Original Book of Songs (Upper and Lower Parts)

Author: Fang Yurun (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publication Date: February 1, 1986
Features: This book is Fang Yurun's work from his later years. In the diary entry for the year Tongzhi (1865), there is a mention of the catalog of the Honghong Room's collected works, which included the title Shijing Tongzhi Pingjie, but the book itself was never found. Mr. Xiang Dang said: "Whether Shijing Tongzhi Pingjie was eventually completed is uncertain." In the diary entry for the fifth day of the seventh month of the eighth year of the Tongzhi era (1869), it records: "The Book of Songs has no fixed interpretation, and many people make conjectures, making it particularly difficult to explain compared to other classics. I intend to gather various interpretations, reach a consensus, and leave it as a textbook for the family. I named it Yuanzhi, as I wish to explore the original intent behind the ancient poems and return to their beginnings. The title is derived from the first two characters of the poem, and a preface summarizes the main idea of the entire poem. Below the title, in the style of ancient yuefu but without the use of 'xingshi' (metaphor) or 'bishi' (simile), readers can immediately grasp the essence of the poem. Next, the poem itself is recorded, following the example of ancient yuefu with 'yijie' (first part) and 'erjie' (second part), but without the conventional 'xing' (metaphor) or 'bi' (simile). This ensures the poem flows cohesively while maintaining clear structure and paragraphing. After the poem, a general explanation of the poetic intent is provided, roughly between the Xiaoxu (Small Preface) and the Jituan (Collected Commentary), and the views of other scholars are also included. Then, annotations on names and objects are collected, and the meaning and tone are highlighted. The poem is marked with marginal notes and comments, and the excellent parts are underscored or circled for clarity. Only in this way can the poem be fully understood, leaving no room for ambiguity and touching the heart." Except for the mention of Yao Jiheng's Shijing Tongyu, the later arrangement and discussion of Shijing Yuanzhi largely followed this structure. In Xinglie Diary Huayao, Volume 3, there are nine entries on the Book of Songs, with only one dated to the tenth year of the Tongzhi era, while the rest were recorded in the same year. Their content was later included in Shijing Yuanzhi. The preface to Shijing Yuanzhi is signed on the "first day of the small Yin month of the Xinwei year of the Tongzhi era" (1871), indicating that Fang Yurun spent over two years from planning to completing the book. The printing of this book began in the second winter of 1871 and was completed in the first spring of 1873. This is the third of the thirty-six works in the Honghong Room Series, published without a specific imprint. The cover is inscribed in Fang Yurun's handwriting, and his disciples were responsible for the entire proofreading. In 1914, the Yunnan Library included this book in the Yunnan Series, listing it as "Classical Works, Volume 7." Later, the Shanghai Taide Publishing House used the Yunnan edition for stone printing, which led to its wider dissemination.