Reflections on Tang and Han Literature

Author: Yang Ming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Articles discussing "Wind and Bone" in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons have been numerous, yet opinions remain divided. This paper proposes three ideas: 1) Liu Xie's concept of "wind and bone" does not refer to a specific style but to the excellent literary style that all writings should possess; 2) Liu Xie advocated for wind and bone with the intention of opposing the literary styles of the Southern and Northern Dynasties; 3) Wind and Bone, Transforming and Adapting, and Establishing Trends should be considered closely related.
1. What exactly does Liu Xie mean by "wind and bone"? Wang Yunxi, in his Interpretation of Wind and Bone, stated that excellent works exhibit clarity and vivid expression of emotions, where the author's thoughts, feelings, and temperament manifest in a clear manner. Liu Xie's reference to works with wind essentially means works with clear wind. He also noted that only expressions that are straightforward, concise, and vigorous can be termed "bone." Bone refers to the quality of language that is strong and forceful. Later, Wang further elaborated on this concept in several papers. In the chapter on Liu Xie (The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons) in his History of Literary Criticism in the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, Wang dedicated a section to On Wind and Bone, explaining that wind refers to the artistic feature of clarity and brightness in a literary work, equivalent to the vivid and lively style we call today. The meaning of bone lies in the language used being concise, vigorous, and direct. The author fully agrees with Wang Yunxi's interpretation. What the author wants to emphasize is that, as Wang explicitly stated in the section On Wind and Bone in History of Literary Criticism in the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the concept of wind and bone in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons differs in nature from the concepts of elegance and obscurity discussed in the Treatise on Literary Styles regarding individual writers' styles, and from the concepts of elegance and clarity discussed in the Treatise on Established Trends regarding the styles of literary genres. Wind and bone do not refer to the style of a specific writer or genre but are "a universal requirement for many writers and genres." Deng Shikui, in his “Can One Study All Considerations? How Far Can It Be?”—Nine Considerations in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons·Wind and Bone, proposed many important viewpoints. The article also emphasizes that "wind and bone are common requirements in writing, and they do not differ based on genre, theme, content, subject, or style. They are not the unique advantages or characteristics of a particular type of writing" 3. The author believes that understanding this point is crucial for accurately grasping Liu Xie's original intent, and this paper will briefly elaborate on it. Wind and bone are not merely requirements for lyrical works or literary works like poetry and rhyming prose. The Wind and Bone chapter cites Sima Qian's Ode to the Grand Man and Pan Xu's Nine Bestows of Honor on Wei Gong as exemplary works with wind and bone, the latter being a so-called official document, or an applied genre. Most of the literary genres discussed in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons are applied genres, and all of them should possess wind and bone. Although the Wind and Bone chapter includes phrases like "expressing sorrow and emotion," "emotion containing wind," and "expressing emotion must be clear," the word "emotion" should be understood more broadly. It not only refers to feelings but often broadly refers to emotions, sentiments, and reasoning, i.e., the content of the work. Of course, lyrical works are most likely to demonstrate "wind"—the power to move readers—but non-lyrical works must also have an effect on readers. The term "wind" is the "source of transformation and emotional influence." Regarding the phrase "transformation and emotional influence,"