Book of Songs (Illustrated Text)

Author: Chen Zhenhuan
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Publishing Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Chinese civilization is one of the world's widely recognized civilizations with independent origins and is the only one that has never been interrupted, continuing to flow through the ages. Chinese culture is one of the most important components of Chinese civilization. Culture is the lifeblood of a nation, enabling it to endure; the role of national culture is inestimable, especially in today's rapidly advancing science and technology, where it plays a vital role in upholding social order. Chinese culture, with its profound depth and breadth, has always attracted global attention. As the first comprehensive collection of Chinese poetry, the Shijing (Classic of Poetry), is a treasure of ancient Chinese culture and the origin of Chinese literature, a shining gem in the world's literary treasury. Studying and researching the Shijing holds great significance for understanding the development of Chinese literature and for inheriting and promoting the fine traditions of national culture. The Shijing is an important historical classic from the pre-Qin period, preserving early and reliable materials; it also contains linguistic and textual materials from the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods. Therefore, it holds great value in the study of history and linguistics. Additionally, many disciplines can find early and reliable materials in the Shijing, such as agriculture, medicine, ethics, folklore, architecture, botany, and more. Currently, there is a global fascination with classical Chinese literature, and the Shijing is highly favored. Reading the Shijing allows one to feel the emotions and spirit of people from over two and a half thousand years ago, recreating the social landscape of that time, especially the pure and authentic beauty that is nearly impossible to find in later generations. The Shijing was originally called Poetry and was later named the Classic of Poetry 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 to the mid-Spring and Autumn period, spanning over five hundred years. It is said that the Zhou royal court sent officials to collect folk poems, a process known as "poem collection," which led to the compilation of the collection. According to records such as the Records of the Grand Historian, the Shijing was edited and standardized by Confucius, a theory now widely questioned 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 in regions including modern-day Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, and Hubei. The "State Airs" are mostly folk songs, the "Ya" are mostly banquet songs, and the "Song" are mostly poems for worshipping gods and ancestors. The form of the poems is predominantly four-character lines, with the common use of the literary techniques of fu (narration), bi (metaphor), and xing (evocation). The excellent poems in the Shijing are vividly descriptive, with simple yet elegant language, natural and harmonious rhythms, and strong artistic, earning them praise across generations. During the Han Dynasty, there were four schools of Shijing interpretation: the Lu, Qi, Han, and Mao schools. The Lu, Qi, and Han schools were part of the "Confucian classical poetry" tradition, with doctoral positions established in the Western Han Dynasty, but they gradually declined after the Wei and Jin periods. The Mao school, representing the "ancient classical poetry" tradition, became dominant 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 Shijing have continued without interruption, with many scholars dedicating their efforts to this field, further deepening its influence on the development of Chinese literature. The author deeply loves national culture and holds the Shijing in high regard as a precious gem. Combining years of research and teaching on the Shijing, the author has not only drawn upon the achievements of past scholars but also engaged in independent thinking, connecting ancient and modern customs, languages, and more, focusing on uncovering the subtle yet enlightening aspects of the poems to offer new insights. This book is the result of such efforts.