Selections from Ancient Chinese Poetry and Prose

Author: Liu Ziyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: This book includes exemplary ancient works (some of which are excerpts), comprising 43 prose pieces (including 2 fu pieces) and 34 poems. The selected works are generally categorized by genre and arranged based on the principles of progressing from simple to complex and in chronological order. The prose includes mythological fables, short essays, travelogues, biographies, argumentative essays, and fu pieces, while the poems are arranged in the order of classical and regulated styles, and the ci poems are listed in the order of authors. Each selected work includes several parts: author or work introduction, explanation, main text, annotations, and translations. The introductions briefly cover the author's life, thoughts, and works, as well as their status in intellectual or literary history, or they introduce the format, intellectual content, historical or contemporary significance of the works. For works with strong literary qualities, artistic features and writing techniques are also highlighted. The annotations in the selected works are comprehensive, addressing all difficulties and striving for accuracy and clarity to facilitate self-study. Annotations include explanations of terms and their meanings, as well as paraphrases of difficult sentences and discussions of specific issues, primarily focusing on term explanations. This book does not include a dedicated chapter on ancient Chinese theoretical knowledge or ancient cultural knowledge. When relevant issues arise in the selected works, they are briefly explained in the annotations but not systematically introduced.