Book of Songs (Basic Collection of Chinese Family Classics. Volume of the Hundred Schools of Thought)

Author: Qing Ru Xu, translated by Wang Jie
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book includes the complete text of the Shijing, China's earliest collection of poetry, 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 Shijing from this book, which also helps improve their appreciation and reading skills.
The Shijing was originally called Poetry and was later named 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, spanning over 500 years. According to legend, the Zhou royal court sent to collect folk poems, known as "poem collection," which were then compiled into the collection. Historical records such as the Records of the Grand Historian suggest that Confucius edited the Shijing, but this theory is now widely doubted by modern scholars.
The Shijing is divided into three major categories: "Feng," "Ya," and "Song." The "Feng" includes fifteen "State Airs," the "Ya" consists of the "Great Airs" and "Small Airs," and the "Song" comprises the "Zhou Songs," "Lu Songs," and "Shang Songs." The poems originated from regions including present-day Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, and Hubei. The "State Airs" 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 predominantly four-character lines, and they widely employ the techniques of fu (narration), bi (metaphor), and xing (evocation).
The outstanding poems in the Shijing are vividly descriptive, with simple yet elegant language, natural and harmonious rhythms, and strong artistic, making them highly revered throughout history. During the Han Dynasty, there were four schools of thought on the Shijing: the Lu, Qi, Han, and Mao schools. The Lu, Qi, and Han schools were part of "Confucian poetry studies" (), which had scholars appointed as "boshi" (professors) in the Western Han Dynasty but declined gradually after the Wei and Jin periods. The Mao school, a "Classical poetry study" (), became popular after the Eastern Han Dynasty and became the dominant interpretation of the Shijing after the Wei and Jin periods.
Since then, the study and transmission of the Shijing have continued without interruption. Many scholars have dedicated their efforts to this field, contributing to its academic development and exerting an extremely profound influence on the development of Chinese literature. The authors deeply cherish their national culture and hold the Shijing, a treasure of inestimable value, in high regard. Combining years of research and teaching on the Shijing, they have not only drawn on the achievements of past scholars but also engaged in independent thinking, connecting ancient and modern folklore, language, and other aspects to uncover hidden meanings and insights in the poems, offering fresh perspectives.
The Chinese nation has a millennia-old history of civilization, creating a splendid ancient culture that has left humanity a wealth of spiritual treasures. These treasures not only played a significant role in the formation and development of the Chinese nation but also continue to hold great practical significance today. They help people correctly understand their national history, receive patriotic education, cultivate moral sentiments, improve the cultural quality of the entire nation, and promote the prosperity of socialist culture. They are the cultural essence of our Yellow River descendants and have shaped the national spirit of the Chinese people.
To provide a basic classic of traditional culture for domestic cultural families and as a collectible, we have specially planned and produced this series of essential Chinese family books. This book holds both a sacred place in the cultural history of the Chinese nation and a value in literature. Therefore, it has attracted special attention and has been a focal point of scholarly research for over two thousand years. This book includes the complete text of the Shijing with insightful annotations. The content is comprehensive, and the annotations are easy to understand, helping readers gain a certain understanding of the style and techniques of the Shijing while also improving their appreciation and reading skills.