendants, shaping the national spirit of the Chinese nation. To provide a basic classic of traditional culture for domestic cultural families in a timely manner and as a collectible, we have specially planned and produced this series of essential Chinese family collections. This book holds both a sacred place in the cultural history of the Chinese nation and a value in literature. Therefore, it is particularly noteworthy and has become a focal point of study for scholars over the past two thousand years. This book includes the full text of the earliest poetry anthology in China, the Book of Songs, accompanied by insightful annotations. The content is comprehensive, and the annotations are easy to understand, allowing readers to gain a certain understanding of the style and techniques of the Book of Songs while also improving their appreciation and reading skills.