Selected Readings in Chinese Poetics

Author: Zhang Yinpeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book critiques 123 poets from the Han Dynasty to the Southern Dynasties (including one from the "Ancient Poems"), classifying them into three categories: 12 as superior, 39 as average, and 72 as inferior, thereby distinguishing their quality. Within the same category, "the order is roughly based on the chronological sequence of dynasties rather than the hierarchy of quality," but the arrangement within the same dynasty still implies a sense of high and low, such as listing Cao Zhi first among the Jian'an poets and Lu Ji first among the Taikang poets. The principles of evaluation are primarily concentrated in the preface, with scattered remarks from various sources. Overall, there are two main points: one is "natural brilliance, rarely found in people," and the other is "rich in flavor." The author's fundamental views on "poetry" and many specific requirements often stem from "natural brilliance."
For example, regarding the nature of poetry, the author believes it is the natural result of "shaking one's emotions and expressing them through dance and song" in response to seasonal changes and life experiences. On the sound of poetry, the author argues that poetry "must be recited and read, without hindrance, allowing light and heavy tones to flow smoothly and the mouth to be harmonious—this is sufficient." The "sound disease theory" created by Wang Rong and Shen Yue in the "Yongming style," however, "makes literature overly rigid and restrictive, harming its true beauty," where "true beauty" is synonymous with "naturalness." Regarding the expression of poetic meaning, the author contends that poetry is "about reciting emotions"—why should it value allusions? "Thinking of you is like a flowing stream" is immediate and present; "the high platform is filled with sorrowful winds" is also only what is seen; "climbing the mountain pass in the morning" has no factual basis; "the bright moon shines on the" is not found in ancient texts. Observing the finest lines throughout history, many are not fabricated but are "found directly," exemplifying "natural brilliance."
However, "directness" and "naturalness" are not purely primitive or "lacking flavor," so the concept of "flavor" is also introduced. "Flavor" belongs to natural things—it is intangible yet real, and its connotations of beauty and unpleasantness are extremely rich, making it an appropriate metaphor for poetry. Since the Wei and Jin periods, works like Lu Ji's "Rhapsody on Literature" and Liu Xie's "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons" have already used it, gradually imbuing it with aesthetic meaning. In this book, the author further develops the new idea of "residual flavor" while reinterpreting the three meanings of "Xing, Bi, and Fu." The preface states: "Poetry has three meanings: one is Xing, two is Bi, and three is Fu. When the words end but the meaning remains—this is Xing; using objects to express thoughts—this is Bi; and directly recording events or allegorically depicting things—this is Fu." Here, the author reduces the traditional "Six Meanings" of Han scholars to three, and changes the order of "Fu, Bi, Xing" to "Xing, Bi, Fu." What is noteworthy is the purely aesthetic interpretation of "Xing," which completely avoids the political or exegetical stance of Han scholars. This may be a different interpretation of the "Bi and Xing" theory, but it was the first time to clearly articulate one of the fundamental aesthetic features of Chinese poetry—seeing the big in the small—which later influenced the Tang and Song dynasties' concepts of "Xing-xiang" (imagery) and "meaning beyond words." This is of great significance.
Relatedly, the author's view on "reciting emotions" differs from the traditional Han scholarly emphasis on moral satire and admonition. Instead, it aligns with the contemporary trend of poetic and prose creation, focusing on the natural and everyday content of emotions, particularly valuing the expression of grievances. For example, among the various social life themes listed—such as "a Chu minister leaving his homeland, a Han concubine bidding farewell to the palace; some bones lie scattered in the northern wilderness, souls drifting with flying tumbleweeds; some bear arms to garrison abroad, their killing intent filling the borders; frontier travelers wear thin clothes, widows' tears exhausted"—all except the last one embody sorrow and grievances. When evaluating poets, the author also takes pains to specifically point out the various forms of sorrow and grievances.